Buoyed by the metal spiral, the chocolate and puffed cereal bar slid down its own shelf, falling into the vending machine's collection box. Without wasting a single second Alessandro immediately shoved his hand through the door and retrieved the snack, and then walked away with Marco, thus giving way to the other students in line.

''Thank you,'' Alessandro said gratefully.

''Please,'' Marco scoffed.

Hurriedly unwrapping the package Alessandro prepared to take a bite of the candy bar, but before he could do so his friend spoke to him again.

''Look, the cream you used, you say it also works for irritation?''

''I already told you I didn't use any cream,'' Alessandro retorted impatiently.

''Yes, I know, but could you lend it to me anyway?" insisted Marco, ignoring her objection.

''I can't give you something I don't have,'' Alessandro said exasperatedly, ''and what do you need it for anyway?''

''I got a rash,'' Marco confessed in a low voice.

''And why don't you ask your mother to...''

''I can't ask my mother to buy me such a thing!'' blurted out Marco indignantly. ''She would immediately ask me why and...ah, never mind.''

Since they were headed to the courtyard outside they began to descend the stairs leading to the ground floor, however, just as they were about to reach the first landing, Alessandro crossed his gaze with the three people in the world he least wanted to meet at that moment.

Matteo, Giovanni, and Andrea were climbing the stone steps proceeding in the opposite direction to theirs, and by now it was only a couple of meters before they came face to face.

With a flick as sudden as it was unexpected, Alessandro's candy bar shot out of the package, and making a wide arc in midair it landed on the landing, where it broke into four different fragments.

The trio immediately stopped climbing the stairs, and for a few seconds no one said or did anything, but it was enough for Alessandro to lower his gaze to the now-empty package he continued to hold in his hand for Matteo and Giovanni to burst into thunderous laughter.

Andrea instead remained silent. From the way she watched him with her eyes wide open, it almost seemed as if she feared she would see him jump him at any moment. Thought that in fact, Marco also gave the impression that he shared.

Completely overturning their predictions, however, Alessandro merely walked down the stairs without giving the three a glance, and then bent down to pick up the pieces of his snack from the floor.

Recovering from his initial bewilderment Marco joined him on the landing, just in time to watch in disbelief as his friend blew over what remained of the candy bar and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

''You're not going to go to the bathroom and throw up afterwards, are you?" he asked between ironic and disgusted.

With her cheeks swollen with puffed rice and milk chocolate, Alessandro looked at him as if he had just proposed lighting a bonfire using fifty-euro bills.

''Sbai sghergando?" gibberish with mouth full. ''I don't boffo sbregare gibo''

And because Marco did not seem to understand a single word, he swallowed the gigantic morsel.

''I complied with the twenty-second rule and the floor looks pretty clean to me,'' Alessandro commented by way of justification.

''Actually it would be five seconds,'' Marco pointed out to him, ''and that rule doesn't work anyway.''

''Okay, I'm doomed,'' Alessandro admitted sarcastically. ''So can we go now?

Marco rolled his eyes, but then motioned for them to go ahead of him. Reaching the ground floor, they went out into the courtyard outside and walked around the basketball court, where at that moment some fifth graders were playing a four-on-four game.

They had not yet reached the edge of the field from the soccer field when Alessandro suddenly stopped.

''Do you smell that?" he asked excitedly, turning his head from side to side.

"What smell?" puzzled Marco asked.

''This,'' Alessandro replied simply, ''looks like....''

He took a few sniffs of the air and then let out a long sigh.

''Apricot jam,'' he concluded dreamily.

''I don't think it's apricot season, but maybe someone is making a jam,'' Marco speculated, shrugging his shoulders.

''Yeah,'' confirmed Alessandro nodding.

His gaze became suddenly vacant, as if he had been enraptured by an unmentionable thought. Marco stared at him worriedly, but before he could say anything Alessandro seemed to regain his clarity.

''When you open that nursery, remember to get lots of fruit trees,'' she advised him in a practical tone. ''Fruit trees are important.'' He pointed his gaze skyward as his lips curved into a smile. ''Especially apricots.''

Filed that bizarre little joke, they resumed walking, skirting the small field in the shade of the linden trees. As they proceeded over the damp grass emitting dense clouds of condensation after each breath, Marco did not stop scrutinizing his friend out of the corner of his eye. Although he doubted that he would run into a better opportunity, the fear of finding out what his reaction would be made him wait several seconds longer than necessary.

''Are you thirsty?" he asked immediately before stepping around the edge of the playing field.

''Thirsty, no,'' Alessandro replied quietly.

''Have you been feeling more tired than usual lately?" continued Marco.

''No''

''Do you feel like you go to the bathroom more than you used to?''

Alessandro nailed down on the spot.

"What are you talking about?!" she blurted out, glaring at him.

Intimidated by that sudden outburst Marco lowered his head.

