Elias shoves his math book into his backpack as the final bell rings, nearly tripping over a stray chair. The corridor outside his classroom floods with voices and laughter. He scans the crowd, heart skipping, wondering if today he’ll have the courage to speak to someone new. As he steps into the main hall, his friend Jonas elbows him and grins.
"Hurry up, Elias, or we’ll miss the best spots in the courtyard."
Elias follows, weaving through groups of students, sunlight spilling through high windows. Girls cluster by the lockers, chatting and tossing hair. The courtyard doors are just ahead. Elias feels his palms sweat as he debates whether to join Jonas or approach one of the girls instead. The smell of fresh bread from the bakery drifts in as he hesitates, caught between the familiar comfort of friendship and the dizzying possibility of something more.