The atmosphere in the classroom was tense, which was to be expected considering that in a few minutes the distribution of the report cards was going to take place. Rosa, their tutor, had already arrived with the stack and was giving them the typical lecture which only served to increased the tension even more. According to her own words, the results had been positive in general. Second Year D class had a reputation of having the calmest and most committed students, so it wasn’t that surprising. However, she did click her tongue and pointed out that the physics grades needed to be improved. It didn't take a genius to realize that more than one student had failed the subject, and they began to look at each other, perhaps searching among the faces of their classmates to see who might be the poor bastard.

Sofia looked at her friend. He was completely tense and jerked his leg with restrained nervousness. His gaze remained fixed on his desk, and his breathing was so heavy it looked like he was panting, although he kept his mouth closed. It was no wonder, he had as much at stake as she did, he had to pass in order to take the Civil Guard entrance exams, and the physics test had been particularly difficult for him. Sofia had noticed that he had been more restless than usual for the past few weeks, something he had initially blamed on the exams, but they were over and his restlessness had not diminished. It was nothing in particular, just some subtle details like that gesture of running his tongue over his lips and that he never seemed to be completely comfortable when he was sitting down.

“I'd like to know what's wrong with you,” Sofia whispered to herself.

Suddenly, without warning, her friend looked towards her. Sofia, feeling caught red-handed, ducked her head and felt a slight blush rising to her cheeks. However, she bit her lip when she realized that he had heard her, and it was not the first time she saw him react to noises he shouldn’t have possibly heard. It didn’t really mean anything as some humans, called latents, displayed some weredog traits without being weredogs themselves, so that was likely what was going on.

Discreetly, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and saw him close his eyelids and let out a deep sigh before looking down at his hands, which had begun to tremble slightly. He didn't seem upset that he had caught his friend staring at him again, in fact he looked dejected. That puzzled Sofia, as on all previous occasions his response had been to smile, as if flattered by the attention.

“Here are your grades. Very good job, Sofia,” said Rosa, leaving the bulletin on the girl's desk and catching her completely off guard.

“Tha… Thank you, Rosa,” answered the girl as she opened her report card.

She had passed all the subjects, and the lowest grade was a seven in physics. Sofia couldn't complain, she had studied like never before and the effort had paid off. After checking her own grades she turned her attention back to her friend, barely aware of the growing commotion that was starting to form in the classroom as students received their report cards and compared them with their classmates’.

“You've just arrived and it's normal that you're struggling a little bit, but you've done a good job. Try to do better next term, okay?” said the woman.

“Yes, Rosa. Thank you,” answered Dave, taking the report from the woman's hands.

As the teacher left, the boy stared at the folded cardboard with trembling hands, too intimidated by what was inside to open it. Sofia was not surprised by his reaction, he had failed the physics exam with a four point nine and passing was left to the Stuck-up's good will. The man didn't have that nickname because he was one of those teachers who used to overlook a tenth of a grade. Dejected, Dave released a quiet huff and left the report card on the desk, as closed as before. With one of his hands he rubbed his chest, which rose and fell in deep breaths that seemed anything but calm.

“Do you want me to look at it?” Sofia asked, rising from her desk.

Dave looked up at her, almost surprised by her offer, and then back down at the cardboard resting on the desk's plywood.

“You must think I'm an idiot...” he murmured quietly.

“Not at all.”

Sofia smiled, picked up the bulletin and opened it, under Dave's expectant gaze. Then the young woman's smile grew wider, her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and she turned the cardboard over so that the young man could see his grades. He had passed everything. Yes, the highest grade was an eight and the rest were sixes and sevens, plus the five in physics, but he had passed and that was what mattered. As she did, his lips parted in a wide smile and he jumped up to melt into an embrace with her. It was a spontaneous and sincere gesture that sprang from both of them, and that was the first time they had touched in a week, ever since that ridiculous situation. At that moment, feeling his warmth, his scent, which had almost lost its piney perfume, Sofia was aware of how much she had missed that good vibe they had. The last few days had been a little awkward.

“I didn't think I'd make it. Uff, that's a weight off my mind....”

Suddenly he twisted his face into a grimace of restrained pain and put one hand to his chest while resting the other on the desk. Sofia, worried, grabbed his arm to hold him, and noticed a throbbing tension in the muscles, as if it was experiencing small electric jolts from within. The young man began to breathe in deep breaths, and in a matter of a few seconds, at least before Rosa realized what was happening, he regained enough composure to be able to return to normal.

“Are you ok?” asked Sofia, visibly worried.

“Yes, don't worry. It happens when I'm very nervous, but it goes away after a while. I'm feeling better now,” he said with a small smile.

