Chapter Text
What set Err apart from the rest was, without a doubt, his intelligence. He was top of the class; teachers learned his name before anyone else's, he got the best grades and never turned in an assignment late, but that didn't make him popular in the slightest. He was the kind of classmate you know is there, you don't dislike him, and you never really interact with him, but there's nothing that motivates you to approach him, and he liked it that way. It wasn't personal; everyone knew he was the smartest, but Err didn't like being popular. He was happy with his small circle of friends.
He was part of a group of four friends who had known each other since seventh grade and would probably graduate together, since they were in their senior year at one of the most prestigious and renowned schools in the region. Benz was probably the least intelligent of the four, but his way of seeing things brought a different perspective to the group, who weren't as creative as he was. There was also Mhee, the tallest. He was almost as talkative as Benz, but probably more active. Mhee didn't hesitate to support anyone who needed it, and that must be why he was the only one in the group who wasn't single.
Finally, the quietest of the four, Mawin. If he were an instrument, he'd be the bass because of his voice. Although he spoke less than a sleeping mute, Mawin was quite direct, and if you knew him well, he was even rather funny. There were four of them, although for a while Mawin wished they were only two.
Unlike the others, Mawin and Err had known each other for a long time, even before starting elementary school. They were about four years old when Err fell off a playground slide, missing his footing and sliding painfully. But before his mother could see, four-year-old Mawin, almost as tall as a guitar, approached him and gave him the lollipop his parents had just bought him to keep him entertained. He didn't say a word, simply handed over the lollipop he didn't want. Err didn't even have time to cry; he grabbed the treat and started following Mawin all over the park, asking him questions and accepting the other's short answers. From then on, not even being in different classrooms during second and third grade could separate them.
It was Thursday. Err arrived at his classroom and sat next to Mawin in the second row, right by the windows, as usual. The desks were for two, and there were at least three more rows behind them. In front of them were Benz, sitting in his chair but leaning against the wall, and Mhee, oblivious to everything around him because he was on his phone. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, so the small classroom was anything but quiet. Some students wandered around the room, going from one end to the other to talk to their friends about homework and exams; others were discussing where they would sit during recess; and Err also overheard a few talking about the new girl in the next class. Mawin was listening to the radio with his headphones, as always, and Benz was giving Mhee a disgusted look, who was smiling while chatting with someone online. Err was lost in his own thoughts, staring out the window, thinking about the next class...
"When are you two going to break up?" Benz blurted out. "It's not fair that you're the only one with a partner." He was referring to Mhee, who stopped smiling and glared at him.
"It's not my fault nobody likes you," he said, then looked at the rest of the group and stuck his tongue out at them. Mawin laughed; he had just taken off his headphones, and the classroom noise was starting to die down. The teacher had arrived. Mhee quickly put his phone away, and Benz settled back comfortably in his chair.
During break, they went to their usual spot, one of the old wooden picnic tables set back from the entrance, where no one wanted to sit because it felt unsafe.
It wasn't too hot, and there was a pleasant breeze, especially near the trees. There were a couple more tables, perfectly safe, but they liked the tree that provided shade on the sunniest days. Besides, they had a lot of memories there; since the middle of their first year of secondary school, they had sat in the same spot, after trying unsuccessfully to find other, more crowded areas. From where they sat, they could see the entire grounds, and the fence that surrounded the school was just a few meters away. Mhee was back to texting his partner on his phone, once again ignoring his surroundings. Benz, who sat across from him, stared at him with a look somewhere between hatred and concentration. Err was thinking about the homework they'd been assigned when Mawin took something out of his pocket.
"Want one?" Mawin offered Err a lollipop, and he accepted it with a smile, as usual.
Mawin didn't like it when his parents gave him sweets for breakfast, and he'd mentioned it a thousand times, but when he saw they ignored him, he simply started giving them to Err, who never refused them.
