Tyler walked slowly through the hallway.
His hands rested inside his pockets while his mind continued replaying memories that should have stayed buried.
That was the conclusion he kept reaching.
No matter how many years passed, every time he remembered that party, he wanted to punch his younger self.
He let out a long breath.
"Relax."
The words escaped quietly.
Several students walked past him, but Tyler paid them no attention.
"You're not fourteen anymore."
"Well, physically I'm not."
"No, that's not the point."
Another step.
Another breath.
"You survived worse than this."
Tyler rubbed his forehead and shook his head.
"It happened years ago."
He stopped near a classroom window and looked at his reflection for a moment.
"Years ago, Tyler."
A pause followed.
Then he immediately ruined his own pep talk.
"Still an idiot though."
A passing student glanced at him strangely before continuing down the hallway.
Tyler ignored it completely.
Instead, he kept talking to himself as he walked.
"Come on, Tyler."
"It's not like the world ended."
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
"You literally died once."
The words sounded ridiculous even to him.
"I got thrown into a second life."
"And somehow this is what keeps me awake at night?"
He let out a long sigh.
"A stupid middle school confession that wasn't even a confession."
His pace slowed.
Then he groaned.
"And somehow you're still losing against one embarrassing memory."
That sounded even worse when spoken aloud.
He quickly stopped talking.
For almost a minute he simply walked without thinking.
Then suddenly realized where his feet had taken him.
The classroom.
Tyler stood in front of Class 3-A.
His eyelid twitched.
"Why would I come here?"
He stared at the door.
Then immediately turned around.
"No."
Absolutely not.
He took a deep breath.
Then another.
And another.
"You're not the same person."
Inhale.
Exhale.
"Relax."
Inhale.
Exhale.
"She doesn't even know."
Inhale.
Exhale.
"Everything is fine."
A pause.
"Everything is definitely not fine."
Tyler immediately abandoned the self-help routine and headed toward the stairs instead.
Unfortunately, fate apparently hated him.
As he stepped onto the staircase, someone else appeared from below.
Eris.
The moment their eyes met, both stopped.
Tyler blinked.
"Eris?"
She looked equally surprised when their eyes met on the staircase, but that surprise lasted only a second before her expression hardened into something Tyler recognized immediately. It was the same look she wore whenever she was genuinely annoyed with him, the kind that usually meant someone was about to suffer for whatever stupidity had been committed. Considering his recent track record, Tyler was fairly certain that someone was him.
He slowly approached her and asked, "Did you forget something in class?"
"Yeah," Eris replied while folding her arms across her chest.
Tyler waited for her explanation.
"An idiot brat who went missing."
Tyler placed a hand on his chin and pretended to think deeply about the matter. "Hmm... I wonder who could possibly be important enough for Eris to come all the way back for them?" His eyes widened dramatically before he pointed at himself in mock shock. "Wait. Don't tell me. You found another best friend besides me?"
"Huh?" Eris stared at him flatly.
Tyler immediately raised his forearm to his face as though hiding tears. His acting was terrible, but that never stopped him from trying. "How could you do this to me, Eris? I trusted you. You found another guy and forgot all about me. Will you abandon me now that you've replaced me?"
Several students walking nearby slowed down to watch the scene unfold, but Eris remained completely unimpressed. She simply stared at him with an unreadable expression that somehow conveyed both annoyance and disappointment at the same time.
Eventually Tyler lowered his arm and sighed. "Fine. What happened? Why are you angry?"
Eris released a long breath before answering firmly, "It's about Clara."
The moment those words left her mouth, Tyler's smile vanished. The playful atmosphere disappeared instantly, and without responding he simply walked past her toward the stairs.
"Let's go downstairs."
Eris frowned and immediately followed after him. "What did she do? What exactly did Clara do to you?"
Tyler continued descending the stairs without answering.
His silence only made her more frustrated.
"At least tell me."
No response.
"Every time she comes near us, you start acting weird."
Still nothing.
Tyler finally muttered, "Leave it."
"No."
Her answer came immediately.
