Edvard 15 years old

When the last bell rang, everyone quickly packed their things to go home. Edvard also packed his bag.

"What are you doing this weekend?" his friend Boris asked.

"Nothing special," Edvard replied.

"Let's meet at the playground and play basketball," their other friend David suggested.

"Okay," Edvard said, and the three of them walked toward the gate.

David and Boris crossed to the other side of the road, while Edvard headed in the opposite direction. Edvard used to ride a bicycle to school, but it was broken now. His father had promised to buy him a new one today, and Edvard was excited about it.

Edvard took a shortcut to go home. The road was isolated, and at that moment, he was the only one on the path. He walked slowly along the road, but suddenly, he felt like someone was watching him. This wasn't the first time he had felt this way when he was alone. Even when he was around six or eight years old, he remembered having the same unsettling feeling. Now, it was back.

He looked around to see if anyone was on the road, but there was no one. Edvard kept walking, but then he thought he could hear footsteps behind him—distant but distinct. He suddenly turned around and was sure he saw someone move behind a tree in that instant.

Edvard's heart began to race. Although he had felt like someone was watching him before, he had never actually seen anyone—until today. Now, he was genuinely scared.

'Was it a ghost?' Edvard thought.

He slowly walked back toward the tree, feeling scared but determined. He wanted to know who had been playing peekaboo with him since he was a kid.

"Who's there?" Edvard called out loudly. There was no response, just the rustling of leaves, like someone stepping on them.

Edvard moved closer to the tree and looked behind it. But there was no one.

"Hey, what are you looking for?"

Edvard jumped, startled by the sound of a girl's voice. He quickly turned around and saw Bia standing there. Bia was the same age as him and lived a few blocks away from his house. They had been close friends in kindergarten, but as they grew older, they drifted apart. Still, they remained friendly.

"Oh, nothing. I thought I saw a cat back there. Maybe it ran away," Edvard said, though he couldn't help but wonder if it was Bia who had tried to scare him.

"I thought you rode your bicycle home," Bia said.

"Oh, it's broken," Edvard replied. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, "So, do you take this road every day?"

"Yeah," Bia said as they started walking together. "Why?"

"Because... you know. It doesn't look safe for a..." Edvard hesitated.

"For a girl?" Bia finished his sentence.

"Yeah. Because it's so lonely, and there's no one around," Edvard said.

"Oh, I'm not scared. And I know some self-defense stuff," Bia said confidently. Edvard smiled at her.

Edvard didn't know what else to say, so they walked in silence. He felt like Bia was looking at him, but he avoided looking at her. He felt awkward walking alone on a deserted road with a girl. He had never had a crush on Bia or thought about her that way, but this moment felt strange—like it tickled him inside.

"Isn't it funny? We're in the same school but rarely talk," Bia said.

"Yeah, that is funny," Edvard replied.

"So, how's your mom?" Bia asked.

"She's fine," Edvard said. Then, thinking it might be rude not to ask something in return, he added, "How are your parents?"

"They're fine," Bia said.

As they walked, Bia and Edvard chatted here and there. Edvard didn't even realize how quickly they had reached his house.

"Oh, we're here already," Edvard said, stopping near his gate.

"Oh yeah, I didn't even notice," Bia admitted with a smile. "Okay then, bye!" she said, waving as she walked away.

Edvard stood there for a moment, staring at her as she disappeared around the bend in the road, lost in thought. Once she was out of sight, he felt that unsettling feeling again—like someone was watching him.

He quickly looked around but saw no one. Deciding it was just his imagination, he opened the gate and walked into the house.