Benz was usually the one to start conversations, but he was more focused on reading Mhee's thoughts, or so it seemed. Seeing that no one was talking, Mawin took his headphones out of his pocket.
“We all have to find a partner before we graduate!” Benz suddenly said, turning to look at them all. He seemed very determined, but the others stared at him silently, with neutral expressions, except for Mhee, who looked like she was about to laugh. After a few seconds of silence, Mawin took his headphones out completely. Benz noticed him about to put them in and raised his voice again.
“I’m serious! Aren’t you all tired of seeing Mhee on his phone all the time? Doesn’t it make you want someone special too?” Err became thoughtful, and Mawin finished putting in his headphones.
“And how do you plan to do it before graduation? No one has approached any of you these past years and you expect for something to happen this last year.” Mhee was the only one who replied, in a mocking tone, and it seemed their text message conversation had ended, because he had just put his phone away. Benz didn’t seem worried.
“Come on, it shouldn’t be that hard, there are still plenty of people we don’t know. Let’s do this: I’ll get you dates and you join the plan.” Mawin and Err looked at him; Mawin hadn’t had time to plug his headphones into his phone. Then they looked at each other and turned back to Benz.
To be honest, Err had never considered the idea of dating of meeting girls. He had never thought he needed it; he wasn’t a romantic, much less a fan of romance. Since he was little, he’d only had Mawin, and that was enough for him. On the other hand, he was curious, and if they didn’t have to look for anyone, it didn’t seem so difficult… Err said yes, Mawin said no. But by the time the bell rang, they had already convinced him. Or rather, Err had convinced him.
Classes had ended for the day. Mhee had already packed up, and when the bell rang, he rushed out, glued to his phone. Benz was talking to people from the next class in the hallways, but he didn't stay out long. Everyone was already out or waiting for the clubs to open, everyone except Err and Mawin, who were still in class. Err never started packing until the teacher finished lecturing and the bell rang, even though most people had everything ready to leave five minutes before it rang. According to him, he didn't want to miss anything, and if he put his notes away, he was afraid the teacher would say something important, even though that never happened. That's why he was always the last to leave, and it never seemed to bother him. People were practically running out, which is why the school emptied out so quickly. The few who remained were usually teachers wandering around and students enrolled in extracurricular activities; with so few people, the silence was almost immediate. But he was never alone, because although he and Mawin did not live near each other, Mawin always accompanied him until their paths diverged, and it had been like that since the last year of elementary school, since before they returned home by car.
“Why did you accept Benz’s ‘mission’?” Oddly enough, Mawin had just started the conversation.
Err had finished cleaning up, and they were in the hallway. His friend didn’t seem annoyed, but he wasn’t particularly excited either, just curious. Err took a few seconds to answer, taken aback by the sudden question.
“Aren’t you interested in meeting someone? We’re about to graduate and we’ve never dated anyone. I’d like to know what a high school crush feels like, having someone, that kind of thing… you know?”
“No… I’ve never really thought about it. I’m fine with just you.” Mawin’s answer made Err laugh.
“It’s not the same thing, idiot.” They both laughed; they were already outside. It was warm, but not too hot. The atmosphere was pleasant, as it always was at this time of day—Mawin’s favorite times, besides dusk. There were no parks nearby, so as soon as the school emptied, so did the street, with very few exceptions.
"Seriously, imagine, the four of us graduates, each with their respective partners… Doesn't that sound good?" Err spoke again a few seconds later, dreamily.
“I honestly can’t imagine how you’d ever be able to flirt with anyone,” Mawin said, smiling and trying to tease him.
“Are you underestimating me? You’ll see, I’ll be the one who gets a girlfriend first.”
“We’ll see about that. How much do you want to bet?” They continued laughing and teasing each other until they reached the corner where their paths diverged and said their goodbyes. Mawin took his headphones out again, and Err imagined himself and his three friends, all with partners. It felt quite strange; he couldn’t picture himself with anyone, much less Mawin. At the same time, he was afraid—afraid of losing him.