''No, here...'' He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. ''Yesterday I was thinking about what happened to you last week, and so I did some research on the Internet to try to get a better look at us.'' He returned to meet her gaze. ''Figure out the reason for this crazy hunger you have lately, I mean, and so...''

As an icy chill ran up his spine, Alessandro swallowed. Although his first impulse had been to run, hoping to be able to move even a single step bordered on utopia. Because of the panic that ran through every fiber of his body, it almost felt as if he had turned into an oak beam, and his muscles did not respond to commands.

''It's not that you have diabetes?" asked Marco finally.

Alessandro widened his eyes.

"Diabetes?" he repeated incredulously.

''It also causes sudden irritability,'' Marco informed him.

''I'm just hungry, okay?" cut Alessandro short, although he was clearly relieved.

''You should still get examined,'' insisted patient Marco. ''Such sudden changes are never a good sign. It could also be hyperthyroidism.''

''Do you think Bianchi is questioning today?" asked Alessandro point-blank.

''I-I don't know,'' stammered Marco, completely displaced by that abrupt change of subject. ''Why, haven't you studied?''

''I've been busy at home,'' Alessandro confessed evasively.

''In case you are drawn, I suggest you opt for something more convincing.''

Alessandro smiled.

''Yes, I think so, too.''

Noticing some deep cream-colored mushrooms growing at the base of one of the linden trees next door, he felt himself salivating. I wonder if they were edible. He had to immediately check on his smart phone. Before he could even slip his hand into his pocket, the memory of what happened on the cell phone spared him that unnecessary gesture.

He was about to ask Marco if he could borrow his, when a shudder went up from his friend.

''Are you cold?''

''Today is worse than an icebox,'' Marco said, blowing on his cupped hands. ''Can anyone know why the hell we went out!''

''To take a walk?" speculated Alessandro wryly.

''Do you mind if we do them inside?''

Alessandro shrugged his shoulders casually, and Marco greeted that gesture with such satisfaction that without wasting a single second he immediately backed off, heading in the direction of the school.

Given one last look at the bright yellow mushrooms sprouting at the base of the trunk, and vowing to himself to check at the first opportunity to which genus they belonged, Alessandro went after them.

Although he felt as comfortable as he did during a warm spring day, Marco did not seem to be the only one who felt cold, as apart from the players engaged in the basketball game, very few students could be seen outside the main building.

Among this sparse group Alessandro distinguished a short and even somewhat plump boy, whom he instantly recognized as Niccolo, one of his classmates. What was most surprising, however, was not that he was outdoors despite the inclement weather, but the identity of his companion.

This was the same little girl with bottle-bottomed glasses and crooked teeth from the third C, whom he had suspected in the past of being the instigator of the fake love letter.

Walking hand in hand, the two proceeded in their direction, talking in low voices and exchanging winking glances, until, when they were now halfway there, the little girl burst out laughing as if she had just heard a particularly hilarious joke.

For a crazy and absolutely unrepeatable instant, Alessandro felt himself ablaze with a very strange feeling that he himself had a very hard time identifying, and when he finally did, he was almost shocked to learn that it was envy.

Dismayed, confused, as well as embarrassed to an unthinkable degree, he continued on with Marco toward the school, and when he passed by the couple he pretended he had not even seen them. Fearing he would go mad if he did not say something quickly, Alessandro turned to his friend and voiced the first thought that came to his mind.

"How is it going with Maria?" he asked nonchalantly.

He had just finished saying the question and already he felt like a total idiot for having done so. Of all the topics he could have raised, that was undoubtedly the last one he wished to discuss.

Marco grew gloomy.

''We quarreled,'' he revealed sadly.

While not at all flabbergasted, Alessandro still made an effort to employ a tone of vague surprise.

''Really, and why?''

''Yesterday we went for a ride up to Monza,'' Marco told him, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. ''We saw a few stores, ate a kebab, and then went to the park to....''

He mumbled suddenly, as if he realized he could not finish the sentence in the way he originally imagined.

''For strolling''

Although his voice betrayed the embarrassment of one who had been forced to invent on the spot, Alessandro pretended not to notice.

''At first everything ran normally, but after a while we started chatting about this and that and...''

''And...'' repeated Alessandro patiently.

''Damn, he thinks absurdly!" blurted out Marco looking him in the eye.

''Absurd in what way?

''In everything,'' replied Marco in a stymied manner. ''Especially politics.''

They were about to climb the five steps leading to the building's porch when a trio of girls immersed in passionate conversation popped out in front of them, preparing to descend the short flight of steps.

At the sight of the small group, Marco paused. Since these were some of Maria's best friends, prudence suggested that he wait until he had passed them before speaking again.

''He makes nonsensical speeches, proposing out-of-the-blue solutions,'' she whispered to him after they had taken cover behind one of the porch columns. ''It's almost like he lives in an alternate universe. You know The Family Guy? There, same, only less realistic.''

