CHAPTER TWO ; Familiar faces
842 Words
(Part One)
The hallway buzzed with the usual Monday morning noise, but for a moment, it seemed strangely distant.
Davi stood in front of her locker a second longer than she needed to.
She wasn't sure why.
Maybe it was because Ethan had looked away first.
Or maybe because she had imagined the whole thing.
With a quiet shake of her head, she slipped her history textbook into her bag and closed the locker.
You're overthinking again.
"Davi!"
A familiar voice pulled her back.
She turned just in time to see Aya weaving through the crowded hallway with the same relaxed smile she'd worn since they were little girls racing bicycles around their neighborhood.
"You disappeared," Aya said, finally catching up. "I thought you'd already gone to class."
"I stopped at my locker."
"I can see that."
Davi smiled.
Aya wasn't loud like Henry or effortlessly charming like some of the girls at school. She was easy to be around. The kind of friend who could sit beside you in complete silence without making it awkward.
That was probably why they'd stayed friends for so many years.
"So..." Aya adjusted the strap of her backpack. "Ready for another week?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"That doesn't sound convincing."
"It wasn't supposed to."
Aya laughed softly.
"There she is."
"What?"
"The real Davi."
"The fake one must've stayed home."
They both laughed quietly before joining the stream of students heading toward their first class.
A few steps ahead, Henry was exactly where Davi expected him to be.
Surrounded.
Someone called his name from across the hallway.
Another student stopped him for a high five.
A sophomore from the basketball team asked him something about practice.
Henry somehow answered everyone without slowing down.
"You'd think he was running for class president," Aya murmured.
"He'd probably enjoy the attention."
"He absolutely would."
As if hearing them, Henry looked over his shoulder.
"There you two are!"
He walked backward effortlessly, pointing at Davi.
"Mom said don't forget you're coming straight home tomorrow."
"I know."
"Our birthday."
"I know."
"Seventeen."
"I still know."
Henry grinned.
"Just checking."
Aya shook her head.
"He's been talking about tomorrow since last month."
"He started planning two months ago," Davi corrected.
"I heard that," Henry called.
"You were supposed to."
Someone bumped Henry's shoulder.
"You ready for practice later?" Ethan asked.
He had appeared so naturally beside Henry that Davi hadn't even noticed him walking over.
Then again...
That wasn't unusual.
If Henry was around...
Ethan usually wasn't far behind.
The two had been inseparable for as long as Davi could remember.
Basketball.
School.
Weekends.
Study sessions.
Movie nights.
Sometimes Ethan spent so much time at their house that their mother jokingly asked if she should start setting an extra plate at dinner every evening.
Henry laughed.
"You know Coach is going to make us run until we regret joining the team."
"You regret joining every Monday."
"I do."
"But you're still there every afternoon."
Henry sighed dramatically.
"I hate that you know me so well."
Ethan smiled.
It wasn't a big smile.
Just enough to make the corner of his mouth lift.
Davi noticed it.
Not because she was looking for it.
It was simply...
there.
For reasons she couldn't explain, Ethan always seemed quieter around crowds.
While Henry naturally became the center of attention, Ethan somehow blended into the background without disappearing.
He listened more than he spoke.
When he did speak...
People usually listened.
"Davi?"
She blinked.
"Hm?"
Henry frowned playfully.
"You've been staring into space."
"I was thinking."
"That's dangerous."
Aya laughed.
"I agree."
Davi sighed.
"I need better friends."
"You love us."
"I tolerate you."
"There she is again," Aya said.
The first bell echoed through the hallway.
Students immediately began rushing toward their classrooms.
Henry nudged Ethan.
"Come on."
The boys headed toward the opposite corridor, still arguing about whether Coach would make them run extra laps.
Davi watched them disappear into the crowd.
Not because of Ethan.
Because Henry always managed to pull people along with him.
It had been that way since they were children.
He was sunlight.
Bright.
Warm.
Impossible to ignore.
And Ethan...
Ethan was different.
More like the quiet shade beneath a tree on a summer afternoon.
You didn't always notice it.
But once you did...
You appreciated it.
"Davi?"
Aya was already halfway inside their classroom.
"You coming?"
She nodded quickly.
"Yeah."
English class passed surprisingly fast.
Mrs. Collins spent the first twenty minutes discussing literature before announcing an upcoming presentation.
"This won't affect your final grade," she explained.
"But I expect everyone to participate."
A collective groan filled the classroom.
Mrs. Collins smiled knowingly.
"I'll assign groups tomorrow."
Tomorrow.
Friday.
The twins' birthday.
Davi made a mental note.
Henry would probably remind everyone at least six more times before lunch.
By the time the bell rang again, the classroom emptied into another sea of students.
Aya stretched.
"I'm starving."
"It's barely ten."
"Exactly."
Davi laughed quietly.
Some things never changed.
And somehow...
She was grateful for that.
- Writer