The two continued walking down the staircase while students moved around them, completely unaware of the conversation taking place. At least that was true for the moment.
"Tyler."
Silence.
"Answer me."
More silence.
Finally her voice rose.
"Tyler!"
Several students immediately turned toward them.
"What?" Tyler stopped and looked back.
Eris stepped closer. "Did you know her before middle school?"
"No."
"Then why do you always act like that around her?"
Tyler remained silent.
The frustration on Eris's face became increasingly obvious as the silence stretched between them. Then, before he could continue walking away, she reached forward and grabbed his wrist, forcing him to stop.
"Tyler."
This time her voice sounded different. It was quieter than before, softer and far more vulnerable than the irritation she had been showing moments ago.
"At least tell me."
Tyler slowly turned around.
Eris looked directly into his eyes.
"Do you not trust me even a little?"
The question hit him harder than he expected.
Immediately his expression softened. The irritation disappeared from his face, and so did the walls he had instinctively raised around the topic. Out of everything she could have asked him, that was the one thing he couldn't ignore.
Tyler raised a hand and gently placed it against her cheek.
The action caught Eris completely off guard.
Several nearby students slowed down as they witnessed the scene, but Tyler either didn't notice or simply didn't care enough to pay attention.
"Never say that again."
Eris blinked.
Tyler looked directly into her eyes as he spoke with unusual seriousness.
"You know I always tell you the truth."
The staircase seemed to grow quieter around them.
"And you know something else."
His hand slowly lowered.
"I trust you more than anyone in this school."
For a moment Eris froze, unsure how to respond to such a straightforward answer. Then her frustration returned.
"Then explain this."
She crossed her arms again.
"Clara is my best friend."
She pointed toward herself.
"And you're my best friend."
Then she groaned in frustration.
"And because neither of you knows how to act normal around each other, I have to suffer."
It sounded ridiculous when spoken aloud, yet somehow it was completely true.
Around them, whispers slowly began spreading among the students who had stopped to watch.
"Wait..."
"Isn't that Senior Tyler?"
"Are they dating?"
"No way."
"They're definitely fighting."
"Over another girl?"
"What?"
"Didn't she mention Clara?"
Within seconds students had already begun constructing entire stories from the fragments they overheard.
Tyler's eye twitched.
Slowly he looked around and realized far more people were watching than before.
Wonderful.
Exactly what he needed.
Another public execution.
Forcing a polite smile toward the surrounding students, Tyler nodded awkwardly until several of them quickly looked away. Then he leaned closer to Eris and lowered his voice.
"Let's go somewhere else."
Only then did Eris notice the audience surrounding them.
Her face instantly turned red.
"Oh."
Without another word she followed him downstairs.
Meanwhile, outside the school building, Clara and Aria walked toward the main gate together. Clara had been unusually quiet ever since they left the classroom, and although Aria noticed it immediately, she waited patiently until Clara finally spoke.
"Do you think Eris will actually hit him?"
Aria stopped walking and stared at her for several seconds before bursting into laughter.
Clara looked confused.
"What?"
Trying to control her laughter, Aria shook her head. "You've known us for almost three years."
"I know."
"And you still think Eris can hit Tyler?"
Clara blinked.
"Maybe?"
That answer only made Aria laugh harder.
"I don't think so."
Clara looked thoughtful. "But Eris becomes different whenever Tyler is involved."
"That's true," Aria admitted with a nod. "Still impossible."
"Why?"
Aria smirked.
"Because Tyler has a special ability."
"A special ability?"
"According to him."
Clara immediately became curious.
"What ability?"
Aria straightened her posture and copied Tyler's dramatic voice as accurately as possible.
"'The great magician Tyler can calm any angry person.'"
Clara stared at her.
Then blinked.
Then laughed.
"He actually said that?"
"Multiple times."
Aria nodded confidently.
"He says a lot of nonsense, but somehow it always works on Eris."
Clara smiled.
Honestly, that sounded surprisingly accurate.
After walking a little farther, Clara asked another question.
"You know..."
"Hm?"
"I've asked Eris many times if she likes Tyler."
