𝐅𝐀𝐖𝐍•ᵉ ʲᵃᵉᵍᵉʳ

52

𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝟻𝚝𝚑

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃
, and it's nothing short of perfect. The courtyard is buzzing with life—students sprawled on the grass, frisbees flying across the open field, and the scent of freshly cut grass hanging in the air. My sub sandwich rests in my lap, its paper wrapper crinkled as I pick at the lettuce peeking out from the bread. The warm spring sun spills onto my face, making me squint a little despite the oversized sunglasses perched on my nose.

Connie sits cross-legged next to me, scarfing down his sandwich like it's his first meal in days. Jean leans back on his elbows, half-heartedly chewing his turkey sub while watching a group of girls tossing a volleyball nearby. Sasha, as always, has two sandwiches in her hands and somehow still managed to snag a bag of chips from the vending machine.

"I'm telling you," Connie says mid-bite, his words slightly muffled by the bread, "the best sandwich place in town is not this one. It's that hole-in-the-wall place by the gas station. They put fries in the sandwich. Fries!"

"That's because you have the taste buds of a toddler," Jean quips, his voice dripping with mockery.

Sasha nearly chokes on her food from laughing. "He's not wrong, Connie. You ate half a bag of gummy worms for breakfast yesterday."

"Don't knock it till you try it," Connie retorts, pointing his sandwich at her as if it's the ultimate defense.

I can't help but giggle, wiping crumbs off my lap as I watch the three of them bicker like siblings. The sun feels so good on my skin, the kind of warmth that sinks into your bones and makes you forget about deadlines and exams. For the first time in what feels like forever, I feel light, like everything might actually be okay.

"Alright, but let's talk about the real tragedy," Sasha says, holding up her now-empty chip bag. "Why do they only give you like, ten chips in these things? It's daylight robbery!"

"It's called portion control," Jean teases, shoving a chip into his mouth.

"Oh, shut up, Jean," she huffs, throwing the empty bag at his face.

I lean back on my hands, glancing around the courtyard. The trees have started blooming, their pale pink and white petals falling like confetti whenever the breeze picks up. There's a low hum of laughter and conversation all around us, blending with the faint chirping of birds.

"This feels unreal," I mumble, more to myself than anyone else.

"What does?" Connie asks, his mouth still full.

"This," I say, gesturing to the scene around us. "It feels like one of those days you're supposed to remember forever. Like it's straight out of a movie."

"Please, if this were a movie, I'd be the main character," Connie declares, striking a dramatic pose that earns him a kick from Jean.

Sasha grins. "Yeah, and it'd be a comedy."

"Shut it, Potato Girl," Connie snaps back, but his grin gives him away.

I laugh, taking another bite of my sandwich. As I chew, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I fish it out, glancing at the screen.

eren💞:
you free later?