It’s cold. Really cold. I should’ve worn a jacket. It’s the middle of the night in November, and yet here I am, lying on a slide at a playground. I have school tomorrow, but honestly, I can’t bring myself to care. School just feels like a waste of time. Yeah, yeah, I know everyone says that, but maybe there’s a reason why. I feel like I’m losing a part of myself every time I go. Each day drains me, and two days to recharge? It’s never enough.

  I hate waking up early. I hate being packed into a building with a bunch of kids I have nothing in common with. I hate pretending to care about things I don’t. I hate homework. I just… hate school.

  Today, I tried asking my mom if I could try homeschooling, but all she said was that I need to find some friends, and then maybe I’d like school more. Sure. Like it’s that simple.

  I tried to explain to her that I don’t really want friends—that I’m fine on my own—but she just sighed and said, “I swear, this boy...”

  Even if I wanted friends, I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t even know most of my classmates’ names. They’re just... there. Background noise.

  Most of them seem obsessed with drama, rumors, or whatever fake social game they’re all playing. Everything’s about appearances, about being popular. I’ve never cared about that stuff.

  I get that I probably sound stuck-up, and maybe I am a little, but that’s just how it feels to me. I know not everyone is like that, but even the ones who aren’t—I still don’t feel like I have much in common with them. Relationships sound like a lot of work, and it just feels like a waste of energy.

  So no, making friends wouldn’t magically fix things. My problem with school isn’t just about being lonely. It’s not even really about people at all. It’s deeper than that. I’ve never liked it. I don’t think I ever will. The only thing keeping me going is that I’ve only got one more year to survive. After that, I’m done.

  That conversation with my mom? It wasn’t really an argument, but it stuck with me. I sat in my room afterward and just... stewed in it. Not just the school stuff—everything. Home’s fine, I guess. But I still feel stuck—like I’m living the same day on loop. Nothing ever really changes.

  I have hobbies, sure, but nothing I’m passionate about. Nothing that I want to devote myself to. Honestly, even if I got homeschooled, it wouldn’t fix that. I’d probably just end up wasting away in my room.

  So yeah... it all just feels kind of pointless sometimes.

  I guess that’s what led me here. I got overwhelmed and needed to get out, but clearly I hadn’t exactly been thinking straight—I didn’t even bring a jacket.

  And yet, somehow... I feel a little better.

  Just as I was settling in and starting to embrace the cold, a chill ran down my spine.

  Footsteps.

  Someone else was here.

  I froze. My breath caught in my throat as I listened—definitely footsteps, slow and steady, crunching over the gravel on the far side of the playground.

  What the hell? Who would be here this late? I shouldn’t have come out. I should’ve just stayed in my room. This is how people end up on the news, isn’t it?

  Wait… they probably don’t even know I’m here. The slide’s facing away from them. And they’re not trying to be sneaky or quiet or anything. That has to be a good sign… right?

  I stayed as still as possible. But my heart was pounding so hard I swore they could hear it. My fingers were already tensing, ready to bolt if I had to. But then I thought—maybe I could just peek. The slide’s tall. If I’m careful, I can look without being seen.

  So, I crept up to the top, keeping low, and slowly peeked over.

  It was a girl.

  She looked about my age, and she wasn’t wearing a jacket either. She wandered over to the swings and started spinning lazily around one of the poles, like she didn’t have anything better to do. After a few circles, she let go, stumbled, and nearly tripped on one of the swing chains.

  Weird girl.

  Then she moved to one of those springy pony rides, sat down, and instantly jumped off like it was too cold to touch. After that, she gave the monkey bars a try—made it halfway before her hands slipped and she dropped to the ground with a soft thud.

  I kept watching as she drifted around the playground, slow and aimless. Then she stepped into the glow of one of the few working lights, and for the first time, I saw her clearly.

  She was really cute—like, the kind of cute that could stop traffic. Her features were soft and balanced, and there was something effortlessly striking about her. She had short, curly hair that framed her face in a way that made her look both playful and a little mysterious. Her eyes—those big, round eyes—had this almost doll-like quality, and you could get lost in them if you weren’t careful.

  She wore an oversized, long-sleeved shirt with a star pattern on it—looked like something you’d sleep in—and baggy sweatpants that made it seem like she’d either just rolled out of bed or didn’t care what anyone thought. She had this pouty, blank expression, like she was lost in her own world and didn’t mind floating there.

  Then I realized her eyes had shifted up to me.

  I flinched, startled, and scrambled to duck—but my foot slipped, and I bonked my head on the side of the slide.

