It’s cold. Really cold. I should’ve worn a jacket. It’s the middle of the night in November, and yet here I am, lying on a slide at a pyground. I have school tomorrow, but honestly, I can’t bring myself to care. School just feels like a waste of time. Yeah, yeah, I know everyone says that, but maybe there’s a reason why. I feel like I’m losing a part of myself every time I go. Each day drains me, and two days to recharge? It’s never enough.

  I hate waking up early. I hate being packed into a building with a bunch of kids I have nothing in common with. I hate pretending to care about things I don’t. I hate homework. I just… hate school.

  Today, I tried asking my mom if I could try homeschooling, but all she said was that I need to find some friends, and then maybe I’d like school more. Sure. Like it’s that simple. I tried to expin to her that I don’t want any friends, that I like being alone, but she just sighed and said, “I swear, this boy...”

  Even if I wanted friends, I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t even know most of my cssmates’ names. They’re just... there. Background noise. Most of them seem obsessed with drama, rumors, or whatever fake social game they’re all pying. Everything’s about appearances, about being popur. I’ve never cared about that stuff.

  I get that I probably sound stuck-up, and I bet I am, but that’s how it feels to me. I know not everyone is like that, but even for the ones who aren’t, I still don’t feel like I have much in common with them. Retionships sound like a lot of work, and it just feels like a waste of energy. So, no. Making friends would NOT magically fix things. My problem with school isn’t even really about people or homework at all. It’s deeper than that. I’ve never liked it. I don’t think I ever will. The only thing keeping me going is that I’ve only got one more year to survive. After that, I’m done.

  That conversation with my mom? It wasn’t really an argument or anything, but it made me think. I sat in my room afterward and just... stewed in it. Not only the school stuff, but really just everything. Home’s fine, I guess. But I still feel stuck, almost as if I’m living the same day on loop. Nothing ever really changes.

  I have hobbies, sure, but nothing I’m crazy passionate about. Nothing that I want to devote myself to and do all day. Honestly, even if I got homeschooled, it wouldn’t fix that. I’d definitely just end up wasting away in my room. So yeah... it all just feels kind of pointless sometimes.

  I guess that’s what led me here. I got overwhelmed and needed to get out, but clearly I hadn’t exactly been thinking straight since I didn’t even bring a jacket. And yet, oddly... I feel a little better.

  But just as I was settling in and really starting to embrace the cold, a deep chill ran down my spine. Footsteps. Someone else was here.

  I froze. My breath caught in my throat as I listened, 100% footsteps, crunching over the gravel on the far side of the pyground. What the hell? Who would be here this te? Crap! I totally shouldn’t have come out. I should’ve just stayed in my room like usual. Why did I decide to come out here so te?! Shit, this is how people end up on the news, isn’t it?

  Wait… they probably don’t even know I’m here. The slide’s facing away from them. And they’re not trying to be sneaky or quiet or anything. That has to be a good sign… right?

  I stayed as still as possible. But my heart was pounding so hard I swore they could hear it. My fingers were already tensing, ready to bolt if I had to. But then I thought, maybe I could just peek. The slide’s tall. If I’m careful, I can look without being seen. Plus, it's more dangerous to not know what I'm up against.

  So, I crept up to the top, keeping low, and slowly peeked over.Contrary to my expectations, It was a girl.

  She looked about my age, and the first thing I noticed was that she wasn’t wearing a jacket either. She wandered over to the swings and started spinning zily around one of the poles, like she didn’t have anything better to do. After a few circles, she let go, stumbled, and nearly tripped on one of the swing chains. Weird girl.

  Then, she moved to one of those springy pony rides, sat down, and instantly jumped off like it was too cold to touch. After that, she gave the monkey bars a try and made it halfway before her hands slipped and she dropped to the ground with a soft thud.

  I kept watching as she drifted around the pyground, traipsing about like she wasn't sure what to do next. Then she stepped into the glow of one of the few working lights, and for the first time, I saw her clearly.

  She was really REALLY cute, like, the kind of cute that could stop traffic. Ok, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but seriously she was cute. Her features were soft and banced, and there was something super striking about her. She had long, curly hair that framed her face in a way that made her look both pyful and a little mysterious. Her eyes, big and round, had this almost doll-like quality, and I felt like I could get lost in them if I wasn't careful.

  She wore an oversized, long-sleeved shirt with a star pattern on it—looked like something you’d sleep in—and baggy sweatpants that made it seem like she’d either just rolled out of bed or didn’t care what anyone thought. She had this pouty, bnk expression, like she was lost in her own world and didn’t mind floating there.

