Autumn had finally arrived, and even on the very first day a cool breeze was blowing — enough to make Stefan shiver.
He preferred to get into his new school as soon as possible, but on the other hand, he also wanted to wait by the gate for Vasil, like always.
There wasn't really any logical reason for that, but after doing it for so many years, not doing it now would've felt strange. The least he could do was doing it for one more time.
Stefan lifted his head and looked at the high school — the one that had cost him a stress-induced stomach ulcer just to get into.
It looked... decent. A five-story building in the middle of a courtyard, with white walls and tall windows — exactly what you'd expect from a private school. Totally cliché.
The yard surrounding it was large, and the yellow leaves scattered under the trees announced autumn's arrival.
From where Stefan stood at the front gate, he couldn't see it, but he knew there was a smaller building behind the main one — the gym — and beside that, a large outdoor field for sports and competitions.
He thought to himself that it would've been nice if the music department had its own separate building too.
One Vasil was noisy enough; Stefan didn't even want to imagine ten of him playing instruments at the same time.
He tore his eyes away from the building and looked down the street again.
Now he could see Vasil in the distance.
He too was wearing the dark green school uniform. His long hair was messy, his cheeks red from the cold wind and running. His schoolbag hung from right shoulder, and his violin case was in his left hand.
When Vasil spotted Stefan, he broke into a wide grin, raised his free hand in greeting, straightened his bag, and came running toward him.
"Hey!"
Stefan nodded. "Hey."
He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Shall we go in?"
Vasil paused for a moment, eyes sparkling as he looked up at the school. "Why not!"
As they crossed the schoolyard toward the main building, Vasil said, "It's been almost two months since I last heard from you!"
Without looking at him, Stefan muttered, "I've been busy."
Vasil grumbled, "Between the two of us, I'm the one who has a job!"
Stefan tried to change the subject. "So, how's the speech coming along?"
"The what?" Vasil frowned.
"The opening ceremony speech, genius. For the top scorers."
Vasil rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny."
Stefan's face shifted from normal to confused, and Vasil's from annoyed to alarmed.
"You're joking, right?" Vasil said nervously.
Stefan blinked. "You didn't read the descriptions on the website???"
Vasil stammered, "yes!—I mean, not all of them…"
Stefan gaped at him. "You're unbelievable."
Vasil, now panicking, said, "Are you sure they meant the top scorer and not someone else?"
"Your name was literally on the list."
The color drained from Vasil's face. "What am I supposed to say in front of forty people???"
"One hundred sixty," Stefan corrected, "plus the teachers and staff."
"You're really not helping," Vasil hissed.
Stefan sighed. "Just think about what you want to say to everyone!"
"I have nothing to say to everyone!"
Stefan thought quickly. "Okay, then promise on behalf of all the new students that you'll all do your best!"
"Why would I speak for everyone?"
"I don't know! I just heard it in a movie once!"
At that moment, the school bell rang.
Vasil clutched his violin case tighter and turned to Stefan. "Let's just go to the auditorium. I'll figure something out."
Stefan said nothing — but deep down, he was just as nervous, maybe even more.
He knew Vasil had no idea what he was going to do.
***
The ceremony went exactly as the website had described.
After the headmistress — an elderly but dignified woman — welcomed the newcomers, explained the rules, and introduced the staff, it was time for the student speeches.
The twelfth and eleventh grade reps gave solid speeches, and then the girl who'd ranked first in the entrance exam stepped confidently onto the stage.
Stefan hoped her speech would go terribly — but to his and Vasil's dismay, Violet Dubois was even better and more inspiring than the other two.
Out of the corner of his eye, Stefan saw Vasil gnawing nervously on the only fingernail that wasn't covered by a bandage.
Before Stefan could stop him, Violet flashed a smug little smile, bowed, and stepped off the stage.
The headmistress thanked her and then announced Vasil's name.
Vasil leaned his violin case against the chair in front of him, stood up, and walked toward the stage with stiff, robotic steps.
Stefan's eyes followed him all the way up. Even when someone sat down next to him — in Vasil's empty seat — he didn't look away.
"So focused, huh?"
That familiar voice made Stefan sit up straight. He turned. "What are you doing here, Khalid?"
Khalid leaned back in Vasil's chair. "Just visiting an old friend."
"I'm not your friend," Stefan said flatly.
Khalid pretended to wipe a fake tear. "Ouch. Is that how you talk to your childhood friends?"
Stefan ignored him, keeping his eyes on Vasil fumbling his introduction.
Khalid glanced between them. "That your new buddy?"
"None of your business," Stefan shot back.
Khalid shrugged. "Not really. Doesn't matter anyway — give it two days and you'll stop talking to him too."
Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"
Khalid ran a hand through his curly hair. "Because you're too scared to think for yourself — and you can't stand people who can."
Stefan frowned. The last time they'd seen each other, they'd fought, but he couldn't even remember why.
Khalid continued, "That's why you stopped talking to me. Because I wasn't a coward like you."
Stefan sighed. "I stopped talking to you because you're insufferable."
Khalid nodded toward the stage. "And that guy doesn't seem much better."
"Oh really?" Stefan muttered, trying to listen to Vasil.
"Yeah. He's nothing like the kind of person your parents would want you hanging out with — and, by the way, he got your scholarship."
Stefan groaned inwardly. Why was he always surrounded by loud idiots?
"I didn't want a music scholarship in the first place, are you sure you don't hate him for it?"
Khalid grinned. "Quite the opposite. He helped me disappoint my parents again. You said his name was Vasil, right? I should thank him."
Stefan stared at him, unsure whether Khalid was serious or planning to bully Vasil later.
In the silence that followed, Stefan finally heard Vasil's voice clearly:
"And I want to thank the friend who forced me to study."
Stefan looked up — Vasil was staring straight at him.
"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have answered a single question on that exam. Thank you!"
The room filled with half-hearted applause from students who clearly hadn't been listening.
Stefan just stared at him, speechless.
Khalid laughed under his breath. "He was talking about you? Man, if I were you right now, I'd want to disappear."
He got up, waved mockingly " I'll leave you two alone for now"
and left.
Moments later, Vasil returned from the opposite side, slumping into his seat.
"That was the most embarrassing moment of my life."
Stefan glared at him. "It should be. Why'd you drag me into it?"
"I didn't say your name!" Vasil protested. "Nobody knows it was you!"
"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out," Stefan muttered.
Vasil sighed and pulled his violin case closer. "Embarrassing or not, I meant every word I said. I wouldn't be here without you."
Stefan turned away. "Cut the sentimental crap and take credit for your own success."
***
After the ceremony, Vasil looked over the class schedule they'd been given.
He frowned. "Wait a second!"
Peeking over Stefan's shoulder, he asked, "We're not in the same class???"
"Obviously," Stefan said. "We picked different majors."
"I know… but not even for the core subjects?"
Stefan sighed. "The stuff you call core subjects are the ones I have to study a hundred times harder than you. And I don't think advanced math or biology matter much in music school."
Vasil deflated. "…But still." Then hopefully added, "We can still walk home together after school!"
Stefan shook his head. "Probably not. Our extracurricular schedules are on different days."
"That's fine!" Vasil said. "I'll wait for you."
"Why would you do that?"
"Huh?"
The bell rang again. Stefan turned away without looking at him. "You'd better go find your classroom if you don't want to be late on your first class."