Through feelings of nostalgia

Evening. The thirty-first of August. A girl named Saw was in her room getting ready for the most exciting and scary day for her this year. September first. It wasn’t scary for her because of starting school and all. It was just that Saw and her family, due to circumstances, had to move to a different neighborhood, much further away from her old one, and Jigsaw was transferred to a new school. It was Saw’s first move, and she doesn’t know what kind of class she’s in. And you have to admit, it’s not easy to fit in. And Saw had friends there that she had grown attached to for a long time, and now here we are. But on the other hand, it’s not good to stay in one place. You gotta evolve and move on, right? … - Well, I think I’m all set. — The girl hung her ironed school uniform on the rack (white collarless shirt with short sleeves and dark blue knee-length skirt). Next to it were white socks, white sneakers and a backpack in navy blue and beige colors. All in all, everything by beauty. Saw had always been told that in new collectives one should show oneself in the best light. The girl was in agreement with this opinion, and past the behavior wanted to show up in a good way. As they say: “Meet by clothes, see you off by your mind”. It was already dark outside the window, and it was time to go to bed. But the excitement would keep her awake, and she would feel like a squeezed lemon. She wouldn’t want to walk around with a sour face on the first day. No way! She changed into her pajamas and concentrated on sleep. She set her alarm clock for 6:00, so she’d have time to get ready, and plopped down on the bed. Saw couldn’t help but think, “What’s going to happen tomorrow?” “Will I make as good friends as I did at my old school?” “Will I get in trouble?” “What kind of teachers will they be?” “Should I be afraid of the new school load in ninth grade?” — and so on. Most of the questions were hard to answer, we’d have to wait until tomorrow. Saw’s mind couldn’t stay awake for long, so no matter how many questions Jigsaw asked herself, the urge to sleep was stronger. Her body relaxed, and her brain was ready to show our heroine sleep…. *In the morning* It was the September first. Six a.m. Saw’s alarm clock rang. The girl mumbled something angrily, hoping to sleep for another two hours. She barely got out of bed and turned off the alarm clock. Remembering what day it was, she cheered up. Her stomach ached sharply with fear. Saw sighed and headed to the bathroom to clean herself up. She washed her face with ice water, brushed her teeth and combed her long gray hair, which her family and friends from her last school said was like the color of silver, though Saw had different associations. Just gray hair. Not like old people, thank goodness. The girl braided her hair into a braid and went to change. *After a while* 7:20. Saw was double-checking to make sure she had everything. - I got my pencil case, I’ll pick up my books at school, I got my cell phone.. Welp, I’m all set. — Saw zipped up her backpack and put it on. Her parents were still asleep, so she was as quiet as possible. Saw headed for the front door. ... The weather was sunny, the climate was warm. It was not every year that the beginning of September had such a temperature. The brightly colored leaves on the trees immediately caught the eye. Remember Saw in the old school during the fifth grade with her friends used to collect these fall leaves and make bouquets out of them. And sometimes they’d put the fall leaves in one big pile. And it was always just huge piles of leaves. There was even a feeling that from all this you could make a cozy house for a baby. Saw walked and looked at these leaves and smiled, sinking into warm memories from her childhood. Ahead of her, little children walked happily, dressed in their school uniforms and carrying backpacks carried by their parents. It meant she was heading in the right direction. After walking a little farther down the path, more schoolchildren could be seen in the distance. The school building itself was already visible. It was about three stories high, flat roofed, and the school itself was light green in color. When they reached the fence of the school, the music at the line-up could be heard clearly. But the heroine of the story knew that at least her class should be in the school during the lineup. Saw quickly ran into the building. It was quiet. She looked around. She was already greeted by a long hallway with locker rooms, aluminum lamps on the ceiling that gave enough light to illuminate the entire first floor hallway. There was also a gray tile