Sebas walked up to his friends—Mia, Paul, Licht, and Pria—who were chatting by the lockers. They’d known each other forever and hung out most days.

“Hey, everyone!” he greeted them with a smile.

“Oh, morning, Sebas,” Mia replied. “Did you review Hess's Law for Chemistry, by the way?”

Sebas’s eyes widened. “Wait—that’s today?!” he muttered, looking panicked. “I need to review right now.”

After a moment to calm down, he turned back to Mia. “By the way, what’s the Philosophy assignment?”

Mia’s face fell. “Wait, that’s due today? I thought we had another week!”

Sebas raised an eyebrow. “Our teacher told us it was due today. Haven’t you checked the group chat?”

Mia groaned. “Oh no, I had my phone on Do Not Disturb.”

Just then, Paul joined them. “Hey, what’s going on?” he asked, glancing at their concerned faces.

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Sebas filled him in. “It’s just the Chemistry test and that Philosophy assignment.”

Paul smirked. “Oh, I’m done with that already.”

“Could you help us out?” Sebas and Mia asked in unison, exchanging a quick look. Mia leaned toward Paul, giving him a pleading look. “Pleeease?”

Paul’s face went a little red. “Fine, fine, but just this once.”

On the sidelines, Sebas watched them, secretly rooting for his two friends to finally get together. As he looked on, he was suddenly struck by a vivid memory.

In his mind, he saw a soldier and a woman embracing, standing on the brink of death. On that distant, war-torn planet, a brutal conflict had led nations to the brink of nuclear devastation. The soldier had traveled across states just to reunite with his wife after five years of separation. Tears streamed down their faces as they held each other, knowing this was the end. As the world burned, they shared one final kiss, whispering, “Goodbye, my love.”

Sebas blinked, snapping back to reality, his eyes a little misty, but he managed a smile.

“Uh, sorry, but could I take a picture of the assignment?” he asked, steadying himself.

Mia pulled back from Paul, blushing slightly at Sebas’s interruption.

Paul quickly grabbed his notebook. “Here, Sebas,” he said, handing it over.

“Thanks, man.” Sebas took a photo, then leaned over and whispered to Paul, “You know she likes you, right?”

Paul flushed, glancing at Mia. Sebas chuckled, giving him a light nudge.

Mia caught Sebas’s look and raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing.” Sebas smiled, feeling a hint of sadness, as he sat down and pulled out his notebook.

(⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠♪