He had known María since they were thirteen.

He had seen her shed the last vestiges of childhood and witnessed her confidence in the teenage world, that brief but momentous period that seemed to drag down all the kids in the class, but not María. She navigated the difficulties of adolescence with enviable determination.

The fact that she also took care to look pleasing to the eye was an extra that many boys, and some subtle girls, didn't hesitate to appreciate. Wherever María went, the eyes around her followed, drawn as if by an irresistible force. Leonel looked at her too, sometimes, although he felt he did not do so with the same fondness as others. Sometimes, when he analyzed it, he felt that his eyes sought María with a longing far removed from lust and closer to greed. A kind of desire that focused more on how he wanted to resemble her and less on the girl herself. But he didn't understand it yet.

"What do you prefer?" asked the girl in question.

On the other side of the counter, diagonally above their heads, three columns of names listed the flavors available at the ice-cream parlor. Leonel studied them carefully, undecided. He could sense the impatience of the attendant, which made him uneasy under the silent pressure. But María remained calm, giving him the time he needed to make up his mind.

"Um, strawberry?"

"You're asking me?" María teased with a laugh. She turned to the ice-cream parlor employee. "One strawberry and one mint, please."

Mint. Leonel would have to remember that for the next time they went out for ice cream. If there was a next time.

The truth was that it had never occurred to him that he could have a date with María, let alone that she would be the one to ask him out. Life certainly took unexpected turns. Although he had a girlfriend just over a year ago, with whom he tried to discover himself as a person and figure out what he was looking for in love, this was the first time he had attracted the interest of a girl whose popularity could catapult him to the top of the school's social hierarchy.

That was reason enough to make him nervous.

They walked leisurely down Avenida Cazón, partly because they were in no hurry and partly because of the cast on Leonel's leg, until the boy pointed out a playground by the river and suggested they sit down. There they talked about trivialities and shared summer anecdotes, and every time he made her laugh, Leonel felt special and important.

"So... how does it feel like to be the most popular guy in school?" María asked.

She ate her ice cream in small spoonfuls. Leonel, on the other hand, was devouring his in big licks, so he had his tongue out when he raised his eyebrows to look at her in surprise.

"Popular?"

"Yes! Come on, you must have noticed you became a star after the last game."

"Huh."

He had noticed that his classmates, who used to ignore him, had stopped to greet him that day, but he thought it was because of the lingering pity they felt for what had happened in December.

"Yes, now that you mention it... I thought my natural charm was finally kicking in, I guess it's not."

"I don't know, it seems to be working for me," María commented with a meaningful look as she finished her ice cream.

Leonel felt like a champion, swept up in a wave of energy that motivated him and made him feel unstoppable. He had no idea why María was suddenly attracted to him, but he wasn't interested in finding out. He was a boy in front of a wonderful girl who liked him — what was there to question? His ego assured him that was enough.

"Really? Wait till the others find out that the most popular girl in school asked me out."

"Are you one of those who brags about such things?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.

Leonel felt like he was going pale, but at the same time, his face was burning with embarrassment. It was a strange and terrible sensation, not to mention the effect it had on the rest of his body: a tight throat, a churning stomach and sweaty hands. Would it be worse if he ran away? Maybe he could salvage some dignity that way. María must have thought he was desperate and delusional now. What a shame, what a horror.

"It's just that... well..."

María let out that melodious laugh that came like a caress to the ears.

"Oh, Leo! I'm just teasing you," she said. She placed a hand on his shoulder, then slid it down to rest on his chest, looking into his eyes with a sweetness that left him speechless.

She withdrew her hand with a subtle smile before getting up to throw away the plastic cups into the bin. Leonel bit his lip as he watched her, then glanced at the playground equipment. It was a weekday, so the place was empty and the games were available. He stood up and walked over to María, taking her hand.

Upon realizing his intention, the girl rolled her eyes playfully.

"Aren't we too old for this?" she asked.

"Nope, you're never too old for this," he replied, leading her to the swings.

She went along with a giggle that lifted his spirits. They occupied two swings and swung gently for a few minutes, talking quietly and privately, though there was no one around to overhear their conversations about each other's lives. Leonel asked if she was still planning to be a journalist, if she was still volunteering at the animal shelter, if her siblings were still abroad; María inquired about the health of Romina, whom she hadn't seen for a while, and asked about his plans after school.

At some point — a moment whose sequence Leonel would later be unable to pinpoint as he recalled the events of that afternoon — they found themselves leaning against the chains of the swings, looking at each other intently.

"Why have we never spent time together, just the two of us?" María asked.

"We used to hang out in different social circles," Leonel replied with a shrug, omitting the fact that he didn't really belong to any.

María let out a thoughtful 'hmm' as she studied Leonel's face carefully. After a few seconds, she said:

"Would it be too hasty if I kissed you?"

"No, not at all. Not at all," he replied in one breath.

He was embarrassed by his enthusiasm, but she let out a laugh that reassured him she didn't find him pathetic. Just like that, he pressed his lips to María's in a sweet and tentative kiss. A rush seemed to ignite his entire body at the realization that he was kissing the most popular girl in school, a fact that had been unimaginable until recently. The same girl who gave the end-of-school speech every year, the school's standard-bearer, the one who would probably graduate with honors. The same girl who, just two months ago, had been dating his school rival, the same girl who had kissed — and who knows what else — Esteban.

An intense tingling sensation assailed his lips at the thought, and he had to pull away from the uncontrollable sensation. His mouth was on fire, an invisible blaze that spread to his cheeks. María gave him a flirtatious smile, no doubt mistaking the blush on the boy's face as a sign of the effect she was having on him.

"Why did you break up with Esteban?"

María recoiled in surprise and gave him an incredulous look, as if he had just spat at her. Meanwhile, Leonel felt the warmth fade away, replaced by a cold mortification. The question had escaped his lips before he could even process it in his mind.

"Are you seriously asking me about my ex right now?"

"It's just... You just broke up. I wanted to know... I mean, I don't want to be a replacement or... or some kind of comfort," he explained hastily.

The excuse appeased the girl, whose incredulous expression softened into one of benevolence. She held Leonel's hand on the chain of his swing and brushed her thumb over his knuckles in a soothing motion.

"Okay, I understand. I guess that's normal; I think I'd feel the same way," she said. She lowered her eyes to the ground and considered her next words. "It was to be expected that we would break up after what happened, although if I'm honest, the problem started before that. He changed after joining the club; he was no longer the cool guy I started dating..."

"Huh."

He thought of the boy he had met when he was thirteen, when his mother had transferred him to a new school, unknowingly condemning the course for his adolescence. For Leonel, Esteban had always been an annoying jerk, although he admitted that he was partly to blame. How many times had he provoked Esteban, seeking a reaction? Still, he could understand what María meant: there had been a gradual shift in the boy from the age of fifteen, turning his sarcastic remarks and annoying jokes into hurtful words and aggression. But he wasn't a bad person, not really.

The scene from the summer break, after he had left the hospital, came to his mind. Esteban sitting outside his house, waiting, his face distorted with remorse.

("I didn't want you to beat me, but...")

María bit her bottom lip, lost in thought.

"I guess that was the last straw. What they did to you, I mean. But before that, I felt..." She paused for a long moment and Leonel raised his eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. "Did you ever feel like someone was with you just because?"

"Er, no."

"I was just a trophy to parade in front of his friends. It was a shitty feeling. And then he turned into a bully, picking fights with everyone and bragging about being the best footballer in town." She shook her head, recalling the things she had seen or heard that she despised. "I broke up with him and swore I would never be with a guy who just wanted me to prove how manly he was by having a pretty girlfriend. I want to be with someone kind, sweet and calm. Then I saw you after the holidays and I realized that you're the kind of guy I've been waiting for, so I decided to take a chance on you if you were willing to accept me."

Leonel let out a nervous laugh.