floor underfoot. Looking to the right, she saw a door that led to the other floors. There were also different plants against the walls, adding to the beauty of the place. For some reason, Saw’s excitement flared up even more. She turned around and saw the guard, and she flinched in surprise. The guard was quite dense in build. He was dressed in a blue shirt with black pants and a black cap on his head, covering his bald head. This man looked. Annoyed. Saw needed to find out where her office was, but just looking at the man made her feel even scarier. She took a deep breath and approached him. - Hello. Could you tell me where room 305 is? — Her voice trembled slightly, but Saw tried not to show it. The guard sighed heavily and angrily, which made Jigsaw even more uncomfortable. - Are you new? — A low male voice sounded. The girl only nodded. — Go to the third floor, then turn right down the corridor, and after a short distance you’ll find your office. Go up those stairs. — he pointed in the direction where Saw had originally seen the stairs. - Okay, thank you. — the girl smiled. — Goodbye. — She took a quick step towards the stairs, and from behind her she heard a chuckle from the guard. He didn’t seem very angry. Or maybe he’s just pretending to be. Saw, due to the heaviness of the door, pushed it open and the stairs appeared in front of her. She didn’t hesitate to head upstairs. It seemed to her that she was about to stumble, to fall, to break something on her first day, and she would remember it all her life as “the most shameful day,” though it was far from that. But, fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. Saw reached to the third floor, opened the door, and before her appeared the corridor itself, which looked a little more beautiful than the corridor on the first floor. But the girl had no time or desire to look at all the decorations and such, she wanted to find her office. Saw turned right and headed in that direction at a relaxed pace. She noticed that the classrooms also had windows, just like in Japanese schools. It looked very nice. And so she reached room 305. Saw was surprised that nothing “criminal” had happened while she was walking here. Apparently, today was her lucky day. She knocked and opened the door. The girl saw a tall man with crimson-red hair tied into a small low ponytail. This man was wearing a white shirt and tie, with a dark red jacket on top, black pants, and black shoes. He was sitting at the teacher’s desk signing some papers. When he heard Saw walk in, he looked away and looked in her direction. The girl was a little worry. Apparently, it was her class teacher. The teacher smiled. - Hello. You’re Saw, right? — His voice sounded low, but not like that guard on the first floor. - Uh, yeah, that’s me. — the girl spoke with a slight hesitation. The man grinned. - You got here early. Everyone’s mostly late. Well, except for the head of the class. — The teacher turned his head in the other direction, to the back of the classroom, Saw did the same, and saw another student. It was a boy with blond and slightly disheveled hair tied into a small high ponytail. He was wearing a white shirt, dark brown pants, and black sneakers. The boy was looking for something in his closet. When he heard the teacher say the word “head of the class,” he looked away and looked toward the classroom teacher. The teacher made a gesture telling him to come over to him. The boy approached the man without even noticing Saw’s presence. - Yes, Reshetych? Do you need something? — The apprentice crossed his arms over his chest. Reshetych pointed his palm at the headman and looked at Saw. - Get acquainted. The head of our class, Besom. If you have any questions, go to him. — he released his hand and looked at Besom. — And this is the new girl in our class, Saw. The girl, hearing her name, laughed nervously. The guy with blond hair put his hand behind his neck and smiled. - So.. — Reshetych got to his feet and looked at both of them. — I have to go to the chemistry room, the teacher has some problems. — the teacher looked at the head of the class. — Besom, I’ll ask you to continue preparing until the rest of the class arrives. I’m going. — The man quietly left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Besom and Saw alone. There was an awkward silence. - ..Ah.. What are you preparing for? — The girl asked in a calm tone. - Hm? Oh, uh, I have to sort through my textbooks. You know, sort each subject into one pile, then put it all on the first desk. — Besom looked toward the closet, frowning. - Oh, I see. — Saw took a deep breath before continuing to speak. — Can