Csepel spotted Ciro before first period.
Not because Ciro stood out.
he never did... To anyone else that is
Head down. Hood up. Same steady pace. Same expression that looked carved from stone.
But today...
Something was different.
Ciro kept rubbing his left forearm.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
Enough for Csepel to notice.
He almost called out.
"Morning, Storm Cloud."
The nickname sat on the tip of his tongue.
Instead, he let Ciro walk past.
"You sick or something?"
One of Csepel's friends nudged his shoulder.
"Huh?"
"You're quiet."
Csepel blinked before forcing out a grin.
"Nah. Just giving everyone a break from my incredible personality."
His friends laughed.
They always laughed.
It was easy.
Make a joke.
Get a laugh.
Move on.
No one ever asked if he meant it.
By lunch, Csepel had made three teachers smile, talked his way out of a homework check, and accidentally started a paper-airplane competition.
Great achievements might I add.
Everyone thought he was having a great day.
He almost believed them.
Almost.
Across the cafeteria, Ciro sat alone, turning something over in his hands beneath the table.
He looked... distracted.
Not angry.
Not annoyed.
Just a little Uneasy.
Csepel thought that he was the reason.
People thought being loud meant life was easy.
It wasn't.
His dad worked late almost every day.
His older sister had moved away for college and barely answered his texts anymore.
His mom was wonderful, but she worried about everyone except herself.
So Csepel filled the quiet.
If people were laughing...
No one noticed when he wasn't.
The final bell rang.
As students poured into the hallway, Csepel caught sight of Ciro again.
For the briefest moment...
Ciro stopped.
His eyes locked onto the far end of the corridor.
His face lost every bit of color.
Then he hurried away.
Csepel looked toward the same hallway.
Nothing.
Just lockers.
Fluorescent lights.
An empty drinking fountain.
"...Weird," he muttered.
He adjusted his backpack and followed the crowd outside.
Neither of them noticed the classroom door at the end of the hall slowly easing shut on its own.
Without a sound.