------
The warm smell of food filled the small living room.
As Lavinia and Mickel sat in front of the wooden table, silence shared the space for a few seconds before soft laughter spread between them.
The darkness behind the window hinted at the coldness of the evening, while inside the house warmth was seeping through.
Lavinia lifted the spoon, tasted the first bite, then closed her eyes in clear amazement.
"Your cooking skills are still wonderful," she said, shaking her head in admiration. "You're really much better than me."
Mickel smiled widely, as if her words lit something inside him, and he kept looking at her as she ate with her usual messiness.
"Yes… I am," he said teasingly, then continued, "By the way… isn't your mother here?"
She shrugged calmly.
"She went to my aunt's for two days."
Silence lingered for a moment, then the conversation took a different turn… a warm one.
They sat on the floor near the table, remembering the past…
The days of childhood, their silly quarrels, and how Mickel used to cry every time Lavinia ruined his favorite toy.
Lavinia laughed loudly as she remembered:
"Remember when I broke your red car? You were about to scream yourself to death!"
Mickel raised his eyebrows:
"Me? About to die? You were the reason I cried for two days straight!"
The laughter continued…
Real laughter that lightened the weight of her confused and exhausting day.
Mickel's face looked more at ease than she had seen in a long time.
As if this small evening rescued him from something inside he would never confess.
And when he stood up to leave, he noticed something and suddenly said:
"Oh! I almost forgot… my birthday is coming up."
She turned to him:
"Yes, one week left."
He said in a low voice, as if the words were coming out of his heart itself:
"I want to go on a date with you. It's been a long time since we've gone out together."
Lavinia felt a strange warmth touch her chest.
"Alright… let's go to the cinema."
Mickel's smile widened as if the entire world widened inside him.
He left the house in absolute happiness… a full day of Rocky's defeat, her agreeing to the date,
and her smile… all of this made him feel that hope was beating again.
-------
The next morning.
Lavinia closed her house door, pulling her bag tighter on her shoulder, only to be surprised by a familiar voice behind her.
"Lavinia!"
She turned and found Mickel running toward her.
They smiled without thinking and headed to school together.
The entire walk was made of small quarrels.
Sometimes he teased her for being short.
Sometimes she attacked him by jumping on his back.
Sometimes they competed to see who would reach the sidewalk first.
Their laughter… their shouting… their energy
caught the attention of all the students.
Whispers began:
"Are they dating?"
"I don't think so… but they're very close…"
"Maybe… maybe it's a secret relationship."
And at the gate, Rocky appeared.
He was walking slowly, his bag hanging loosely off his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the two of them laughing and walking in perfect harmony.
Something was breaking inside him.
He asked himself in a voice no one could hear:
"Does she… does she love him?
Is that why she rejected me?"
-------
The lesson began.
The history teacher was talking about the town's history with exaggerated enthusiasm, while Lavinia was on the verge of exploding from boredom.
She rested her cheek on her hand and muttered softly:
"I'm going to die… literally die if this doesn't end soon…"
Mickel laughed from the other side, while Rocky simply looked at her from time to time without joining in.
When the teacher finally finished and announced the end of the period,
the class president, Karla, entered the classroom and stood at the front.
She was always strict, her hair tied tightly, and her glasses giving her a frightening appearance.
She tapped her glasses with her hand and adjusted them, then said firmly:
"The school festival is coming. We need to decide what we're doing this year."
The whole class erupted with excitement.
Whispers, shouting, laughter, incomprehensible suggestions…
But a loud slam of the president's hand on the desk silenced everyone instantly.
"QUIET!"
Everyone froze.
Mickel raised his hand shyly:
"I… won't participate this year. I have a qualifying match on the day of the festival."
The president sighed.
"Alright… fine."
Then a girl raised her hand and said excitedly:
"What about a café? Isn't that a great idea?"
The president shouted irritably:
"We did that last year!"
A student said:
"So what if we repeat it?"
The president turned toward him slowly in a terrifying way.
"Do you remember, genius, what happened last year because of it?"
Everyone fell silent.
All eyes turned immediately toward Lavinia.
She laughed awkwardly and raised her hand:
"Hehe… sorry. I won't repeat what happened."
Rocky raised his eyebrow, curious. He didn't know the story.
He asked the girl next to him quietly:
"What happened last year?"
The girl sighed, and the story began…
------
Last year…
The festival was at its peak.
Everyone was working hard.
A group of girls was chosen to be waitresses at their class's café.
Among them were Mira… and Lavinia.
The girls wore the outfits.
When Mira stepped out first, the students were stunned.
She looked beautiful, elegant, moving with an overly feminine grace…
Trying to capture Mikkel's attention specifically.
But Mikkel barely looked at her.
Then Lavinia stepped out.
And here… everything changed.
She wore the same outfit, but on her it looked completely different.
As if she were a professional model.
The bun hairstyle, the light lipstick, the rosy cheeks, the very short skirt…
Everything created an aura of beauty no one could ignore.
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Then the classes erupted with applause and whistles.
Even Mickel… he kept staring at her in awe, as if she were a completely different person.
As if the world stopped for a moment when she appeared.
As for Mira… her expression turned into a dark jealousy she couldn't hide.
The festival began.
Other classes flocked in to see the girls in their waitress outfits.
Customers were laughing, flirting, taking pictures.
And all the spotlight was on two girls:
Lavinia… and Mira.
Even the class president herself looked stunning in the waitress uniform, completely different from her usual strict personality.
But…
It didn't take long before something entirely unexpected happened…
- - -