- Are you OK? Are you sure you can go to school? asked Samantha, Darren's concerned mother.

"I'm fine mom... it was just a little crisis, plus we're in evaluations" Darren replied, he was eating cereal with milk while watching television. He was on his feet because he was already running late, but his parents never let him leave without breakfast.

—anything that happens please call us, or notify a teacher or Tiffany... whatever...

"Calm down, I'll be fine...

"Do you want me to take Liselle to her school?"

"No mom, you have things to do...

Darren's parents were concerned because two nights ago, he had been unable to sleep due to trouble breathing.

On another occasion they would insist on staying with him all day at home and him in bed, but they knew that their adolescent son should enjoy himself and do what he proposes... since... they don't know how much longer he will be in good condition and walking.

She fed Harrison, her black Labrador retriever, and told her sister that it was time to go to school. Leaving her house, she got into her BMW to go to her sister's school.

"Be good princess," Darren ordered after pulling up in front of his sister's school.

—Of course, I always do —Liselle hugged her brother —take care of yourself, please... I love you...

"I love you too, and don't worry about me, I'll be fine..."

His sister smiled and got out of the car.

Darren drove to his school this time, parked next to James's flashy blue Corvette when he pulled up.

He waited for the school bus to arrive, when it arrived all the students on board got off, Darren approached waiting for his best friend: Tiffany who went down the steps as always, with her clumsy walk and her bag hanging from her shoulder, her glasses were dirty and her golden blonde hair messed up in a ponytail. It was a little common to see her like this, normally when she arrives more careless than normal it's because she was working until night and part of the morning on something important to her and the answer was in her hands, she was carrying a large model of a solar system and a coffee on the other hand.

"Wow...Tiffany, they asked you for a solar system, not the entire universe," Darren teased as he reached out to prevent his coffee from spilling over inadvertently.

"Darren, what's new?" —Tiffany asked trying to organize her hands to drink the coffee

"Give me that... I'll help you" Darren offered to carry Tiffany's work. "Is this the sun?" —He pointed to the largest sphere— it looks like it wants to embrace the planets, here are its arms —she pointed and slightly moved the protruding limbs of the sun— although it has three arms

—they are genius solar flares

—oh that explains it, I'm just kidding, it's great, with its cosmic dust and everything —admired the glitter

-thanks and how are you? she asked and smiled. Darren shrugged his shoulders and made a sad smile contrary to the one from a few seconds ago— what happened?

"Friday... I couldn't sleep," Darren explained, they walked slowly, "you know... I couldn't breathe

— and so you came to school? Darren, you're crazy, and why didn't you tell me?

—I didn't want to worry you, that was two days ago, after that I haven't had any problems, and I have a trigonometry test, and you know... that teacher never justifies my absences even with the surgery receipt

"Mr. Golden hates you for some strange reason," Tiffany agreed.

"Maybe it's because I'm very handsome," they both laughed.

Tiffany watched a red Camaro pull up and the beautiful Layla get out—Look who's here—Tiffany told Darren of the arrival of her impossible love

- how I look? Ridiculous? I don't think I even did my hair right

"You look the same as always," Tiffany sighed, "I don't think there's a difference today, he never looks at you..." she shrugged her shoulders.

"But maybe today I'll talk to him..."

- oh really?

—Yes... you know, you only live once, right? and I don't know if she dies without speaking to her even once

Tiffany's look saddened

"Don't talk like that..." she asked.

Darren was joking, he learned to take his situation humorously but Tiffany never laughed at it.

"Sorry...so...how do I look?"

Tiffany sighed again and stood on her toes to reach for a stray strand of hair on Darren's head, brushing a smear of toothpaste from the corner of his mouth and smiling.

"You look great... just like always."

Darren smiled and they continued walking towards their lockers. Tiffany managed to organize herself and tried to fix her hair a bit in the small mirror hanging in her locker, right next to a picture of her and Darren taped to it, and cleaned her glasses.

—hey, there's Layla... will you go talk to her? She, she asked Darren.

"I think...are you sure I look okay?" —Darren looked at his worn jeans, he felt insecure because of his weight, he had gained weight a few weeks ago but he immediately took the necessary measures to lose weight, gaining weight was dangerous for him, and he finally managed to lose weight; He looked at her black Converse sneakers with different colored laces, adjusted his blue blazer.

"Yes... completely sure," Tiffany replied after examining him for longer than necessary.

"God, my mind is blank, now I don't know what to do, what should I tell him?" What if you think I'm crazy?

—Just go and say the first thing that comes to your mind... if it doesn't work just blink, he'll be mesmerized by your pretty eyelashes and your luscious green eyes, or tell him one of your stupid jokes and at least he'll laugh... — Tiffany paused, "from you," she added now with a smile, "not with you."

"Tell me what should I tell her... you know her best."

—hey, just because she's the sound engineer of her band doesn't mean I talk to her a lot... now GO! Tiffany took the model from her and pushed him away. Darren couldn't back down or he'd be more embarrassed.

She moved closer to Layla slowly, her platinum blonde hair swinging more seductively.

All her friends talked to her, but she didn't seem to pay much attention to them, she was attentive choosing her books for her first class.

"Hey Layla," Darren greeted, a little nervous.

"Hi..." Layla replied, but with a doubt on her face, "do you need anything?" She frowned, her annoying friends starting to laugh.

"No... Well yes... I mean no" Darren began to hesitate, he became more nervous when the three girls behind Layla laughed cheekily, "I heard that... you need a tutoring in Literature... and I wanted to offer myself to help you...

- Offer you? As a volunteer?

"Kind of like the hunger games," Darren teased, he didn't want to but it was natural.

"So bad do they say I am?" She frowned, Darren felt more nervous when he saw the blonde's honey eyes and abundant black eyeliner up close.

"No... Of course not, I mean they would kill for the place."

"Sorry kid... but I already have a literature tutor..." she gave a crooked smile, which, although smug, fascinated Darren, "it's over there." She pointed over Darren's shoulder, he turned and saw her best friend wrestling with her locker door with a donut in her mouth and balancing her model in one hand, her glasses beginning to fall off the bridge of her nose.

Tiffany was tutoring Layla? but...hadn't she just said that they barely spoke to each other?

"Oh...sure...well...I guess...I'm going." Darren combed his hair and turned to leave.

He reached right next to Tiffany and helped her secure her things before they slipped from her grasp.

—You always saving me —Tiffany smiled— Thank you... and? How did she do with Layla?