Aria immediately laughed.
"Oh, I already know her answer."
Clara smiled knowingly.
"'You're stupid?'"
"Exactly."
The two girls laughed together before Aria suddenly became thoughtful.
Something crossed her mind.
Clara noticed immediately.
"What?"
Aria looked ahead.
"Nothing."
"That's a lie."
Aria sighed.
"Well..."
She hesitated for a moment.
"If they ever started dating, it would sound like one of those childhood love stories."
Clara nodded.
"I guess."
"But..."
Aria slowed her steps.
Clara looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean?"
Aria shrugged.
"I don't know."
Then she laughed.
"They've just been together forever."
Clara blinked.
"That's your explanation?"
"Yes."
Aria nodded confidently.
"They fight."
"They annoy each other."
"Eris gets angry."
"Tyler says something stupid."
"And then everything goes back to normal."
Clara couldn't help laughing.
"That does sound accurate."
"See?"
Aria pointed proudly.
"I'm basically an expert."
"Expert?"
"Absolutely."
Clara shook her head while smiling.
Aria grinned.
"Anyway, trying to understand those two is a waste of time."
Tyler walked ahead across the school grounds.
The afternoon sun hung low above the city, casting long shadows across the pavement. Students were gradually leaving the campus, forming small groups as they headed home.
A few meters behind him, Eris followed silently. Unlike before, she wasn't talking. She was waiting. Waiting for an answer. Waiting for an explanation. Waiting for something. Tyler knew it, and that only made things worse.
Eventually he sighed. "Sorry."
"I don't need that," Eris immediately replied.
Tyler glanced sideways at her before looking away again.
Sorry?
What exactly was he apologizing for?
For avoiding Clara?
For acting strangely?
For carrying memories nobody else possessed?
His thoughts spiraled.
So what does she expect me to say?
Should I tell her I lived another life?
Should I tell her I already know how everything ends?
Should I tell her I confessed to Clara years ago and got rejected so badly that I still cringe thinking about it?
The absurdity of it all almost made him laugh.
No.
Even if he wanted to tell her, he couldn't.
Some things simply couldn't be explained.
Not without sounding insane.
Tyler opened his mouth, then closed it again. No words came out.
After several seconds, Eris finally understood. Her expression softened.
"Well..."
Tyler looked at her.
"You don't have to explain everything right now."
The words surprised him.
Eris smiled faintly. "Whenever you feel comfortable enough to tell me your secrets..." She shrugged. "I'm all ears."
For a moment Tyler remained silent before sincerely saying, "Thank you."
Eris waved her hand dismissively. "Don't thank me yet."
Tyler immediately knew there was a second part coming.
And he was right.
"But."
There it was.
"You still have to figure things out with Clara."
Tyler groaned internally.
"Eris..."
"No." She pointed directly at him. "We still have three years of high school."
"That's a long time."
"Exactly." She nodded. "Which means you can't keep acting like this."
Tyler knew she was right. That was the frustrating part. He couldn't argue.
Eris continued walking beside him. "I'm not saying you have to solve everything immediately."
Tyler listened quietly.
"I'm not saying you need to suddenly become best friends." She looked at him seriously. "I just want you to behave normally."
A simple request.
Yet somehow it felt incredibly difficult.
Tyler lowered his gaze. After several moments he finally gathered enough courage and said, "I can do that."
The moment those words left his mouth, Eris smiled. A genuine smile.
Then before Tyler realized what she was doing, she reached up and patted his head.
"There, there. Good boy."
Tyler froze.
A second later he immediately brushed her hand away.
"Eris."
His glare could have frozen water.
"What?" She looked completely innocent.
"Don't do that."
Eris giggled. "Well, you've grown a lot." She looked him up and down. "We used to be the same height."
Tyler folded his arms. "I didn't grow a lot."
"Oh?"
"You just stopped growing."
The retaliation came instantly.
Eris pinched his waist.
Hard.
"Ouch!"
Tyler bent slightly.
"Sorry!"
"Good." Eris nodded. "Now we're the same height again."
"You're impossible."
"I know."