  “Hey, are you alright?” she called out, climbing the stairs with a worried look.

  My head throbbed, but I forced a casual look and muttered, “Y-yeah, I’m fine.”

  She nodded and sat down in the other slide next to mine like it was the most normal thing in the world.

  “Hey hey, do you like stars?” she asked suddenly, her eyes lighting up.

  “Uhh… not really? Why?” I replied, leaning away slightly. The question caught me off guard.

  She tilted her head back, gazing up. “Well, I was just wondering. You’re out here so late—I figured maybe you were stargazing, like me!”

  “…I guess that makes sense.”

  “So what are you doing out here if not stargazing?” she asked. “We’ve got school tomorrow, y’know.”

  I glanced away. “I dunno. Just felt like getting out.”

  She frowned a little, then wagged her finger. “Now that’s no good. You need sleep! Plus, you could catch a cold out here without a sweater—it’s freezing.”

  Was she serious right now? And why was she acting so casual? Who just strolls up and starts chatting with a stranger like this?

  I sat up a bit and looked around, half-expecting someone else to pop out. What if she was distracting me for a setup or something? But the park was empty. Just the two of us.

  I slumped back down and gave her a flat look. “I could say the same to you.”

  “Haha, true! I guess I can’t really scold you, huh?” she said, grinning. “Buuut—I do have a good reason for being here.”

  “Oh yeah? What’s that?” I asked, eyeing her a little warily.

  She grinned at me and then stood up, pointing toward the sky. “Do you see that reddish star up there, a little to the left? That’s Betelgeuse—it’s part of the Orion constellation. He’s just starting to rise this time of year.” She then pointed out a few more stars. “Those three in a row? That’s Orion’s Belt—Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak. And that bright blue one down near the bottom? That’s Rigel.”

  She spoke with this calm certainty, like she’d pointed them out a hundred times before. I just stared at her for a second, completely thrown off. She must’ve seen the confusion on my face, because she chuckled and added, “I know it’s kinda random, but I really love this stuff.”

  Um, okay… She had just started naming stars out of nowhere, and I was so caught off guard I just stared at her, totally confused. She must’ve noticed, because she quickly started explaining.

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  “Oh! So I’m in the astronomy club, and for the cultural fair, we’re doing an exhibit on constellations,” she said, perking up. “I’ve been doing a ton of research lately. That’s actually why I’m out here! We’re planning to hand out these simple constellation maps so anyone can go out and spot Orion for themselves.”

  “Ohhh, that’s... neat,” I said, trying to sound interested.

  She didn’t buy it for a second and gave me a disappointed look. “Hmph. Stars are amazing, you know. If you actually took the time to learn about them, I bet you’d fall in love with them too.”

  I just shrugged.

  She sighed and muttered under her breath, “Leave it to Mr. Loner to have no sense of wonder...”

  I wasn’t about to let that slide. “Excuse me? When did I say I was a loner? I mean—you’re not wrong—but how would you even know that?”

  She giggled. “Oh, come on, Raimi. How could I not know you’re a loner?”

  “Wha—h-how do you know my name?” I asked, leaning back slightly.

  Now she was the one giving me a look. “Wait... are you serious?”

  “You didn’t answer the question,” I said, already preparing to run.

  “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe this. You seriously don’t recognize me?” she said, her eyes wide. “I’m your classmate! You know—Saria? The cutest, prettiest, smartest, bestest girl in our class?”

  She did not need to throw in all those extra words... but now that she said it, I think I did vaguely remember someone who looked like her. I mean, I stopped paying attention to my classmates ages ago, but she definitely looked familiar.

  The girl—Saria, I guess—took my silence as confirmation and let out a long sigh, cradling her face in her hands. “You are just... wow.”

  “Uhh... sorry,” I muttered.

  She sat like that for a minute, completely still—until I noticed her shoulders shaking.

  “H-hey… you don’t need to feel bad or anything. I just don’t really pay attention to people, that’s all,” I said, starting to feel a little guilty.

  But then I heard it—soft giggles that quickly turned into full-on laughter.

  “Oh my gosh! You are way too much,” she said, still laughing. “You didn’t even recognize your own classmate! But wait—okay, from your point of view, I must’ve seemed so weird. Some random girl shows up and starts talking about stars out of nowhere. Hehe, I get it now. No wonder you were so on edge!” She wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at me. “I guess I got a little too excited, huh?”

  “Yeah... I was wondering why you were being so familiar. Honestly, I thought you were trying to rob me or something.”

