The bell for the last class echoed loudly, and the hallways of Aurora Academy filled with voices, laughter, and hurried footsteps. The 2nd B class left in groups, talking about the presentation.
"— Dude, that was perfect!" Diego clapped his hands, smiling. "Even Claws threw in some philosophy, like a teacher."
Claws just shrugged.
"— I said what came to mind."
"— Good mind, huh?" Mateus added, giving him a light punch on the arm.
Isa adjusted her backpack on her shoulder and smiled.
"— I thought it was amazing. If we keep this up, we'll be the best group in class."
"— In the whole school," Lucas corrected, serious, but with a sparkle of pride in his eyes.
Rafa, still excited, hugged Isa from the side.
"— I just know that without you, Isa, I would have frozen in the middle of the presentation."
"— You improvised really well, Rafa."
"— Improvising is my specialty," she replied, laughing loudly.
The group left the school and stopped near the ice cream shop on the corner. It was common for students to meet there after classes. Rafa was the first to speak:
"— Anyone up for ice cream? My mom won't kill me if I'm late today."
"— I'm in," Isa replied immediately.
"— Me too," Diego said, already opening his wallet. "But don't get used to it, because I'm only paying for myself."
Everyone laughed. Claws thought for a few seconds but joined the group. Sitting together, laughing, and eating ice cream gave him a strange sense of normality. Something he rarely felt outside of this moment.
While they talked, Lucas mentioned:
"— Did you know there's a small festival here in the neighborhood next week?"
Rafa's eyes sparkled.
"— Festival? Count me in!"
Mateus raised an eyebrow.
"— This could be trouble, especially if we…" — he glanced discreetly at Claws.
But Claws just smiled slightly.
"— Relax. We're just going as friends. That's it."
The sun was already setting as everyone started saying their goodbyes. Rafa and Isa went together on the same bus. Diego left, kicking a small stone along the way. Lucas adjusted his glasses and put away the papers from the project. Mateus walked with Claws to the corner.
"— You're enjoying this whole hanging out with us thing, huh?" Mateus asked.
Claws took a deep breath, looking at the orange sky.
"— More than I thought I would."