I help you? The guy looked at Saw a little surprised, but then smiled. - Yeah, sure! I could use an extra pair of hands. — His voice sounded sincere gratitude. The girl was relieved. She was starting to make acquaintances already, and everything was going smoothly! That’s a good sign. They went to the closet together. Besom opened it. On the shelves were books, papers, notebooks. Saw was ready to swear that some of the papers were last year’s papers of the students. - There’s a lot of junk in here, so it’s a little hard for me to find textbooks. — The boy said suddenly. Saw tucked her hair behind her ear. - But there are a lot of textbooks, they should be in a prominent place, shouldn’t they? — The girl scrutinized the closet. Suddenly she saw some sort of separate pull-out shelf at the bottom. — Maybe here? — she pointed to this shelf. - Hmm… — Besom sat down and opened it. All the textbooks immediately came into view there. — Ah.. — the guy tapped himself on the forehead — I’m an idiot.. - Don’t talk about yourself like that. Not everyone would have guessed that. The guy stood up and looked at Saw, feeling stupid. - ..Thanks anyway. Saw gave him a friendly smile. They began sorting through their textbooks. In silence. Only occasional glances at each other. It seemed to Jigsaw that Besom was unpleasant to be with her, which made her nervous, but she didn’t show it. Saw sighed and took a biology textbook, already going to put it in a stack of books. - And why did you decide to transfer? — Here suddenly heard Besom’s question. The girl was distracted and looked at the guy. - Oh.. It’s all for family reasons — she put the textbook in the stack — To be honest, I was not told the details. - Hmm.. I wonder what school you’re from? Saw was a little surprised that Besom was so interested. But anyway, at least it’s a conversation starter. - From 179№ school. The guy looked at Saw with genuine surprise. - I heard it’s a good school.. Even better than ours. I don’t know why you decided to transfer here. - Mm-hmm.. Do you think I shouldn’t have transferred to your school? — Saw looked down, her voice tinged with a subtle sadness. - No, no, that’s not what I meant! Well, I mean.. — He looked away embarrassed — ..The education is better at that school, so.. That’s why I said that. I didn’t mean that you shouldn’t have joined our staff! The girl raised her head and looked at Besom. There was hope in her eyes. She smiled. Besom looked at her, listening intently to her words. - I can understand. I also experienced anxiety in my childhood. And honestly, it took a long time to get rid of it. — From smiled slightly — but you don’t have to worry. I can say with certainty that you’ll certainly find close friends here. Saw felt herself blushing and covered her cheeks with her hands. - Oh, my goodness.. Thank you. - You’re welcome. — The boy grinned at Saw’s behavior, and then continued to stack his textbooks. The girl sighed, calmed down, and continued sorting through the books as well. *After a short while* Reshetych had already returned, and the guys had long since gotten everything ready. There was a separate stack of textbooks for each subject. All the books were on the first desk of the second row. The teacher thanked them. - Do you happen to know when the whole class will be here? It’s time to come, it’s already 8:25. — came the voice of Reshetych. The tone in his voice was irritated, obviously unhappy that almost the whole class was late. Besom only shrugged his shoulders, and Saw didn’t know what to say. - There was no news. They didn’t even write anything to our separate group without a teacher. — Besom took his cell phone out of his pocket, apparently checking to see if anything had been written to the group — No, nothing. Maybe something happened? - Uh-huh, yeah, sure. I’ve known you guys for years. — The teacher looked toward the door. They’re either lost or asleep. And then what am I supposed to tell the school administrator? That these nitwits thought it was August 32nd or something? The girl giggled quietly at Reshetych’s words. Besom and the teacher looked at her, and she coughed awkwardly. - Ahem.. I’m sorry. Reshetych closed his eyes. Just then, voices were heard in the hallway. Everyone in the classroom looked at the door. The teacher crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. Suddenly the door swung open and there was a small crowd of students. - Oh God, why did I have to do this?.. — muttered to himself under his breath — And why are you late? A not too tall guy with white hair, black eyes, and almost the same uniform as Reshetych and Besom, except that