Between Laughter and Shadows
The next day didn't feel like a regular school morning.
The air buzzed with something lighter, an odd mix of end-of-week relief and the promise of bigger things ahead.
Classes had ended early, and instead of the usual rush home, the courtyard had turned into a mini playground.
Someone had set up a makeshift volleyball net between two trees, and shouts of victory and defeat echoed across the grounds.
Vendors wheeled in small food carts, selling chilled drinks and puff-puff.
The place smelled of laughter and fried dough.
Our group drifted to one of the shaded corners, caught up in the current of fun.
Saraph, naturally, was the loudest.
"Okay, Caleb," she said, pointing dramatically to the volleyball court.
"Redeem yourself.
Last time, you tripped over your own feet and somehow scored for the other team."
Caleb groaned. "That was strategy!"
Jordan barked a laugh. "Strategy for them, maybe."
"Fine," Caleb said, rolling his shoulders like an athlete. "Watch me. I'll show you."
He marched to the court, dragging Timi along as his teammate.
A crowd quickly formed, half cheering for them, half against them.
I leaned back against the bench, sipping from a bottle of water.
Daniel dropped down beside me, his shoulder brushing mine, deliberately, I was sure.
"You're not playing?" he asked, eyes glinting.
"I'm conserving energy," I said, feigning seriousness.
"For what?"
"For when you lose and need someone to pick you up."
He smirked, tilting his head closer.
"Funny.
But if I remember correctly, you're the one who trips whenever I'm around."
I tried to suppress a laugh, giving him a playful shove. "You're imagining things."
"No," he murmured, lowering his voice, "I think you just get distracted by me."
My cheeks warmed, but before I could reply, Saraph's voice carried across the court.
"Nuella! Daniel! Stop flirting and get over here. We need a referee!"
Daniel groaned. "Can't we just stay out of it?"
"Not unless you want me to declare Caleb the winner no matter what!" she yelled.
That got Daniel moving.
He stood, offering his hand to help me up.
I hesitated, rolling my eyes at his smugness, but took it anyway.
His fingers lingered just a little longer than necessary before letting go.
The game was chaos.
Caleb dove like he was in a championship, Timi kept laughing too hard to focus, and Jordan shouted unsolicited coaching advice from the sidelines.
Saraph, of course, claimed to be the "official commentator," complete with exaggerated play-by-plays that had everyone howling.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Timi serves the ball—oh no, he's laughing again.
The other team scores. Weak knees! Weak knees!"
Even Daniel, usually composed, cracked up beside me. "She's unstoppable."
Amid all the laughter, my eyes wandered to Mateo.
He'd joined us, but instead of playing, he stood off to the side with a soda in hand.
He smiled when we cheered, but his gaze kept drifting, unfocused, toward the school gate.
After the game ended in a ridiculous tie, because Saraph claimed it was "a democratic ending," I slipped away from the crowd and walked over to him.
"You could've joined," I said gently.
He shrugged. "Not really in the mood."
"You've been… elsewhere lately," I said, observing him.
Mateo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's family stuff.
Money, home.
Things I can't fix by laughing over volleyball.
And with the trip coming up, I don't even know if I'll be able to…" He trailed off.
My chest tightened at the weight in his voice.
I touched his arm lightly.
"You don't have to go through this alone.
If it affects the trip, we'll face it together. That's what a team means."
For a moment, the heaviness in his expression eased, and a small, grateful smile appeared.
"Thanks, Nuella."
Before I could say more, Saraph's voice boomed again: "Where's my referee? Nuella, Daniel, you owe us ice cream for running away!"
I laughed, shaking my head.
"Come on," I said to Mateo. "At least stay for the ice cream.
If you vanish now, she'll hunt you down."
Mateo chuckled softly, and for a little while, the shadows in his eyes lifted as we headed back to the chaos of our friends' laughter, still bouncing through the courtyard.
The Warmth of Small Joys
The courtyard turned into our playground that afternoon.
After volleyball, Saraph dragged everyone toward the little food stalls set up.
The smell of fried plantain was too tempting to ignore.
"Okay, everyone," she announced, planting her hands on her hips like a general.
"One rule, nobody leaves without trying puff-puff."
Jordan rolled his eyes. "That's not a rule, that's an ambush."
"And yet you're already in line," she shot back.
We ended up scattered across a row of benches, balancing paper plates and cold drinks.
Caleb and Timi argued over who got the bigger one, while Saraph insisted she deserved a "commentator's tax" for her performance earlier.
Through it all, Daniel leaned back lazily beside me, his shoulder brushing mine every so often.
He didn't bother to hide the grin tugging at his lips.
"You've been smiling all afternoon," he murmured.
"Maybe because I'm having fun," I said, keeping my tone light.
"Or maybe," he teased, "it's because of me."
I shook my head, laughing softly. "You're relentless."
"Persistent," he corrected, leaning closer so only I could hear. "Besides, you haven't denied it."
I rolled my eyes, but the heat in my cheeks betrayed me.
He saw it, of course; Daniel always noticed too much.
Meanwhile, Mateo sat a little apart from the group, nibbling at his food without much appetite.
He laughed when Saraph cracked a joke, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
The weight he carried was invisible to most, but now that I knew, I caught every shift in his silence.
When we finished eating, Jordan challenged Timi to a short soccer game on the open patch of grass nearby.
Laughter echoed, Saraph yelling that she was "clearly the star striker of the decade."
I even found myself dragged in, dodging Daniel as he tried to block me.
"Unfair!" he called when I slipped past him with the ball.
"Not unfair—better," I shot back, grinning.
He smirked, then darted forward, catching me around the waist.
"Cheater's punishment," he whispered playfully as he stole the ball right from under me.
I shoved him away, laughing, but my heart skipped at the warmth of his hold.
By the time the game dissolved into chaos, Timi pretending to faint, Caleb chasing Saraph in circles, and Jordan declaring himself the "eternal champion," the sun had started dipping low.
We collapsed onto the benches again, breathless, sweaty, and glowing with the kind of joy only shared foolishness can bring.
As the others planned one last ice cream run, Daniel leaned close enough that his breath brushed my ear.
"Walk with me?"
I hesitated only a moment before nodding.
Saraph noticed, of course, she always did.
She smirked knowingly but said nothing, just waved us off as she herded the rest toward the gate.
The campus quieted as we drifted toward the parking lot, side by side.
His hand brushed mine again, lingering this time.
"You know," he said softly, "days like this remind me why I like being around you.
My heart tightened in my chest. "Daniel…"
He smiled, eyes steady on mine. "Don't worry. I'll keep it light. For now."
We both laughed, the tension breaking, but something lingered under it, something warm and inevitable.