  She frowned again and said, “Seriously? You didn’t have to say that out loud, you know.” Then she smiled. “Raimi, you’re really different from what I imagined.”

  “Oh yeah? Different how?” I asked.

  She smirked. “Not telling.”

  “Tch.” I clicked my tongue, a little annoyed. I wanted to know what she meant, but if she wasn’t going to tell me, I guess that was that.

  “You’re a lot easier to talk to than I thought,” she murmured.

  “Huh? What was that?” I asked, not sure I’d heard her right.

  She looked like she was about to answer when she suddenly pointed up and shouted, “Oh! Look! A shooting star!”

  “Ohhh.”

  “Woah!” we said at the same time, both of us watching it streak across the sky. When it disappeared, I turned to look at her—just as she looked at me.

  She giggled. “That was pretty cool, huh?”

  “Yeah. I’ve never seen one in real life before,” I replied.

  “Really? Not even once?”

  “Nope.” I nodded. “First time.”

  “Aww, that’s kinda sad,” she said with a little pout.

  “Not really. I just don’t usually look at stars. I’ve seen videos of them before, anyway.”

  “Pfft—videos don’t even come close! Seeing one for real is a totally different experience,” she said excitedly.

  “Hmm, I guess,” I replied, shrugging again.

  She frowned at me. “You seriously need to learn to appreciate these things more.” Then she brightened. “Okay! You know what? Let’s do some real stargazing right now! Maybe you’ll start to get it!” Without waiting for a response, she laid down on the slide and got comfortable.

  She looked so relaxed I couldn’t help but stare for a second. Then she gestured for me to lie down too.

  I didn’t really have a reason to say no, so I slid down beside her.

  She didn’t say anything else, and when I glanced over, I saw her staring up, completely absorbed in the sky. Her eyes were moving all over the place—probably tracing constellations or something.

  It felt kind of awkward just lying there, but I figured... why not? Might as well try.

  It was actually kind of nice.

  Maybe I really hadn’t been giving stars enough credit.

  At first, I felt a little silly, but the longer I stared, the more I relaxed. There was something about it—something calming.

  It made me think about how huge everything is. The stars were just these glowing dots, but they were also these massive things millions of light-years away. And somehow, I could see them from here. That was... kind of amazing.

  Bit by bit, my mind quieted down.

  I didn’t expect it, but I felt... peaceful.

  “Ahhh!”

  My trance broke at the sound of Saria's sudden shriek. I couldn’t even blame her—I nearly yelped too. A sharp gust of wind had just swept past us, cutting through the cold like a blade.

  I’d gotten used to the chill somehow, but that wind reminded me all over again—it was freezing.

  “W-wow, that came out of nowhere,” she said, hugging her arms tightly.

  “Yeah… it’s like my body just remembered it’s November,” I said, shivering as I rubbed my arms.

  “Ugh, why didn’t I bring a coat?” she groaned, stomping her foot a little.

  Honestly, same. The cold was biting now.

  She let out a breath and said, “We should probably head home, huh?”

  Then she checked her phone—and her eyes went wide. “Wait—it’s 2:15?!”

  “Seriously?” I blinked. That didn’t seem right.

  I’d left the house around 12:30… so over two hours had gone by?

  It definitely hadn’t felt that long.

  “Hehe, guess time flies when you’re under the stars,” she said, catching my stunned expression.

  “Yeah… it really didn’t feel like it.”

  We both stood and made our way toward the streetlight near the sidewalk.

  As we walked, she tapped my shoulder and gave me a smug look. “So? Do you appreciate stars a little more now? Would’ve been kinda tragic if you stargazed for hours and still didn’t feel anything~”

  I sighed. “Yeah… I do. I’ll admit it was a lot nicer than I expected.”

  “Ha! I knew you’d come around,” she said, beaming.

  When we reached the sidewalk, she pointed to the left. “Well, I’m heading that way.”

  I pointed to the right. “And I’m going this way.”

  She gave a cheerful wave, and I was just about to turn and leave when she called out, “See you at school tomorrow!”

  I turned back to look at her, pausing for a second.

  “…Yeah. See you at school.”

  I turned again, but then she added something that made me freeze.

  “Oh—and, um… I’ll be here around the same time tomorrow. Hope I see my new stargazing friend again!”

  She turned away before I could respond, walking off into the night.

  It took me a few seconds to move again.

  “…Who said you’re my friend?” I muttered under my breath.

  “…What a weird girl.”

  But as I walked home, I noticed something strange.

  I was smiling.