he was wearing a long-sleeved gray T-shirt. He looked perfectly calm, as if he wasn’t sorry he was late at all. He began his speech: - Sorry we’re late. We thought we had to go to the ruler — His voice was not like Besom’s or Reshetych’s. This guy’s voice was. More lively or something? Reshetych sighed heavily. - Packy. It’s also mandatory for you, as the deputy head, to read the class group. I wrote several times yesterday that our class is not going to the lineup. - Apparently the stars had aligned wrong. — Packy shrugged, still calm. Reshetych was clearly not happy with that excuse. Saw looked at the deputy headman with interest. From her first impression, she could tell he was very. Peaceful. Even in front of a formidable teacher. Reshetych looked the student over from top to bottom, and sighed irritably again. He looked at the rest of the students. - Did the rest of them think they should be at the lineup too? All the students nodded. - ..How interesting.. — Reshetych glanced at Besom and Saw. Both were silent and did not interfere. — ..Sit down at your desks. Don’t touch the textbooks yet. - Wait, who’s that? — A girl with short blue hair, eyes the color of soft blue sky, wearing a white turtleneck, a gray-blue skirt just above her knees, black tights and dark shoes. She looked at Saw with interest. - This is the new girl, Saw. — explained Besom. The stranger was immediately pleased. She abruptly took Saw’s hand and started shaking it. - Nice to meet you! I’m Lightbolb, nice to meet you!!! The heroine of the story didn’t even realize what had happened at first, but she came to her senses and smiled awkwardly. - Yeah, me too. — She suddenly noticed from the sidelines that Packy was looking at her, equally interested. She felt even more awkward. Reshetych coughed, ostensibly hinting for them to stop. Lightbolb let go of Saw’s hand and smiled the same way. Everyone obeyed the teacher and started to approach their desks. The deputy head teacher smirked, examined Saw from head to toe and left. The girl felt uneasy again. She sighed and went to look for an empty seat. Luckily for her the third desk of the second row was completely empty. Saw came to the desk, sat down on a chair and began to wait for the class hour. Reshetych sat down at the teacher’s desk, clapped his hands twice to get everyone’s attention. Then he coughed and began his speech. He said something about the future exams that awaited them in grades 9-11, but Saw didn’t really get into it. It was like she was in a trance and it felt like everyone was looking at her. Hearing just some laughter from her classmates, she thought they were laughing at her and started an internal panic. The girl wanted to distract herself from it. But she didn’t know how. It was like she was having a panic attack. Like everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to do something wrong. Her breathing quickened, her heart beat faster, her hands trembled. This is the first time she’s had this! What should she do? An idea occurred to her. She raised her hand: - Excuse me, may I go out? I don’t feel well. The teacher was silent for a moment. Then nodded in approval. Saw got up from the chair and headed for the exit from the office, and Reshetych continued to speak his speech. The girl closed the door behind her. Panic encompassed her more and more. - What’s happening to me! — she said in a whisper — Aah, God, what to do, what to do, what to do??? — she started pacing back and forth, getting more and more nervous. — Okay, calm down.. — Saw stopped, took a deep breath. — I’m not myself. I’m showing myself in a bad light. Should I run away? No, that’s terrible! And I left my backpack there.. Oh, God, I’m going to go crazy! — the girl clutched her head. She didn’t want to go back to class, she was terrified. Saw thought it was the end, but then. -… — the classroom door opened. It was Packy! He looked a little surprised to see Saw, but then he just walked out of the classroom and closed the door. — Hey, are you okay? - "Shit, I’m already considered crazy!!!" — Saw thought to herself. — I don’t know. Why? - Well, I thought you said you weren’t feeling well. - the guy looked at her. - Nervous? - Ah.. Yes.. Wait, how are you-..? - Anxiety in humans is easy to spot. Especially with your hands and voice shaking. — Packy crossed his arms over his chest, looking at her sympathetically. - I just.. — Saw looked down. — It’s my first move, everything’s new to me, I feel like I’m going to faint, and god, I-.. - Okay, shh.. Breathe deeply.. Saw closed her eyes, took a deep breath. And exhaled. - ..Now listen to me. I know it’s hard to fit