“It sounds like it could be something with your heart. Have you been to the doctor?”

“Yes, and they didn't find anything abnormal, don't worry. It's just a muscle contraction, but it's painful,” he reassured her by taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

It was at that moment when they both realized that some of their classmates were paying attention to them, among them Lola and her little group of gossip girls. Turning red as a tomato, Dave let go of Sofia and, licking his lips, he turned away from her to focus his gaze on the wall next to him, as if he found it extremely interesting. Sofia raised her head proudly and dared Lola to make a single comment about it. The two had become the talk of the class since the day of the snowfall, and there was an open debate about whether or not they actually kissed, even though they had denied it multiple times.

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“Ignore them. They'll get tired of it,” Sofia said.

“I know, it's just... I don't like them speculating about us. We are friends, nothing more. What happened was a trifle that could happen to anyone, but some of our classmates are constantly monitoring what we do,” he let out a quiet sigh. “Sofia, they are making us feel uncomfortable when we are together. I don't want to lose what we have over a silly thing like this.”

Sofia bit her lip and wondered if the silly thing was their classmates' speculation, or the kiss that didn't come to be. The truth was that she didn't want to lose what they had either, and she also realized that ever since then their interactions had been colder and more distant. Yes, they still spent recess together, and she had been helping him with physics, but when they touched, even by accident, they looked at each other as if to confirm that it didn't mean anything.

“Dave, it's not them who are making us uncomfortable. It's us. Is it so bad that they think we're together?” She asked, in a quiet voice, looking up into his sky-colored eyes.

“Sofia... I...”

“Would it be so bad if it were true?”

Dave ran his tongue over his lips and looked away, not knowing what to say. At that moment she felt her heart break into a thousand pieces. She closed her eyelids, took a deep breath, and when she was sure she wouldn't burst into tears, she opened them again. Her gaze hardened, and for a moment those gray eyes resembled her mother's, cold, impassive. It was a disguise, a shield with which she protected herself when something hurt her, and she had been so foolish to allow him to get close to her knowing that he could hurt her. What she never thought was that he would do so that way.

“I understand,” she said, and turned around to return to her desk.

“Hey, wait. What did you understand?” said the young man, grabbing her arm.

Sofia jerked away abruptly and glared at him. She had raised her shoulders and curled her lip slightly to bare her teeth, a gesture she was hardly able to contain. Those icy eyes fixed on the boy's, that display of body language that clearly indicated that if he touched her again he would bear the consequences, was enough to make him run his tongue over his lips and avoid her gaze. He didn't want to fight, he was making that very clear.

“Dave, leave me alone, please.”

“Sofia....”

“Please,” she repeated more forcefully.

“All right.”

After letting out a quiet sigh, Dave returned to his seat, and Sofia did the same. The rest of their classmates were still talking among themselves, some about grades and some about whatever else. Sofia had withdrawn into herself again, letting her gaze escape out the window to the cold gray sky outside. In a few days the full moon would rise again, and that time she wished with all her might to changed. What a fool she had been to believe she could have a happy, normal life. She never would, she wasn't human, she was a cinanthrope and that was never going to change. She clenched her jaw. How foolish she had been, but she could force the change. She could put herself in danger, or burn herself with silver until it came to her rescue. Then she could dive into the forest and disappear.

“Listen to me, all of you! As I do every year, I'm going to give you a present to wish you all a Merry Christmas,” said Lola, taking a basket from under her desk.

The girl walked around the classroom handing her classmates small paper lilies that she had made herself. When she arrived at Sofia's desk, she gave her the pink and white flower as well, something she had also done the year before. It was a purely symbolic gesture for Lola, who as class representative could not exclude a student because she disliked him or her. Sofia did not lose her dignity for making it clear that she wanted nothing to do with her, so she was going to leave the flower on her desk, like she did the previous year. The bell rang. The class began to move hurriedly, eager to get out and enjoy the first Christmas vacation day. For the first time Sofia packed her things hurriedly and slung it over her shoulder to head out without waiting until everyone had left first.

“Well, children, have a merry Christmas,” said Rosa, who exchanged a quick glance with Sofia, and was immediately worried by the sudden change in the girl's attitude.

“Sofia, wait, let's talk about this,” Dave tried to go after her, but Sofia tightened her pace to get away from him,

As fast as she could, she crossed the classroom and plunged into the tide of people flowing through the corridors.

“What did you do to her, buddy?”

That question asked in a concerned voice was the last thing Sofia heard before she bolted down the stairs, fleeing her classroom. She appreciated Sara's gesture, and they would end up talking about it, of that there was no doubt, but right now she just wanted to be alone. What a fool she had been to trust him. What a fool she had been to let a boy get close to her again. What a fool!