Finally, the school bell rang, and classes ended. Vasil sighed in relief and stretched his arms.
He had learned a few things today. First, and saddest, music isn't just about playing an instrument. He had barely touched his violin.
Second, Khalid was right: music theory sucks. He'd spent the whole day trying to figure out what the teachers were saying. It felt like he'd walked into the middle of a Chinese conversation, and he didn't know Chinese.
And third, the Italian twins really were cursing in Russian.
He glanced at the old clock on the wall and started packing his things. Then he grabbed his violin case and went into the hallway, where his three new friends were waiting for him.
While going down the stairs, Vasil paused at the first floor. Khalid, a few steps below, turned and looked back at him.
"Did you forget something?"
Vasil's eyes wandered down the quiet hallway. "No, I was thinking about going to the library."
"For studying? Aren't you tired?"
Vasil shook his head. "Not to study."
He separated from them and said, "You guys go without me. I'll join you another time."
Nova smiled, Andy waved, and Khalid stayed silent.
Vasil walked through the hallway toward Stefan's class first. It was empty. So he went to the only other place Stefan might be; the library.
The library was a large hall filled with bookshelves and desks, but empty of students. Vasil looked behind each shelf just in case, but the only person he found was a tired young librarian who was putting books on the wrong shelf.
Maybe he was overthinking, or expecting too much, so he decided not to think about it anymore.
He left, disappointed and sad, like a wet cat.
When he stepped outside, the schoolyard was empty too. It seemed no one wanted to stay overtime today. He ignored the cold breeze and headed toward the gate.
Then he saw Khalid, Andy, and Nova standing right there.
Vasil walked up to them. "I thought you left."
Andy shrugged. "Yeah, but Khalid wanted to wait for you, so we stayed too."
Khalid immediately objected, loud and defensive. "No, I didn't!"
Then, noticing the surprise on Vasil's face, he added, "I just saw a certain jerk get into his mother's car, so I figured it wouldn't take long for you to come out."
Vasil looked at them silently.
Khalid groaned. "What now? Are you planning to stand there until tomorrow?"
Vasil's face brightened into a wide, genuine smile. "No, let's go!"