I want to apologize

Neo was startled to see Erick standing at one of the classroom entrances; he prepared to run towards another entrance.

"Wait," said Erick, causing Neo to freeze in a running position. The man didn't seem to have any intention of chasing him. "I want to apologize."

The boy reconsidered fleeing and decided to give the man a chance to explain. "Why are you running? I don't want to harm you," asked Erick, confused.

Neo looked puzzled. "That's not how I remember it."

Erick sighed with guilt. "Look, it wasn't my intention. Can you forgive me?"

The boy was undecided. "I don't know."

Realizing that he couldn't convince Neo just by talking, Erick asked. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Neo's stomach growled loudly, highlighting the awkwardness of the situation. "How about treating me to lunch?" Neo said, laughing.

Erick smiled and replied, "Is that all? Sure, I know a nice place."

They crossed a bridge over the city's river and headed towards the east side of the city, where there were many good places to eat. They stopped at a shop that sold gourmet burgers.

Neo let Erick choose, and he ordered two large burgers with fries and large sodas. As the food arrived, Neo couldn't resist and immediately started eating the fries while Erick decided to continue the conversation they had in the classroom.

"I'm sorry, Neo, truly. I didn't mean to make you faint. I didn't think about your condition. It's a serious mistake for someone in the position of a school counselor."

On the other hand, Neo was distracted by eating but stopped to respond. "It's okay. I forgive you. You seem nice if you agreed to buy me food."

"I won't ask you to remember me anymore. I'll introduce myself as if it were the first time. I'm Erick, so if there's anything you're worried about, you can ask me," Erick said.

Neo thought about what he could ask, and the letter he had received earlier came to mind. "Do you know who Leo Lancaster is?"

"What about your brother?" Erick blurted out, realizing his mistake when he saw Neo's eyes widen with the sudden information. "No! Wait! Forget what I said."

"Do I have a brother?" Erick was ready to hold Neo in case he fainted.

"No, don't try to remember him!" Erick pleaded.

On the other hand, Neo didn't flinch at all. "I don't remember him, but I believe you. The nurse told me not to try to remember if I couldn't."

"Phew..." Erick sighed in relief. "But why are you asking about your brother?"

"He contacted me," Neo replied.

Erick realized that his food was getting cold, so he decided to start eating as well. "And what did you say to him?"

Neo couldn't reveal the details because he would have to admit that he broke into the school. "Well, we didn't talk. It seems like he left me a note."

"Your family is complicated. If he comes to talk to you, listen to what he has to say, but be prepared for something," Erick said as he took a big sip of his soda.

Neo thought deeply about what he had heard. They finished eating and said their goodbyes. It turned out that he wasn't such a bad person, as Neo had initially thought.

Since it was almost late afternoon, he decided to return to the tree square, but he was bothered by the fact that he smelled bad. He had an idea but needed water for it. He remembered passing a bridge with a river earlier, so he quickly retraced his steps until he reached it.

The water was clean, so he left his backpack by the side and took a plunge, clothes and all. Some people passing by found it strange, but he didn't care as long as he solved his problem.

Finally, he stood in the last rays of the sun to dry himself. He missed the soft and warm bed in the infirmary, but in his current situation, he couldn't ask for much.

The alarm rang, and Neo woke up, finding himself surrounded by cats, all of them staring at him. He didn't waste time and walked to school.

Sitting in his usual spot, he looked at where Saya would be. The bell rang, and he imagined that she wouldn't show up again that day.

Saya entered the room accompanied by the next class's teacher. Neo was happy; she seemed fine. She greeted the other classmates, explaining why she hadn't appeared the previous day.

The teacher, with short, straight, dark brown hair and colorful clothes that Neo had never seen before, entered the room speaking in a language that few understood.

"Olá, alunos. Eu sou a professora de português e meu nome é Martha." (Hello students, I am the portuguese teacher, and my name is Martha.)

she said. The students looked confused, so she decided to switch to English. 

"I thought you were already used to me. Well, it seems I'll have to review with you."

Her class, although confusing for Neo, wasn't difficult to follow once she started. He felt relieved that it was a review.

After the portuguese teacher left, the students began chatting among themselves. A petite woman with short, dark brown hair entered the room. She could easily be mistaken for a student. She was the chemistry teacher, but she struggled to get the students' attention.

A light brown-haired boy sitting in the front row stood up and caught everyone's attention.

As soon as they realized the teacher was already there, they felt embarrassed. It wasn't their intention to be disrespectful to the teacher, but she went so unnoticed that it led to what happened.

She wrote some formulas on the board and barely said anything. Her class was extremely difficult, and Neo looked for answers in his books without success. The bell rang, announcing the break and saving everyone.

In the hallways, Neo saw several knocked-over flower pots, which bothered him for some reason, so he decided to pick them up one by one.

Arriving at the courtyard, he saw Saya sitting alone on a bench, eating. "Are you feeling better?"

She smiled. "Yes, I couldn't keep the promise of seeing you yesterday, but I'm here today."

"I'm glad to see you today."

The courtyard was a mess with several students from sports clubs inviting others to join. Some of them even interrupted their conversation.

Neo wasn't interested in joining any clubs, but he decided to ask the girl about her thoughts. "Do you belong to any club?"

"Yes, I'm in the art club."

"Art?" Neo asked, confused, as he remembered his time in the infirmary.

"Yes, I enjoy painting pictures."

"I thought you liked singing."

"I..." Saya looked distant, wrestling with something inside herself, and finally responded. "I like that too."

"And why..."

Before Neo could continue, he was interrupted.

"I'll never sing again."

She replied coldly as she got up and walked away, leaving Neo sitting there, confused by the response he received.

The day ended with geography classes. The teacher certainly brought enthusiasm to any place that seemed dull. She talked about different foods from around the world, which made Neo hungry.

As the day concluded, Neo walked towards the school exit when he heard noises coming from the sports courts.

His curiosity piqued, and he decided to take a look.

As he walked, he could see various different clubs. The boys playing soccer seemed the loudest, while those running appeared the most determined.

Passing by a group of boys playing baseball, one of them called out to someone.

"Hey, kid!"

His eyes were fixed in Neo's direction, and he looked behind, thinking the boy might be talking to someone else, but there was no one else there.

The boy then confirmed that he was calling Neo by making some gestures.

"Wanna take a swing?"