July 4th, Friday

July 4th, Friday.

It was the day of the first field trip Gabriel had organized for the third-year students. The day was cold and overcast, as if the earlier storm was threatening to return at any moment.

The students were huddled near the van, eyes barely open from sleep, clothes disheveled, and quieter than usual. Even the most energetic ones seemed tired. A trip to a nature reserve, organized by the overly serious young teacher who talked too much about outdated memes and handed out Sudoku puzzles, was met with fatigue and forced enthusiasm.

Gabriel held his clipboard like a shield, trying not to appear too hopeful, as he counted the students to see if everyone was present.

"Just one day. One good day for them to remember something other than fear," the teacher thought.

Lucie, the principal, gave a brief nod while smoking, overseeing the boarding.

"Wait! Wait!" It was Jonas's voice, who had arrived late.

"Hey? I thought you weren't coming," said Iris.

"Yeah, the foreman said it was okay to take a day off..." said Jonas, trying to smile, running his calloused hand through his messy hair from work.

"But what about Thérése?" said Iris, sitting in a seat in the van, with Jonas sitting beside her shortly after.

"One day without work won't make either of us starve. And... I need this. I think we all do, right?"

The driver started the engine, and soon the atmosphere changed when he turned on the radio, which played upbeat pop music.

"Again with this pop crap? I want rock, damn it!" said Bernard.

"Rock? You call these bands of today rock?" questioned Nathan.

"Sorry, sir who only listens to stuff from the '60s and '70s."

"I prefer the '80s and '90s..."

Iris looked at the highway scenery, then turned her gaze to Jonas, who was reading a book.

"Architecture? Didn't you say you wanted to study law?" asked Iris.

"I think I changed careers. Bunkers are in higher demand," replied Jonas.

"Are you going to build one?" asked Iris, feigning irony but with genuine curiosity.

"I want to try. Something small. For me and Thérése, maybe even for my grandmother if... if she goes back to being who she was. And..."

"And what?"

"If you want, I can try to make one for you too..."

Iris blushed slightly, then looked away at the scenery outside the window.

"Do you think that in a year, there will still be animals needing my help? I want to be a veterinarian, you know."

"Honestly, it's hard to believe in anything today... at least it's nice that you still want to save something."

"Hey, you can see the whole city from up here! Cool!" shouted Albert, a chubby boy with brown hair and a quiff, looking out the window.

"Imagine if the van falls from this height..." joked Lilianne, one of the twins with long, straight black hair and bangs, who always seemed bored and sleepy.

After some time, the van finally arrived on a dirt road, full of trees, leading to the forest reserve. Slowly, the place became more foggy, and it was even possible to see a lake.

"This forest and this mist... they evoke the darkness of my soul and my being. I feel one with nature..." said Vivianne, the other twin. Or was it Lilianne?

A few more minutes and they arrived at the reserve, being greeted by two guides: a woman with glasses and brown hair tied in two braids, and a man with a beret and a white mustache to be envied.

"Hello, welcome! My name is Michelle!" said the woman.

"And I'm Sylvestre. It was full of fog here until twenty minutes ago, can you believe it?" said the mustached man.

"When is the teacher coming?" asked Michelle.

"I'm the teacher..." said Gabriel, frustrated.

"Really? But you're so young!"

"I know..."

They took the students to a cabin, which had a mural showing that the forest reserve was full of various different species. The flora consisted of oaks, beeches, chestnuts, pines, and maples. The fauna included deers, boars, foxes, badgers, and lynxes.

"When it dawned, we saw a wolf!" said Sylvestre, trying to scare the young ones.

"How about a forest trail, huh?" said Michelle, trying to cheer up the teenagers as if they were children.

There was still mist in the canopy of the tallest trees, and the still muddy ground seemed to sink with each step. Most students handled the trail well, with Sylvestre leading the group like a retired hunter trying to cheer up sleepy scouts, while Michelle stayed at the back to ensure no one got lost, speaking in an overly sweet voice, like someone reading children's stories.

Albert and Laura, the chubby ones of the class, could barely walk and were comically scolded by Jérémie. Along the way, Nathan farted.

"Fuck, Nathan! That was a loud fart!" complained Bernard.

"Really? Didn't even notice..." replied Nathan, while the other students covered their faces with their clothes.

"If we're lucky, we'll see deer and boar poop. Look, look, those round ones!" said Sylvestre, pointing near a tree.

"He farted and made visual poop. Synced with nature," joked Bernard, looking at Nathan.

After a few minutes, they returned to the starting point of the trail, as it had two entrances. Finally, the group could see the place more attentively. It was the shallow part of a river, full of stones.

"Be careful not to slip!" warned Michelle as the students walked cautiously on those stones.

Nathan slipped and hit his butt, dirtying his pants with small leaves. Bernard laughed and took a photo, prompting the other students to start taking pictures of each other to keep as memories.

"Don't you want to take a photo?" said Lucien, approaching Renata.

"I don't know. I don't like taking pictures," replied the girl.

"Not even to keep as a memory? You don't seem bored."

"I think it's because nature looks at you as if you're always wrong."

"Yeah, you summed up why trees are better than people."

"Okay... you can take it..." said Renata, a bit embarrassed, handing her phone to Lucien, who took some photos of her.

"Hey... can I ask something... personal?" said Lucien, a bit shy, returning Renata's phone.

"Sure. But if I don't like it, I'll ignore it."

"Like, your appearance, your way, your clothes... You don't seem to care about what others think. Are you, like, trans or non-binary? Sorry, I don't understand much about that."

"No..." replied Renata with a dry look.

"I didn't mean to offend. It's just that..."

"I... just never liked feminine things. Clothes, makeup, long hair... it feels like they disguise me. I'm not a disguise. I jusr like things more associated with boys, you know? And... my body just didn't develop like other girls'." At that moment, Renata looked at Lucien, blushing slightly, and then looked away. "Oh, and I'm not a lesbian. I like boys, okay?"

"You're sincere, Renata. I like that."

"Most people don't. They think I'm a freak. Because I'm always quiet, drawing some nonsense."

"Maybe they just can't look in the mirror like you do."