In the Present
Ray left the market with a smile he couldn't hide.
As he walked home, his mind was full of thoughts.
He thought about his parents. About how he could help them, even if just a little.
But he also thought about the trip.
It wasn't just Hana anymore.
Now he imagined the mountains, the snow, and the laughter with his friends. He wanted to create memories that were worth it.
Even if, in the end, she didn't feel the same.
He wanted all the effort to mean something.
Ray smiled to himself.
"No matter what happens… I'm going to enjoy it!" he exclaimed happily.
When he got home, the table was set.
His parents were waiting for him to have dinner.
His mother looked at him curiously. She had seen him leave the house with a sad expression, but now he returned with a smile.
"Everything okay, honey? You look really happy…" she said with a smile. "Don't tell me you went to see a girl."
Ray let out a small laugh.
"Of course not, Mom."
He sat at the table and looked at his plate.
"Oh… this looks delicious."
He began eating enthusiastically.
"Can you believe I left early today?" he said as he ate. "I didn't even notice. It's all that idiot Tai's fault. How dare he threaten to leave me alone? I even left my breakfast unfinished because of that."
His mother laughed.
"Tai always plays those jokes on you," she said, giggling. "You have to learn not to take them so seriously, don't you think?"
Ray kept eating eagerly.
His father watched him in silence.
He thought about the moment they were living. Despite the difficulties they faced, his son always found a way to keep his spirits up.
It made him proud.
As he watched him eat, the father held back a small tear of pride and gratitude.
When Ray finished eating, he put his utensils down on the plate.
"That was delicious, Mom. As always," he said gratefully.
He got up from the table.
"I think I'll go to bed. I have early classes tomorrow."
He paused for a moment before heading upstairs.
"Oh… and I might be a little late tomorrow."
His mother frowned.
"Late?"
Ray smiled.
"Yes, Mom. You'll understand… don't worry. But it's important."
He went up to his room.
Closed the door.
And for the first time in weeks, he went to bed feeling like things were starting to get better.
Ray put on some relaxing music to try to sleep.
But instead of calming him, it annoyed him.
"Do people really use this to sleep?" he exclaimed in frustration.
He sighed.
"I'd better play real music."
He put on his headphones and played one of his favorite songs:
Readymade — Ado.
A little later, he fell asleep like a baby.
The next morning, Ray woke up feeling renewed.
He checked his clothes in front of the wardrobe.
"All right… here's my outfit," he said to himself. "And today I'll need this."
He opened a drawer and pulled out an old pair of underwear with a little bear on it.
"There you are! My lucky pair."
Ray brushed his teeth while humming the same song he had listened to before sleeping.
Then he happily went downstairs for breakfast.
"Today I need energy, Mom," he said as he sat down. "So I'm going to enjoy it twice as much!"
After breakfast, he carefully calculated the time to meet his friends.
This time, all three arrived at exactly the same time.
Cris looked at him, surprised.
"We've been meeting here for twelve years, and you've never had the decency to show up at the same time as us," he said, half joking, half annoyed. "Is that really you, Ray?"
Ray laughed but didn't answer.
He kept walking happily.
His energy seemed contagious to his friends.
Tai looked at him curiously.
"Wow, Ray," he said. "You look really happy today. Yesterday you seemed worried about the trip…"
Cris shot him a glare.
"Are you seriously going to say that now?" he whispered.
Ray raised a hand calmly.
"Relax, Cris," he said with a confident smile. "Of course I'm going on the trip."
Tai's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Ray nodded.
"I got a part-time job yesterday," he explained. "And I start today after school."
Tai was surprised.
"A job? Really?" he asked. "Where would they even hire a 17-year-old? Don't tell me you're going to work illegally at a bar just for the trip…"
Ray shook his head.
"Of course not, idiot. Do you see the Rossi family market?"
He pointed down the street.
"Yesterday I helped the lady with some bags, and she thanked me so much that, when she heard my story, she gave me a chance at her market."
Tai looked at Cris.
"We thought he was worried… and he was actually looking for a job while we were at the arcades," he said, smiling sheepishly.
Ray kept walking.
Though another thought crossed his mind.
Maybe it won't be as easy as I thought…
After all, Edi kind of hates me.
During the day, things went almost as usual.
In the middle of class, Ray couldn't help but glance at Hana.
But his mind was also busy thinking about everything he had to do to go on the trip.
Ray sighed.
"Well… I guess going through all this is part of the plan," he murmured to himself.
When the bell rang for the last period, Ray took longer than usual to pack his things.
He was nervous about his first day of work.
As he tried to put away his supplies, several items fell to the floor.
"Oh, God… why now?" he said in frustration.
Almost all the students had already left the classroom.
Ray bent down to pick up his things.
When he finally looked up…
There she was.
Hana.
She was holding out her hand.
In it was Ray's old pencil, almost completely worn down.
"H-Hana…" Ray said nervously.
His mind immediately remembered the emotional value of that pencil.
On the day of the test, he had lent her his favorite pencil.
And he had been left with the old one.
"Oh… tha—" he tried to say.
But before he could finish, Hana gave him a small smile and walked away.
She wasn't doing it for him.
She was just returning the pencil he had dropped.
Ray stared at the pencil for a few seconds. His nerves began to fade.
He remembered why he was doing all this. Why he had decided to work. Why he wanted to go on this trip.
He gripped the pencil tightly between his fingers.
"This time… I won't stay silent," he murmured to himself.
Because if he had the chance… he was going to tell her everything he felt.