in, but you don’t have to take it so hard. It’ll drive you crazy, and you won’t leave a single spot. — The guy walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to get some support from him. - ..I just.. — Saw took another deep breath before starting to speak. — .I don’t think I belong here. - No, you are wrong. You’re only on your first day with us, calm down. -… — The girl looked away, still not fully believing him. Packy sighed. - Tell me what exactly is bothering you. I.. I’ll try to help. Saw put her hands behind her back, and looked back at him. - Okay. — The heroine of the story began to collect her thoughts before answering his question. — Well, I get this feeling. Like everyone’s looking at me. I feel like I’m already being gossiped about, like I’ve already given them a reason to make fun of me. - Uh-huh.. — Packy thought for a moment. — What makes you think that? Is there some, I don’t know.. Evidence for that? - Uh.. — Saw didn’t know what to say. - I see. You’re just getting yourself worked up, sweetheart. — He looked toward the classroom. — Believe me, there are no bitches or bullies in this class. You’ll be welcome here! — The boy smiled slightly. - Do you think so..? — There was a tone of hope in Saw’s voice. - Pfft, please. I’ve been with these guys my whole high school life. Unless you count the fact that some of our group was distributed to other classes in the seventh grade.. Never mind. The point I’m trying to make is that this is an understanding class. - Hmm.. - What’s up? Are you ready to go back to class, or are you ready to stand? Saw hesitated. Then she smiled slightly, clearly calmed down. - I think I’ll go. — then the girl looked at him questioningly. — Where were you going? - Ah, I just wanted to get some water. — Packy shrugged. — But then I ran into you, and. Here, heh. - Oh. I see. — Saw laughed a little. — Okay, I'm going to class. - Uh-huh. Good luck. — Packy gave a friendly smile and went where he was going. The girl was left alone. She gathered her courage, knocked and entered the office. No one paid almost no attention to her. The teacher continued to say something, and the students were doing their own things. Some were listening and some didn’t give a damn about the class hour. Saw only went back to her desk, sat down and started to try to understand the topic of Reshetych’s lecture. *After a while* The class hour came to an end. Everyone started to pack up, take their textbooks, put them in their backpacks and leave. Saw was still sitting there, not realizing what was going on. Then some familiar faces came up to her: Besom, Packy, and Lightbolb, who was holding the hand of a guy she didn’t know. He had very long hair of gray-pink (?) shade, his face and hands were bandaged, and he was dressed in a black T-shirt, a very long brown jacket, black pants and brown sneakers. He looked like he was going to the North Pole. Lightbolb lifted his hand up slightly, smiling very broadly. - Sawy, meet Knify! My best friend! - Knife. Just Knife. — the boy snarled angrily. Lightbolb rolled her eyes, smiling. - This is our energetic twosome. — Packy entered the conversation. — We’re very happy to have you in our class. It’s been a long time since we’ve had any newcomers. — His voice sounded genuinely friendly. Saw blushed slightly. - Oh, heh. It’s my pleasure. - I understand you’re the shy type, aren’t you? — The guy took a step forward, scrutinizing her. — You’re cute.. Would you like to be friends? — He reached forward, offering a handshake. Her heart raced again. She accepted the handshake, extending her hand in return. - Y-yes, of course, I don’t mind! — The girl tried to contain her joy, but it was clear from her smile. Besom was watching this, he was like. Proud of Saw. The head of the class crossed his arms across his chest. - I told you you’d make friends. — he smiled slightly. Lightbolb glanced over at the two of them. - Have you two socialized yet? — She received an approving nod to the question. Lightbolb sighed in surprise — Wow! Saw, and what do you think? - Uh.. — Saw tilted her head slightly, looking at her questioningly. — About what? - About the headman! — The blue-haired girl giggled. Saw looked at Besom and he looked at her. She smiled and replied with confidence: - He is very kind and nice. Besom tilted his head slightly and smiled at her. - I can say the same about you. Lightbolb started to shake Knife lightly, which made him unhappy. - Aaah, Knify, look how cute!!! - Calm down. — The guy yanked his hand away from Lightbolb, but she didn’t think to get upset about it. - By the way, Saw. — the deput y headman turned to the new