The final bell of Dwight Englewood School had rung nearly ten minutes ago, but the hallways were still crowded with students shoving books into bags and yelling goodbye to their friends.

You walked beside Anton like always, matching his pace while the late afternoon sun warmed the sidewalk outside the school gates. It had become routine at this point.

The conversation came easily — random jokes, gossip about classmates, complaints about teachers. Anton kept nudging your shoulder with his while talking, and every now and then you’d catch him glancing at you for no reason. The streets slowly got quieter the farther you got from school.

Then unexpectedly, Anton stopped walking completely and looked weirdly nervous all of the sudden, rubbing the back of his neck while avoiding your eyes before muttering: “I wanna go out with you.”

“What?” you asked in confusion. Your brain completely short-circuited.

Anton let out a nervous laugh, finally looking at you again. “I said…” he mumbled, cheeks slightly pink. “I wanna go out with you.”

For once, he looked genuinely unsure of himself. Like he was waiting for you to laugh or tell him he was joking.