Noodles, Clothes, and Deodorant
The scent of fried vegetables and soy sauce hung in the air; the small noodle stand at the edge of Parzipazio steamed and bubbled. Marion and his two friends sat hunched on the wobbly wooden benches, their bowls steaming in front of them. Rico and Leon were sitting with them too — a rare group of five that almost felt like a little clique.
"Bro," Manuel mumbled as he wrestled with the chopsticks, "this is the best food we've had in weeks. Even better than the dining hall."
"Everything's better than the dining hall," Tobia grunted, shoving a bite into his mouth and only swallowing after an agonizingly long pause.
Rico stared silently into his bowl, tense, like he was waiting for something.
Then footsteps sounded on the cobblestones. A girl's voice: "Leon! There you are!"
Everyone turned their heads. Katie was walking along the market street. Her blond hair shone, her new dress fluttered around her legs. As she walked, she spun once, proud — almost like she was on a runway.
"And?" she asked with a grin that was half teasing, half testing. "How do I look? I bought it today — it wasn't cheap."
Leon blinked, then smiled politely. "It looks really good. It suits you."
Katie beamed and gave him a look that wanted more than a compliment. Marion felt the bench go quiet instantly. Manuel grinned smugly, Tobia rolled his eyes, and Rico — Rico looked like he'd stopped breathing.
But before the situation could settle into something heavier, movement came from the side.
Jenny.
She came briskly along the market street, her robe slightly open, the scent of her perfume like a second aura. Her gaze was locked on Leon, and without hesitation she grabbed his arm.
"Leon!" she called. "You didn't forget, did you? You promised you'd help me choose a deodorant!"
Katie froze, her eyes narrowing. "What?"
Leon lifted his hands defensively. "I… uh… Katie, I already told Jenny I would. I'm sorry."
Jenny simply pulled him along, not even turning back toward the others. "Come on. I need your opinion."
The boys at the stand looked at one another. Tobia stared with his mouth open; Manuel nearly snorted noodles over the table.
"Bro," he wheezed, "Leon's a magnet. He doesn't swim — he pulls the whole pond in."
Rico looked like a pile of misery. His face was chalk-white, his hands trembling slightly. Marion stared down at his bowl, unsure whether to laugh or feel sorry for him.
Katie stood there for another moment, rooted to the spot, staring after the two of them as they disappeared into the crowd. Then she threw a snippy "Coward" into the group and stomped off.
What remained was a table full of boys who didn't know whether to laugh, mourn, or simply sit in silence.
Talk at the Noodle Stand
The noodle bowls were still steaming, but no one ate. What had just happened hung in the air like smoke — Jenny dragging Leon away by the arm, Katie storming off in offense.
Manuel was the first to break the silence. "Dude. Our Leon. The guy can't even eat noodles in peace without two girls starting drama at the same time."
Tobia snorted. "Yeah, but watch it — in the end he'll still get none. He's so nice he'll rescue every girl straight into the friend zone."
Marion nodded slowly. He knew Tobia was right. Leon was always friendly, always helpful. And because of that — never more than the good friend.
"I swear," Manuel mumbled, "that guy could be standing in a sea of flames and still ask if anyone wants water."
Tobia laughed. "Bro, Leo just wants to help Jenny. Because Rico half dies every time she walks into a room."
All eyes drifted to Rico. He poked silently at his noodle bowl, lips pressed tight. His ears were red. He didn't say a word.
Marion looked at him, wanting to say something — but Leon returned at that very moment. Without Jenny, without Katie, just himself, with his usual faint grin.
"Sorry, guys," he said, sitting down again. "That was a stupid situation."
"Stupid?" Manuel snorted. "Bro, you almost got torn in half like a piece of bread."
Leon chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Jenny just wanted my opinion. I figured… maybe it's better if she picks a deodorant that doesn't make people faint." His gaze flicked briefly to Rico — friendly, not accusing.
Rico immediately lowered his head even further.
"She just wanted to feel confident," Leon continued. "And Katie… well. She asked at exactly that moment. I didn't want to hurt anyone."
Tobia raised an eyebrow. "And now both of them think you belong to them."
Leon shrugged. "They shouldn't. I'm just their friend. Nothing more."
Marion could hear how honest it was. Leon truly wanted nothing — he was simply like that. Nice. Helpful. The one who took care of things while others laughed.