girl. — Do you mind if I add you to the group without a teacher? There you can just socialize with the others, because in a group with a teacher it’s not allowed. - Yeah, sure, I don’t mind. — Saw nodded in approval. - Great. — Packy took out his cell phone. — What’s your number? - She’s in a group with a teacher. — The blond intervened in the conversation. - Oh, yeah? I didn’t see.. - You don’t see anything. — Besom rolled his eyes. Packy grinned - I’ll bet. — He quickly added Saw to his contacts and then to the group itself. — Done! — the guy put his phone away. - Look, I don’t mean to interrupt, but can we go now? Everyone’s gone. — Knife pointed with his palm across the entire classroom. They were really the only ones left in the classroom. Even the teacher had long since left. There were a few textbooks left on the desk, just for them. - Ah yes, that’s right. — Besom exhaled and silently went to get his textbooks, which the others did as well. They all put their textbooks in their backpacks and walked out of the classroom. Besom locked the classroom with the key that Reshetych had given him, and the whole bunch walked downstairs, towards the school’s exit. They walked straight down the school hallway. Only now it wasn’t quiet, but there was a buzzing sound at every corner. The boys walked in silence. The group reached the stairs, and as they began to descend, the conversation began again. - You know.. Your school’s pretty big. You could get lost. — Saw looked at the others. - Trust me, you won’t get lost with us. — came the same positive voice from Packy. — It’s been nine years since we’ve been here. We’re used to it. - Oh, so when you were late for geography class in the 7th grade, and still excused yourself for forgetting where the classroom was, you just lost your memory? — Besom smiled slyly. - Are you going to tell my whole biography? - No, just “asked”. — he grinned. They reached the first floor and headed for the exit. - Besom, you’re not a saint either. — Knife intervened in the conversation. He looked at the head of the class, as if judging him. - Yes, by the way, Besom, do you remember when you were in the fourth grade, you with Bally decided to-..? — Lumpy’s speech was interrupted by Besom putting his hand over her mouth. - Please, not now.. — whispered angrily to the head of the class, Lightbolb. Apparently, the blonde-haired man was clearly ashamed of this. - Bally? Who’s that? — Saw became curious enough. Lightbolb took Besom’s hand away from her mouth, her enthusiasm still as unabated. - Oh, it’s another one of our classmates! He’s one of our most well-read and intelligent. Except Bally didn’t show up today for some reason, but that’s all right, isn’t it? I’m sure you’ll make friends with him! Besom turned his gaze away in shame. I wonder what they had done that? The guys went outside. Packy stretched himself. - Aah, fresh air.. — he looked at the others. — What are your plans for today? Lumpy giggled and took Knife’s hand. - We were planning to go to my house with Knify! — she looked at the boy and he looked away, then nodded silently. - I don’t have plans yet. — Besom crossed his arms over his chest. — ..But maybe something will come up tonight. After all, I’m the headman, in case there’s anything. - Likewise. — Saw shook the dust off her skirt. - I don’t know about you, but I’m going to spend the evening meditating again. — said Packy. — You’re meditating? — Saw was a little surprised and looked at him with interest. - Yeah. — The vice-chairman grinned. — Why? - Just asking. - By the way, Sawy… — Lamplighter looked at her with interest. - Hm? — she looked at her questioningly. Lightbolb walked right up to her, smiling. - What are your hobbies? - ..Uh.. — the girl was slightly embarrassed. - Lightbolb, calm down. — Besom pulled her away from Saw slightly. - Oh, good! But, Saw, what are your interests???? — Lightbolb hid her hands behind her back, smiling. Saw hesitated for a moment. She doesn’t usually do anything. - I don’t have any specific interests! — The girl laughed nervously. - Hmm.. If you’re having trouble with that, you can look for some clubs in our school. We have a lot of them. — Besom crossed his arms. — For example, Packy does.. Woodworking, right? - Yeah, that’s right. Not only that. — Packy laughed a little. — I also do meditation, and I’m thinking of giving courses in the future. - Wow, that’s interesting.. — Saw smiled slightly. - Oh, oh! I’m in cooking!!! I’m one of the best there! — Lightbolb was spinning a little in joy. - Because there are only four people in your club. — Knife laughed a little at her. - Well.. You get the point.