  Then I realized her eyes had shifted up to me. I flinched, startled, and scrambled to duck, but my foot slipped, and I bonked my head on the side of the slide.

  “Hey, are you alright?” she called out, climbing the stairs with a worried look. My head throbbed, but I forced a casual look and muttered, “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” She nodded and sat down in the other slide next to mine like it was the most normal thing to do in the world.

  “Hey hey, do you like stars?” she asked suddenly, her eyes lighting up. “Uhh…no. not really? Why?” I replied, leaning away slightly. The question caught me off guard. She tilted her head back, gazing up. “Well, I was just wondering. Since you’re out here so te, I figured maybe you were stargazing, like me!” “…I guess that makes sense.” “So what the heck are you doing out here if not stargazing?” she asked. “We’ve got school tomorrow, y’know.” I gnced away. “I dunno. Just felt like getting out.” She frowned a little, then wagged her finger. “Now that’s no good. You need sleep! It's important to stay well rested! Plus, you could catch a cold out here without a sweater! It’s seriously freezing.” Was she serious right now? And why was she acting so casual? Who just strolls up and starts chatting with a stranger like this? And hold on, did she say school? I guess I was right that she seemed around my age.

  I sat up a bit and looked around, half-expecting someone else to pop out. What if she was distracting me for a setup or something? But the park was empty, it was just the two of us. I slumped back down and gave her a ft look while sighing. “I could say the same to you.” “Ugh, true... I guess I can’t really scold you, huh?” she said, slightly smiling. “Buuut—I do have a good reason for being here.” “Oh yeah? What’s that?” I asked, eyeing her a little warily. She grinned at me and then stood up, pointing toward the sky. “Do you see that reddish star up there, a little to the left? That’s Betelgeuse! It's part of the Orion consteltion. He’s just starting to rise this time of year.” She then pointed out a few more stars. “Those three in a row? That’s Orion’s Belt. Mintaka, Alnim, and Alnitak. And that bright blue one down near the bottom? That’s Rigel.”

  She spoke excitedly, like she was showing off something she had made personally. She chuckled and then said, “I know it’s kinda random, but I really love this stuff.” Um, okay…that didn't expin much. She had just started naming stars out of nowhere, and I was so caught off guard I just stared at her, totally confused. She must’ve noticed, because she quickly started expining.

  “Oh! So I’m in the astronomy club, and for the cultural fair, we’re doing an exhibit on consteltions,” she said, perking up. “I’ve been doing a ton of research tely. That’s actually why I’m out here! We’re pnning to hand out these simple consteltion maps so anyone can go out and spot Orion for themselves.” “Ohhh, uh... cool,” I said, trying to sound interested.

  She didn’t buy it for a second and gave me a disappointed look. “Hmph. Stars are amazing, you know. If you actually took the time to learn about them, I bet you’d fall in love with them too.” I just shrugged. She sighed and muttered under her breath, “Leave it to Mr. Loner to have no sense of wonder...”...Hold on! I wasn’t about to let that slide. “Excuse me? When did I say I was a loner? I mean you’re not wrong, but how would you even know that?” She giggled. “Oh, come on, Raimi. How could I not know you’re a loner?” “Wha—h-how do you know my name?” I asked, leaning back slightly. Now she was the one giving me a look. “Wait... are you serious?” “You didn’t answer the question,” I said, just about to run away. “Oh my gosh... I actually can’t believe this. You seriously don’t recognize me?” she said, her eyes wide. “Me, you know—Saria? The cutest, prettiest, smartest, bestest person in our css? you know, your cssmate!?” She did not need to throw in all those extra words... but now that she said it, I think I did vaguely remember someone who looked like her. I mean, I never paid any attention to my cssmates so can you really bme me for not recognizing her?.

  The girl—Saria, I guess, took my silence as confirmation and let out a long sigh, cradling her face in her hands. “You are just... wow.” “Uhh... sorry,” I muttered.

  She sat like that for a minute, completely still, until I noticed her shoulders shaking. “H-hey… you don’t need to feel bad or anything. I just don’t really pay attention to people, that’s all,” I said, starting to feel a little guilty. But then I heard it, soft giggles that quickly turned into full-on ughter.

