The classroom felt strangely empty after Rufus left.
The noise.
The shouting.
The chaos.
All gone.
Only the aftermath remained.
Anastasia hurried after her brother, disappearing through the doorway.
Meanwhile, Andre walked toward Marco.
Marco was still sitting on the floor, one hand holding his swollen jaw.
Blood stained the corner of his lips.
Without saying anything, Andre extended a hand.
Marco looked at it for a second.
Then took it.
Andre pulled him up.
"...You okay?"
Marco laughed weakly.
A painful laugh.
"Do I look okay?"
Nobody answered.
Misheal immediately wrapped her arms around her brother.
Holding him tightly.
Much tighter than usual.
"Idiot."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"You should've punched that cunt."
Marco chuckled.
"Yeah."
Sonia stepped forward next.
Without hesitation she hugged him too.
The classroom went silent.
Even Marco blinked.
"...Sonia I'm...?"
She didn't let go.
"You're an idiot too."
Marco smiled faintly.
For a second.
Then the smile disappeared.
His eyes lowered.
And suddenly
The joking Marco was gone.
"...I'm sorry."
Everyone looked at him.
"...For what?"
Marco laughed again.
This time there was no humor.
"...For being a loser everytime."
Silence.
His voice grew quieter.
"...I'm scared."
Nobody moved.
Nobody interrupted.
"...I talk big."
A pause.
"...I make jokes."
Another pause.
"...But when it matters..."
His fists clenched.
"...I couldn't even hit him back."
Misheal's eyes widened.
"Marco—"
He shook his head.
"...No."
His voice cracked slightly.
"...I'm a disgrace."
The room froze.
"...Being a boy."
"...Being part of this group."
"...Being your brother."
Misheal looked genuinely hurt hearing that.
"Stop saying that."
But Marco wasn't listening anymore.
His eyes moved around the room.
At Hugo.
At Andre.
At everyone.
"...You guys always fight."
"...You stand up for each other."
"...And I just stand there."
The silence became painful.
Marco forced a smile.
"...Pretty pathetic."
Then he grabbed his bag.
And started walking away.
"Marco!"
Misheal immediately moved after him.
But he shook his head.
"...Not now."
Hugo stepped forward too.
"Bro—"
"Not now."
His voice wasn't angry.
Which somehow made it worse.
Then he left.
The classroom door closed behind him.
And nobody spoke.
Because nobody knew what to say.
For once.
The clown of the group wasn't smiling.
And that hurt more than the punch.
A few seconds later
Sonia grabbed her bag.
"I'll bring him back."
Everyone looked toward her.
She smiled softly.
Small.
Confident.
"He will listen to me."
Then she followed after him.
Leaving the classroom behind.
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Misheal sat down slowly.
Still staring at the door.
Hugo punched a desk.
Hard enough to make it shake.
"Damn it."
Nobody stopped him.
Nobody blamed him.
Because they all felt it.
The helplessness.
The anger.
The frustration.
But one person felt it more than everyone else.
Andre.
Esmeralda noticed it first.
His hands.
Trembling.
Not from fear.
From rage.
Pure rage.
The veins on his arms were visible.
His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
His jaw was locked.
Like he was forcing himself not to explode.
His face looked pale.
But underneath
There was a faint redness spreading across his skin.
The same look she'd seen before.
The look that appeared whenever something inside him was struggling to stay contained.
"Andre."
No response.
She stepped closer.
"Andre."
Still nothing.
His eyes remained fixed on the door Rufus had used.
Cold.
Empty.
Dangerous.
Misheal noticed too.
Hugo noticed too.
And for the first time
Both of them felt uneasy.
Because they were angry.
Very angry.
Esmeralda slowly grabbed Andre's arm.
The contact finally pulled him back slightly.
His eyes moved toward her.
And for a brief second
She saw it.
A flash of something terrifying.
Then it was gone.
Hidden again.
Andre looked away.
"...I'm fine."
Nobody believed him.
Not a single person in that room.
And somehow
That made the atmosphere even worse.
Marco sat alone behind the old gym building.
The place was quiet.
Far away from the noise of the school.
Far away from everyone.
His swollen jaw still hurt.
But honestly?
That wasn't what bothered him.
He sat on a concrete step with his elbows resting on his knees.
