Chapter 1

Camila Sáez.

We were at our graduation, just mentioning it makes me nervous, just a few years ago it was something that seemed very far away, I knew that someday it would happen, but not so soon and less with the grades with which I did.  My friends and I were devastated thinking that we were never going to meet again and that was most likely, we would all take different paths, in different universities and with so much time to adapt it would be really difficult to maintain the same contact we have now.

Clearly, those who had more affinity agreed to go to study together or at least in the same city, and that was fine with me, but I was clear about where I wanted to pursue my specializations and, moreover, what I had to do to get the scholarship I needed to finish my studies.

If I could do all the things I wanted to do, I would do it, but I had to make an effort to achieve what I wanted in life and to be able to help my parents and try to give them back everything they had given me with so much effort.

My parents were sad, but surely they were also proud of what I had achieved, or at least I hoped so, because the responsibility of taking my family forward was great, and often overwhelmed me too much, I feel that everyone saw in me the person who could help them, my parents are sick and work as they can, day by day, I had to go with them and it is not easy or nice, especially in summer, with the sun beating on the forehead and all over the body.

On the other hand, I would always count on the help of Adrian, my best friend, but, especially today he was more abnormal than most of the times, I mean... for some months he has been behaving in a different way with me, there are days when he is more distant and others when he gets cloying and I had no idea why.

He also wanted to apply for the same scholarship as me, but our careers and faculties would be completely different, so we would study at the same institution, but it would be very little time together.

We were in the assembly, the typical one where we would all end up crying and saying goodbye to each other and then everyone would go their own way, some remembering this stage, while others would only dedicate themselves to forget it and discover better things.

Camila Sáez, please come to the front. “mentioned the teacher in charge of organizing the ceremony that would end this beautiful stage that I had had to live and that had also shared all these years with us, so we had seen us grow. 

I followed the path that had been previously stipulated and once I was on the stage where there were other of my classmates who had been previously called, including Adrian, who looked at me in a strange way, I looked at him trying to understand what he was thinking, but it was impossible, not even that I could read people's minds, so I just tried not to be uncomfortable with his gaze.

My phone started to vibrate, surely it was my boyfriend, Julian, who at this hour is supposed to be working and who, although it sounds very strange, should not be talking to me much? what I'm saying is that, since some months our relationship is not the same, we don't talk more than a few things, apart from saying good morning or good night, it's a relationship that has faded a lot and it's not for less, we have only seen each other once, nobody but my friends and Adrián know of his existence, in short, I think this relationship, if you can call it that way, will come to an end very soon.

I looked up and I could see my parents, they, although they are not very expressive, had their eyes filled with tears, I knew them, they were happy for my achievements and for always occupying the first positions, I loved my parents, as they surely also loved me, most of the time, in their own way.

The ceremony ended after an hour or so and after the group photo, where my friends and I appeared, it was the turn for the parents to come up next to us, so I waited my turn, went downstairs and got to my place, next to my parents, until we were called to go on stage again. I tried to check my cell phone, but I couldn't, I had inspectors on either side of me and I didn't want any of my last memories here to be a scolding, plus it would be seen as horribly disrespectful at such an important ceremony.

When the show finally concluded, I went straight to the school bathroom and changed my clothes because I hated my uniform, I felt it didn't fit me, or at least, that's what I thought, but my friends and even Adrian, always tried to make me look pretty in front of the mirror. I said goodbye momentarily to my parents and left them to buy the things they would take home, I told them that I would leave for a moment with Adrian and my friends to celebrate, in some way, that I imagine we would come up with, our degree.

We arrived at the main square of the city where I was studying, which was not very big, we took some pictures and then we talked about what would become of us, in a few minutes Adrian arrived, who had to quickly accompany his mother to the house, he appeared with some of his friends, who sometimes were also part of our group, but personally, I did not get much with them, let's say we did not get along very well.

Camila, can we talk? “I hesitated for a few seconds to follow him, but I ended up agreeing.

_ Sure. “I followed him to a corner of the square, far enough away so the others couldn't hear us.

Have you talked to your... well, to that boyfriend of yours? “he asked, although the tone he used at the end of the sentence was a bit charged with anger, I didn't understand why he was expressing himself that way.

No, well... in the morning we said good morning to each other, like every morning. You already know that.  I mentioned smiling reluctantly, I guess deep down I still loved him, even if it was just a little bit, but in the eyes of society, he and I were absolutely nobody, because we couldn't be anything more than acquaintances when we only met once.

You should definitely break up with him. “Adrián mentioned without any shelter. I raised an eyebrow at his comment, hoping that he would retract it or that he would want to explain to me why he had said it, but it wasn't like that, he knew perfectly well what he was saying. “I'm sure there are many others who would die to be with you. “he added smiling and lowering his head, as if hesitating to say what followed that sentence. “Especially me. “she finished saying. I took a step back in surprise, I couldn't handle all that information.

“Adrian, you and I are just friends... “I commented nervously, I didn't expect this information at all and moreover it came to me in this way, I really would have expected anything, except this, I just couldn't understand how it had happened or when she started to feel it. “Nun”you never told me anything. “I added with the same nervousness as a few seconds ago.

“I didn't know how, I thought you didn't even see me as anyone but your friend. “he mentioned and, indeed, I couldn't see him in any other way than that, he was my friend, I couldn't consider him as a man, if that was the concept I could use. “And I think that's the way you are seeing me now, and not as the man who could make you happy, Camila, I know all your fears, your favorite foods, for god's sake, I know you can't stand the smell of beer, although you are dying to try a drink of alcohol. “he mentioned, but I had no idea how to react to his words.

Suddenly the phone vibrated, I would have dared to say it was the bell that saved me from this battle, I had no idea who it was because usually at this hour Julian was still very busy. I decided to check the phone anyway, even if I had to leave Adrian watching monkeys, but I was feeling very uncomfortable with this whole situation.

It was a message from a guy named Leonardo, I had no idea who it was about, I had never heard or talked to him before, plus in the mutual friends section there was none either, but I decided to answer him anyway, I was curious.

Message Leonardo: Hello “ his message said and I felt something was soaking through my bones, I just hoped it wasn't a cold.