  “Oh my gosh! You are way too much,” she said, still ughing. “You didn’t even recognize your own cssmate! But wait, okay, from your point of view, I must’ve seemed so weird. Some random girl shows up and starts talking about stars out of nowhere. Hehe, I get it now. No wonder you were so on edge!” She wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at me. “I guess I got a little too excited, huh?” “Yeah... I was wondering why you were being so familiar. Honestly, I thought you were trying to rob me or something.” She frowned again and said, “Seriously? You didn’t have to say that out loud, you know.” Then she smiled. “Raimi, you’re wayyyy different from what I imagined.” “Oh yeah? Different how?” I asked. She smirked. “Not telling.” “Tch.” I clicked my tongue, a little annoyed. I wanted to know what she meant, but it didn't look like she was gonna tell me. “You’re a lot easier to talk to than I thought,” she murmured. “Huh? What was that?” I asked, not sure I’d heard her right.

  She looked like she was about to answer when she suddenly pointed up and shouted, “Oh! Oh my gosh look! A shooting star!” “Ohhh!” “Woah!” we said at the same time, both of us watching it streak across the sky. When it disappeared, I turned to look at her, just as she looked at me. She giggled. “That was pretty cool, huh?” “Yeah. I’ve never seen one in real life before,” I replied. “Really? Not even once?” “Nope.” I said. “First time.” “Aww, that’s pretty sad,” she said with a little pout. “Not really. I just don’t usually look at stars. I’ve seen videos of them before, anyway.” “Pfft—videos don’t even come close! Seeing one for real is a totally different experience,” she said excitedly. “Hmm, I guess,” I replied, shrugging again.

  She frowned at me. “You seriously need to learn to appreciate these things more.” Then she brightened. “Okay! You know what? Let’s do some real stargazing right now! Maybe you’ll start to get it!” Without waiting for a response, she id down on the slide and got comfortable. She looked so rexed I couldn’t help but stare for a second. Then she gestured for me to lie down too.

  I didn’t really have a reason to say no, so I slid down beside her. She didn’t say anything else, and when I gnced over, I saw her staring up, completely absorbed in the sky. Her eyes were moving all over the pce, probably tracing consteltions or something.

  It felt kind of awkward just lying there, but I figured... why not? Might as well try.Turns out it was actually kind of nice.

  Maybe I really hadn’t been giving stars enough credit. At first, I felt awkward, but the longer I stared, the more I rexed. There was something about it that was calming.

  It made me think about how huge everything is. The stars were just these glowing dots, but they were also these massive things millions of light-years away. And somehow, I could see them from here. That was... kind of amazing. Bit by bit, my mind quieted down. I didn’t expect it, but I felt... peaceful.

  “Ahhh!” My trance broke at the sound of Saria's sudden shriek. I couldn’t even bme her, I nearly screamed too. A sharp gust of wind had just swept past us, cutting through the still cold like a bde.

  I’d gotten used to the coldness somehow, but that wind reminded me all over again that it was freaking freezing. “W-wow, that came out of nowhere,” she said, hugging her arms tightly. “Yeah… it’s like my body just remembered it’s November,” I said, shivering as I rubbed my arms. “Ugh, why didn’t I bring a coat?” she groaned, stomping her foot a little.

  Honestly, same. The cold was really feeling unbearable now. She let out a breath and said, “We should probably head home, huh?” Then she checked her phone and her eyes went wide. “Wait, it’s 2:15?!”

  “S-seriously?” I blinked. That did not seem right.I mean, I’d left the house around 12:30… so over two hours had gone by? It definitely hadn’t felt that long.

  “Hehe, guess time flies when you’re under the stars,” she said dramatically, catching my stunned expression. “Yeah… uh it really didn’t feel like a lot of time passed."

  We both stood and made our way toward the streetlight near the sidewalk. As we walked, she tapped my shoulder and gave me a smug look. “So? Do you appreciate stars a little more now? Would’ve been kinda tragic if you stargazed for hours and still didn’t feel anything~” I sighed. “Yeah… I do. I’ll admit it was a lot nicer than I expected.” “Ha! I knew you’d come around,” she said, beaming.

  When we reached the sidewalk, she pointed to the left. “Well, I’m heading that way.” I pointed to the right. “And I’m going this way.” She gave a cheerful wave, and I was just about to turn and leave when she called out, “See you at school tomorrow!”

  I turned back to look at her, pausing for a second. “…Yeah. See you at school.” I turned again, but then she added something that made me freeze. “Oh and, um… I’ll be here around the same time tomorrow. Hope I see my new stargazing friend again!”

  She turned away before I could respond, walking off into the night. It took me a few seconds to move again. “…Who said you’re my friend?” I muttered under my breath. “…What a weird girl.”

  But as I walked home, I noticed something strange.

  I was smiling.