Staring at nothing.
For once.
No jokes.
No stupid comments.
No smile.
Just silence.
A few moments later
Footsteps approached.
Marco didn't need to look up.
"...Go away."
The footsteps didn't stop.
They came closer.
Then someone sat beside him.
Sonia.
Marco sighed.
"...I said go away."
Sonia looked ahead calmly.
"...And I ignored you."
Marco almost smiled.
Almost.
Then the sadness returned.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
The breeze moved gently through the trees.
Students could be heard faintly in the distance.
But here
Everything felt still.
Finally Sonia broke the silence.
"You know..."
Marco didn't look at her.
"...What?"
She leaned back slightly.
"I think you're the bravest person in our group."
Marco let out a bitter laugh.
"...That's a terrible joke."
"No."
Her answer came immediately.
Marco finally looked at her.
She wasn't smiling.
She was serious.
"...You saw what happened."
His voice was quiet.
"I got punched."
"...And?"
"I did nothing."
Sonia shook her head.
"You got hurt because you stepped between people."
"That's not bravery."
"It is."
"No it isn't."
His voice rose slightly.
Frustration finally slipping through.
"Hugo would fight."
"Andre would fight."
"Carlos would fight."
A pause.
"I just stood there."
Sonia watched him carefully.
Then softly
"Do you know why people love being around you?"
Marco frowned.
"...Because I'm funny?"
"No."
"...Because I'm handsome?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Definitely not."
That actually earned the tiniest smile from him.
Sonia continued.
"They love being around you because you're kind."
Marco's smile disappeared again.
"...Kindness doesn't help in fights."
Sonia shook her head.
"No."
A pause.
"But kindness is why this group exists."
Marco blinked.
"What?"
She pointed toward the school building.
"Hugo fights because he cares."
"Misheal protects people because she cares."
"Andre stays because he cares."
A pause.
"And you."
Her voice softened.
"You make everyone smile when things get hard."
Marco looked away.
His throat tightening slightly.
Sonia continued.
"When Rufus punched you."
A pause.
"Nobody was angry because you got beaten."
Marco frowned.
"Then why?"
Sonia smiled sadly.
"Because somebody hurt Marco."
Marco lowered his head.
For a moment.
Neither spoke.
Then quietly
"...I was scared."
Sonia nodded.
"I know."
"...Really scared."
"I know."
His voice cracked slightly.
"...What if I never become strong enough?"
Sonia looked at him.
Then reached for his hand.
Holding it gently.
"You don't have to become Andre."
A pause.
"You don't have to become Hugo."
Another pause.
"You just have to become Marco."
Marco stared at her.
The words landed deeper than she probably realized.
His eyes became slightly glossy.
And for the first time today
He felt understood.
Not judged.
Not compared.
Understood.
Sonia smiled softly.
"...And I happen to like Marco."
Marco laughed weakly.
"...You have terrible taste."
"Probably."
"...Very terrible."
"Definitely."
They both laughed quietly.
The tension finally beginning to fade.
Then Sonia moved closer.
Not much.
Just enough.
Marco noticed immediately.
"...Sonia?"
Her cheeks turned slightly pink.
But she didn't look away.
"...Yeah?"
Marco suddenly became very aware of how close she was.
"...What are you doing?"
Sonia smiled.
"Something I've wanted to do for a while."
Marco blinked.
"...Huh?"
Then
She leaned forward.
And kissed him.
Softly.
Gently.
The world seemed to stop.
Marco froze completely.
Brain empty.
System crashed.
No thoughts.
Only Sonia.
After a few seconds she pulled back.
Slowly.
Their faces still close.
Marco stared at her.
Speechless.
Completely speechless.
Sonia laughed.
"...Wow."
Marco finally found his voice.
"...I think I forgot how breathing works."
That made her laugh harder.
Then surprisingly
Marco leaned forward.
And kissed her back.
A little awkward.
A little nervous.
But genuine.
When they finally separated
Both were smiling.
For the first time that day.
A real smile.
Sonia squeezed his hand.
"Feeling better?"
Marco looked at her.
Then smiled.
A genuine Marco smile.
"...A lot better."
Football Field
Maria finally caught up to Buck near the back field.
He was walking alone.
Hands in his pockets.