Manuel rolled his eyes. "You're too nice, bro. One day it'll eat you alive."
Leon grinned. "Then so be it. Better than being heartless."
They ate in silence after that. But in Marion's head the images kept echoing: Jenny pulling Leon by the arm. Katie glaring in jealousy. Rico barely able to breathe.
And him?
He was the observer again.
Gossip by the Road
The sun beat down as the group wandered back toward the academy. Marion was full of noodles, but his head was crowded with images of Katie, Jenny, and the whole scene at the stand. Manuel chattered, Tobia trudged along, Leon walked as relaxed as ever, and Rico… Rico was silent.
They turned a corner — and there stood two girls outside a little boutique whose display was filled with ribbons and colorful dresses. Katie in her new dress, radiant — and her best friend beside her, a bit rounder, but even louder.
"Honestly," they heard Katie saying, "most of the guys in our class are so boring. Only Leon is at least nice."
Her friend snorted. "And the blond one — Adrian — at least has style. But the others? Total cringe."
Katie turned in the shop window, inspected herself, then added, "And Jenny thinks everyone's chasing her anyway. Pff. Let's see how long Leon keeps helping her before he realizes she's overdoing it."
The boys walked past at that exact moment. Manuel's eyes went wide; he shot Marion a look that said: Did you hear that?
Tobia giggled quietly. "They're running us through like we're at a marketplace."
Marion bit his lip. Katie looked incredible, and her words about Jenny stung — but what stung even more was how confidently she dismissed every other boy as if she were sweeping a table clean.
Rico paused for a moment, his face dark red. You could see his jaw clench.
"You alright?" Leon asked casually.
"Yeah," Rico growled, but he stomped ahead faster. His hands were clenched into fists.
Behind them, the girls kept giggling, completely unaware of how their words burned into the backs of the boys' necks.
And so the five of them continued toward the academy — each with his own thoughts:
Manuel full of jokes he was already preparing to fire off.
Tobia still laughing about the scene.
Marion caught between admiration and bitterness.
Leon calm, almost untouched.
And Rico — boiling, even if he refused to show it.
Rico's Edge
The road back to the academy ran alongside a ditch where dirty water flowed sluggishly. The five boys walked in silence, only Manuel occasionally nudging the empty noodle box along with his foot like it was a ball. The sky was already turning violet, and evening chill drifted in from the fields.
"So…" Manuel finally began.
"Hold it," Rico cut him off. His voice sounded rough, unsettled. "I need to get this out or I'm gonna puke."
Everyone looked at him. Leon stopped, hands in his pockets, calm, open. Tobia blinked. Marion felt his stomach tighten — the air vibrated for a moment as if a storm were hovering above them.
"Katie… that whole show earlier… that's not just vanity. That's… calculation."
"Calculation?" Tobia asked.
Rico nodded, his jaw muscles jumping. "She has a list. Call it a rumor if you want, but you all know it's true. For everyone in the class it says how much he'd have to pay to get a kiss. A price. Like at the market."
Manuel whistled softly. "Bro… that's… kind of crazy — and crazy honest."
"No," Rico growled. "It's disgusting. Feelings aren't coins. We're not numbers in her notebook. 'That one's useful, that one's embarrassing, that one pays more, that one gets nothing.'" He kicked a stone; it plopped into the ditch. "And everyone acts like it's normal."
Leon barely moved, simply listening. "You're right. It was shitty of her to talk about everyone like that. And I only helped Jenny with deodorant because… well, Rico almost collapses when she shows up like a scent grenade." He gave a crooked smile, trying to defuse the tension. "And because it's nice to spare someone an embarrassing moment."
"Yeah," Rico said quietly, "exactly that, Leon. You help. That's real. But this… checking boxes, judging, acting like we're merchandise — that pisses me off. We already have enough crap in this world." His gaze flicked toward Marion. "I don't want more crap inside our heads."
Manuel snorted — this time without a joke. "Okay. Respect."
Tobia scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe it's just her way of keeping control? If you turn everything into numbers, you don't have to let anyone get close…"
"Maybe," Rico said. "But it doesn't make it better."
They kept walking. Crickets chirped in the grass. From far away came the evening toll of the academy bell. Marion felt Rico's words echoing inside him. The counting, the pricing — it reminded him of the market, of chains, of fire.
Everything has a value. Nothing has meaning.
