The alarm rang.
Zack opened his eyes immediately.
He stared at the ceiling for a moment, listening to the sound.
"…Is the alarm late," he murmured, "or am I just awake too early?"
He reached over and turned it off anyway.
The book beside his pillow was still open. Zack closed it carefully, placing a bookmark between the pages before setting it on the desk.
His morning followed its usual order.
Brush teeth.
Wash face.
Shower.
Uniform neat and straight.
By the time he stepped into the kitchen, everything felt quiet enough.
"Good morning, Mom. Dad," Zack said.
"Morning," his mom replied.
From the hallway, raised voices echoed.
Zack paused.
His mom sighed. "Jason and Selene again. Probably fighting over something."
She glanced at Zack. "Why don't you go check on them?"
Zack hesitated. "…I'm sorry, but they're a little too chaotic for me to handle."
His mom laughed softly. "That's fair."
Zack picked up his bag. "I'll see them later."
---
He was just about to leave when a voice came from behind.
"Hey, you idiot."
Zack turned around.
Jason stood in the doorway, arms crossed, clearly annoyed.
"Oh. Good morning, Jason," Zack said.
Jason frowned. "Did you come into my room last night?"
"No," Zack replied. "Why?"
Jason looked away. "Nothing. Forget it. It's good you didn't."
"…Okay," Zack said. "You should hurry too. Don't get late."
"Tch," Jason muttered. "Get lost."
Zack nodded once and stepped outside.
---
"Yooo, boyyy!"
Zack stopped.
He didn't need to turn around to know.
"Good morning, Chris," he said.
Chris jogged up beside him, laughing. "Morning, Mr. Genius."
"You're up early," Zack said.
"What do you mean?" Chris grinned. "Just because I was late yesterday doesn't mean I'll be late every day."
Zack hummed.
They walked together.
Chris talked — about random things, about how yesterday was kind of fun, about how mornings felt different now. Zack listened like he always did, giving small responses when needed.
By the time they reached school, Zack was already slightly tired.
---
"Hey, boys."
Shelly waved at them near the classroom.
"How're you doing?" she asked.
"Alive, I suppose," Zack replied.
"I'm sooo happy and excited for some reason," Chris said dramatically.
Shelly laughed. "Good to know."
She smiled at them. "Yesterday was tough for you both. Good thing you came early today."
"You don't need to say 'both,'" Zack said calmly. "I was already here. Alone. When the class was empty."
Chris puffed his chest. "Of course. I won't even get late every day."
Then he added proudly, "Yesterday was fun though. With my best friend Zack."
Shelly smiled. "Come on, the teacher's coming. Let's go to our seats."
---
Class started.
Quadratic equations filled the board.
Chris stared at it for exactly five minutes.
Then he stared at Zack.
"Yoo, Zack," he whispered.
"…Huh?" Zack replied.
"I'm bored."
"So what do you want me to do?" Zack whispered back.
"Let's talk."
"No," Zack said. "I'm not interested. And I'm not interested in getting in trouble again."
No way I'm getting punished again, Zack thought.
"Chris. Zack."
They froze.
"Outside," the teacher said.
Chris smiled. "Hehe… sorry."
Zack didn't look at him.
---
Lunch felt familiar.
Shelly sat with them, shaking her head. "Punished two days in a row. Impressive."
"Can't do anything," Chris said casually.
"It's his fault," Zack replied, annoyed.
"You two are funny," Shelly laughed.
---
During sports period, Chris leaned toward Zack.
"Why don't you play anymore?" he asked. "Like we used to?"
"I don't know," Zack said. "Don't disturb me. I'm reading."
"Come on," Chris said. "We used to play soccer all the time."
"I don't feel like it anymore," Zack replied.
Chris smiled. "Then I'll play with you."
Zack blinked. "What?"
"I said I'll play with you."
Chris grabbed him and started tickling.
"Ah—stop it—stop!" Zack laughed despite himself.
"Come on, you can laugh," Chris said. "Stop complaining."
For a moment, nothing else mattered.
---
After school—
"Bye, Shelly! See you tomorrow!" Chris waved.
"See you, Chris," she replied.
"Zack! Wait! I'm coming too!"
Zack was already ahead.
They walked together until the corner.
"Bye, Zack," Chris said. "See you tomorrow."
"…Yeah," Zack replied. "See you, I suppose."
---
Zack reached home and tried the door.
Locked.
"…Huh?"
He waited. Looked around. Placed his bag in the yard.
"It's getting late…"
He turned on his phone and typed.
Hey Mom
Door is locked. Where are you? And where are Jason and Selene?
No reply.
Zack sighed and headed toward Jason's school.
After waiting and finding nothing, he thought for a moment.
"…George's place."
---
He rang the doorbell.
"Hello, aunty," Zack said politely. "Is Jason here?"
"Oh, Zack," she said kindly. "Come in. But he's not here."
George stepped out. "Big bro… I saw Jason earlier. He had a fight."
"Again…" Zack muttered.
His mom insisted he stay a while.
Zack sat on George's bed awkwardly.
"Big bro," George said nervously. "Jason told me not to tell anyone, but—"
"It's fine," Zack interrupted gently. "If he doesn't want anyone to know, then you shouldn't tell me."
George blinked.
Zack stood up. "I left my bag outside anyway. My schedule's already messed up."
He nodded. "Bye."
---
His phone buzzed.
Mom: We're home now. Jason went somewhere.
"…I might know," Zack thought.
---
Evening came.
Zack found Jason at the park, sitting on a swing.
"Hey," Zack said.
"The hell are you doing here?" Jason snapped. "Mom sent you, didn't she?"
"No," Zack replied. "I'm here myself."
"…Why?"
"I heard you had a fight."
"So?"
"…Nothing. Just checking if you're okay."
Jason scoffed. "Won't you ask the reason?"
Zack looked away. "Whatever it was, I know it wasn't for no reason."
Jason stared at him. "You trust me?"
Zack turned slightly. "I was just here to tell you to come home. My schedule shouldn't get messed up again."
Jason laughed. "You dumbass. Couldn't come up with a better excuse?"
"It's not an excuse," Zack said calmly. "You do lack brain cells compared to me, but it's fine."
"Fuck you," Jason laughed.
"You should work on your language," Zack replied.
"…Whatever."
Jason stood up. "Let's go home."
They walked together under the evening light.
The sun lingered low, casting long shadows across the road.
No one spoke, but the silence felt settled — like things were back where they belonged.