The two boys ran all the way, clutching their schoolbags as they sneaked furtively into the courtyard-style school. A little girl with blunt bangs was waiting for them at the gate. When she saw them approach, she waved quickly, though another boy was standing beside her.
"Pierre, why are you so late today? I've been waiting for you forever."
"Come on, let's hurry to class," the girl said.
Childhood friendships were that simple. They had clearly already reached school, yet they still deliberately waited for each other at the entrance, just so they could walk the last stretch into the classroom together.
Pierre held the egg-shaped stone tightly protected inside his little schoolbag. He decided to tell the girl about it later, but not the boy beside her. In his eyes, that guy was like a pesky tagalong, always clinging to the girl. He was his rival.
"What good stuff are you hiding in your bags?" The boys' strange behavior quickly caught Thomas's attention, and the girl beside him looked over curiously as well.
Hearing that, the two boys hurriedly shook their heads. "No, no, there's nothing in there."
That denial only made the boy more suspicious.
"Did you hide something tasty because you want to eat it yourselves and don't want to share with us? If that's the case, just say so. You don't need to cover it up so tightly."
The questioning quickly drew the attention of the surrounding students.
Under their gaze, the two boys felt rather awkward. In the end, beneath all those watching eyes, they opened their schoolbags and took out their most precious oval stones.
"Look, this is what I found. I was going to show it to you alone, but now I have to take it out." Like he was presenting a treasure,