"BUCK!"
He stopped.
Turned.
And immediately looked confused.
"...Maria?"
She bent over slightly, trying to catch her breath.
"Do... you... always walk this fast?"
Buck scratched the back of his head.
"I wasn't walking fast."
Maria stared at him.
"...I literally ran across half the school."
"Oh."
A pause.
"...Sorry."
Maria couldn't help it.
She laughed.
Just a little.
Buck looked relieved seeing that.
Because after everything that had happened lately, seeing Maria laugh felt rare.
The two stood there awkwardly for a moment.
Neither really knowing how to start.
Finally Maria spoke.
"...Why?"
Buck frowned.
"Why what?"
She folded her arms.
"Why are you doing this?"
Buck looked genuinely confused.
"Doing what?"
"Helping me."
Buck sighed softly.
"Oh."
The smile disappeared from Maria's face.
"Seriously."
She looked him directly in the eyes.
"Why?"
Buck was quiet for a moment.
Thinking.
Then finally
"Because I hate the dude."
Maria blinked.
"...Oh I see"
"Pretty much."
She stared at him.
Waiting for more.
Buck shrugged.
"When I was younger..."
His voice softened slightly.
"I used to watch people get pushed around."
A pause.
"Nobody ever did anything."
Maria listened carefully.
Buck continued.
"Eventually I realized something."
"What?"
His eyes moved toward the school building.
"If good people stay quiet..."
A pause.
"The bad ones get comfortable."
"So the you have trying to make me back out from the fight isn't going to work."
Maria didn't answer immediately.
Because somehow...
those words hit hard.
Buck continued.
"I don't know everything about Rufus."
A pause.
"But I know enough."
His voice became firmer.
"He isn't good for you."
Maria looked away.
Immediately.
Buck noticed.
"...Sorry."
"No."
She shook her head.
"You're right."
That surprised him.
Maria laughed bitterly.
"I wasn't really into him."
A pause.
"I liked someone else."
Another pause.
"You know this feeling when the one you love is with another person..."
She smiled weakly.
"And then you get completely ignored and forgotten."
Buck stayed silent.
Letting her talk.
Maria sighed.
"I thought if I pulled some tricks..."
A pause.
"Maybe things would work."
Then she laughed at herself.
"...Pretty stupid."
"No."
Buck answered immediately.
She looked up.
"No?"
He shook his head.
"I'm in the same shoes with you."
A pause.
"And loving someone isn't stupid."
Maria stared at him.
For a second she didn't know what to say.
Because nobody had put it that way before.
Most people just told her she made a mistake.
But Buck?
He wasn't judging her.
He was trying to understand.
And somehow...
that felt nice.
The conversation slowed after that.
The tension disappearing little by little.
Then Maria smiled slightly.
"You know..."
"What?"
"You're not what I expected."
Buck raised an eyebrow.
"Meaning?"
She grinned.
"I thought you were just a big scary guy that punches people."
Buck looked offended.
"I do other things."
Maria laughed.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah."
"Like what?"
Buck thought about it.
For several seconds.
Then finally
"...I play video games."
Maria burst out laughing.
"That was your answer?"
"It's a good answer."
"It was a terrible answer."
Buck crossed his arms.
"I also cook."
Maria blinked.
"...Wait."
Buck nodded proudly.
"I make excellent fried rice."
Now Maria was laughing even harder.
"Why is that so surprising?"
"Because you look like somebody whose hobby is lifting cars."
Buck stared at her.
Then unexpectedly
he laughed too.
A genuine laugh.
One that made Maria realize she'd never actually seen him smile properly before.
The atmosphere became lighter.
Warmer.
For the first time in what felt like forever.
Maria wasn't thinking about Andre.
Or Rufus.
Or Esmeralda.
Or all the mistakes she'd made.
She was simply talking.
And smiling.
Eventually the laughter faded.
Buck rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"...So."
"So?"
"We good?"
Maria looked at him.
Then smiled.
A real smile this time.
Not forced.
Not sad.
Just genuine.
She extended her hand.
"Friends?"
Buck looked at her hand.
Then shook it firmly.
"Friends."
Maria smiled.
Buck smiled back.
And for the first time in a long time...
both of them felt like maybe things didn't have to stay broken forever.