— Besom smiled slightly. Saw blushed slightly and laughed nervously. - Uh.. Yes, of course! Packy looked first at Saw, then at Besom, and grinned. They stood in silence for a moment, and then the girl noticed something. - ..Wait, where..? — she looked around and saw that the so-called “energetic twosome” were gone. - Believe me, they’ll disappear without warning every so often. — Besom said this with a sigh at the end. — Okay, I think I’ll go too. - Bye!~ — the deputy headman gave Besom a hug. Saw giggled softly, and the guy looked at her and smiled slyly. — Hey, come here.. — He grabbed her with his other hand as well and hugged her just as tightly. The girl wasn’t expecting that. Now it was a group hug. She blushed even more, while Besom was not very comfortable. - Look, this is kind of drastic.. — Besom hinted at letting them go. - Is it? I don’t think so. — Packy let them go. Blondie shook off the dust, but Saw was still in a trance. - Okay, bye. — Besom waved to the boys and left. Packy waved after him. Then he looked at Saw, and she, noticing his gaze, came to her senses. - Again, it’s a pleasure to meet you. — He smiled sweetly. - Y-yes, you too.. — The girl tucked her hands behind her back, smiling back in a friendly manner. - Okay, I have to go now. As the saying goes, 'A visit is good, but home is better'. See See you tomorrow! — Packy waved goodbye to Saw and went on his way. Saw was silent, only seeing him off with a glance. - And what does that phrase mean in this situation..? — the girl looked down thoughtfully. Then shrugged her shoulders. — Basically, it doesn’t matter. Saw sighed and headed home. There were a lot of kids around who were being picked up by their parents, so it wasn’t as quiet as it had been in the morning. The girl noticed that the children were doing the same things that Saw did when she was their age. For example, collecting autumn leaves, which had not even had time to turn bright and warm colors of yu, and making bouquets out of them. Or chasing each other, playing tag. A smile appeared uncontrollably on Saw’s face. She was once again plunged into nostalgia, into that innocent and carefree time, which unfortunately could not be brought back. The girl took a deep breath as she continued walking home, passing by the beautiful fall trees in the same way. She was going forward, and nowhere else. Upon reaching home Saw opened the entryway door. She quickly climbed the stairs to her floor, reached the door of her apartment, took her keys out of her pocket and used them to open the door. It was silent. Apparently, her parents were at work. Expected. Saw took off her shoes and went to her room to change. Once inside her, as many people like to call it, “den”, she felt a rush of fatigue. Saw took off her backpack and flopped down on her bed. Even though she realized that lying in her school uniform at home wasn’t exactly a good idea, she was alone, after all. No one would judge her. Saw decided that she would lie down for a while and then do her chores. *After a while* It’s four o’clock in the evening. Saw had long since changed into her home clothes, cleaned herself up, and just got her strength back. Her parents had arrived. The whole family was sitting in the kitchen, drinking tea and talking about something. - ..Yes, today we wanted to come early, but the boss asked us to stay late and work for the others who asked for a vacation. — Saw’s mother, Lane, looked at her daughter with a guilty look. - It’s okay, mom, I understand. — She took a sip of tea. - There! An understanding child is always a good thing! — Saw’s father, Billy, patted his daughter on the shoulder. The girl rolled her eyes. Saw’s parents work in an office. Can’t even remember the last time they took a day off. That’s why it’s not hard for them to do the work for others, though it takes a lot of time and labor. Saw understood that, but she wasn’t angry about it. - That’s right. Lane grinned. — By the way, Saw, how’s school going? Is everything alright in there? Saw’s been thinking. - Well, the school’s big enough, it’s nice. And I’ve made some friends.. Well, just acquaintances for now. - It’s okay. — Saw’s mom gave a thumbs-up. Then they continued their family gatherings. … It’s nighttime. Saw was sitting on her phone, reading the class discussion in the chat. She didn’t know what it was about, so she just read the messages. She wanted to write something, but she was afraid to. Then she sighed, turned off the notifications on her phone, and decided to go to bed. She stretched and lay on the bed on her back, without any thoughts. All that was left was to wait until tomorrow.