And somewhere in it he stood at the edge again — a nobody hoping to be seen, if necessary as a number.
"For the record," Leon said calmly, "I'm not with anyone. And I don't plan to be, if it's just games. If something ever happens, it's real — or it's nothing."
"Amen," Rico murmured. "Real or nothing."
Manuel lifted both hands. "Deal. But if we're talking real: I'm really hungry again. Anyone got leftover noodles?"
Tobia nudged him, laughing. The tension loosened; they walked closer together, like a small island heading toward the fortress of stone and rules.
Just before the gate, Marion turned around. In the distance, the city lights shimmered. Somewhere out there Jenny might be testing her new deodorant. Somewhere Katie might be smoothing her dress and rating the boys in their class.
The thought left coldness behind.
"We're not entries," Marion said softly, without looking at them.
"What?" Manuel asked.
"Nothing," Marion muttered. "Just… nothing."
They passed through the gate. The courtyard swallowed them — the murmuring, the laughter, the torch smoke.
Katie's Game
Class was over, and the students poured out of the room into the sunny courtyard. A buzz of voices, laughter — the usual afternoon groups forming. Marion stood at the edge with Tobia and Manuel when he saw Katie sitting on a bench with her best friend — the chubby, over-made-up sidekick. They whispered to each other, occasionally throwing looks at the boys.
Rico, seated not far away, clenched his fists. "Did you hear it?" he hissed to no one in particular. "That list of hers. Who would have to pay how much for a kiss. That's sick."
The words hung in the air for a moment, and then Katie called in a sugary voice, "Ricooo? Were you just talking about me?"
Her friend giggled shrilly. "He's probably dreaming about you again!"
Rico flushed red and stepped forward. "Dreaming? About you? You treat people like merchandise. You count them like you're at a market. Everyone knows it."
A murmur rose from the surrounding students. Katie tilted her head and smiled mockingly. "Oh, Rico… so honest, so direct. But tell me — if you think I'm that awful…"
Before he could react, she sat down in his lap with an elegant swing.
Her eyes glittered, her smile sharp as a knife. "Then why are your hands shaking?"
Laughter swelled around them. Rico's face turned dark red. He stammered, searching for words. "I… I mean… you're… this isn't—"
Katie placed a finger on his lips. "Shhh. Don't talk so much. Someone might almost think you actually want to pay."
Her friend laughed loudly; other students giggled. Rico shoved her off him in a panic and stood up — but the image was already set: him stuttering, her smiling.
"You should be grateful," Katie breathed as she passed him. "Most of them would work themselves to the bone just to be this close once."
Rico was left behind, face blazing red, fists trembling. Marion and his friends understood immediately:
No matter how honest Rico wanted to be — Katie had humiliated him in front of everyone.
Laughter and Silence
The courtyard quickly loosened again after Katie let go of Rico with a laugh. Some students still whispered; others laughed openly as they walked past him. Rico still sat rigid on the bench, face bright red, fists shaking.
Marion, Tobia, and Manuel watched from a short distance.
"Bro," Manuel snorted, "I swear, that was the craziest thing in ages. She just sits on him — bam! And him? Like a boiled fish."
Tobia held his stomach. "Did you see how he stuttered? Man, that was gold!"
Marion laughed too, but his laughter sounded hollow.
That wasn't just funny.
That was cruel.
He had seen how Rico had genuinely tried to confront Katie — and how she had destroyed him with a single smile.
That evening in the dormitory, the topic came right back.
"Yo," Manuel began the moment he threw himself onto his cot, "Rico and Katie — that was basically a date, wasn't it? At least for him!"
Tobia jumped in at once. "Bro, he's gonna have nightmares for life. Every time he sees a bench he'll start sweating."
Marion tried to grin. But inside something gnawed at him.
She played him. And we're laughing about it.
Rico himself didn't come back to the dorm. Maybe he'd disappeared into some other corner of the academy. Maybe he just didn't want to face anyone.
Manuel shrugged. "He'll be fine. That's what happens when you try to tell Katie what's what. She flips everything around. Always."
Tobia nodded, chewing on a piece of bread. "His own fault. Should've kept his mouth shut."
Marion stayed quiet. Another voice was growing inside him.
But who's going to tell her the truth if everyone stays silent?
The laughter of the others lingered — mixing with the image of Rico's red ears, Katie's smile, and the feeling that everything at this school was a game…
A game whose rules he had never known.