''Maybe you simply misunderstood,'' Alessandro speculated cautiously.

Marco looked at him sideways with an overtly skeptical air.

''I'm just trying to be encouraging,'' Alessandro defended himself by raising his hands.

''I'm afraid there is little to encourage,'' Marco retorted, leaning against the parapet overlooking the courtyard.

Apparently, the agitation induced by the discussion had made him forget the bitter cold.

''Did she even like the bracelets?" asked Alessandro, as she took a seat next to him.

''Those yes,'' Marco admitted, curving his lips into a bitter smile. ''In fact, it was one of the few things we disagreed on.''

He turned to check that there was no one behind him, and when he was sure, he resumed speaking in a much lower voice.

''I know you don't consider yourself an expert, but honestly, three and a half minutes according to you can be considered eiac...''

''Internet!" exclaimed Alessandro, interrupting him instantly. ''You can ask me all the questions you want, but for these things you have to ask Uncle Intenet.'' She stared him straight in the eye and punctuated the next words sharply. ''Don't-want-to-discuss-ok?

Marco sighed and after turning around leaned his back against the concrete parapet.

''God, how bigoted you are sometimes,'' he commented, rolling his eyes.

Snapping with a readiness that would have been justified only by a pistol shot in the buttocks, Alessandro grabbed Marco by the shoulders, and after lifting him in midair as if he were a rag doll, gave him a sharp shake.

"I am not a bigot!" he blurted out indignantly.

Caught off guard by that sudden action, and unable to move because of the grip that held him, for several seconds Marco merely stared at him with a stunned expression plastered on his face.

After those moments of initial surprise had passed, however, the boy lowered his gaze to the floor, and imitated by his friend, he stared at the floor fifty centimeters away. Reached soon after by an eloquent glance, Alessandro gently put it back down.

''Aho,'' commented Marco, massaging his left shoulder.

''Sorry,'' said Alessandro embarrassed. ''You see, it's just that...'' She leaned over him and whispered in a confidential tone. ''I'm not a bigot, really. It's just that I'm ashamed to talk about it.''

Marco gave him a condescending look, but it had no effect other than to further increase his discomfort. In an attempt to evade it Alessandro returned to lean against the parapet, but as soon as he had done so his face lit up.

''Hey, look there,'' he said, turning a nod toward the opposite side of the courtyard. ''Speak of the devil.''

Unlike his friend, to understand what Alessandro was referring to, Marco had to squint. Judging by his reaction of utter amazement, catching sight of Mary half-hidden behind the porch columns was the last thing he expected to see.

''What is he doing there?" she asked frowning. ''He told me he had to revise for the physics test.''

Alessandro shrugged his shoulders.

''Boh,'' he admitted simply, ''do you want to go talk to them?''

''I think so,'' Marco confirmed. ''Wait for me a minute...''

She had not yet finished her sentence when one of the doors leading onto the porch suddenly opened, letting out a tall dark-haired boy who must have been at least a fourth grader. Maria walked toward him as soon as she saw him, until the two were face to face.

Motionless with his hands clasped on the edge of the concrete parapet, Marco watched the scene in silence. Alessandro certainly did not need to ask him to know what was on his mind.

''Maybe it's not what it seems,'' she whispered to him in an attempt to reassure him. ''I seem to remember that Maria had an older brother.''

Bridging the few inches that separated them in one small step, Mary grabbed the lapel of the boy's jacket, and after urging him to lean over her, she placed a long kiss on his lips.

In spite of the fact that the truth was now irrefutable, Marco said nothing, reacting to the scene as if he had just witnessed the romantic antics of two complete strangers. Paradoxically, it was his friend who received the news the worst. As he stared at the couple lavishing each other in that display of affection, Alessandro began to seriously consider changing shape into something very small, and then making himself disappear. Possibly indefinitely.

''Maybe theirs is a particularly expansive family,'' he speculated in despair.

Marco hinted a smile.

"Do you hear that noise?" he asked as quietly as he could.

Alessandro stared at him in confusion, but he continued to keep his eyes pointed forward, not looking away from the couple.

''It is the sound of two giant horns growing,'' Marco revealed quietly.

The kiss lasted for a few more, long, unpleasant seconds, and although Alessandro found the display bordering on torture, at the same time he was not even able to look away. The stubbornness with which Marco continued to stare at the couple from afar, as if he were trying to convey some sort of mental message to his girlfriend, seemed to have rubbed off on him.

In any case, when the outpouring finally came to an end, and Mary made up her mind to pull her lips away from those of her companion, the first thing she did was also the last thing he wanted to witness. For reasons beyond any hope of understanding, the girl turned her head right back toward them.

Given the distance, the friend obviously did not notice, but Alessandro clearly distinguished Maria's cheeks tinged a bright red bell pepper at the very instant her gaze met Marco's.

A few moments of tormenting uncertainty followed, during which both parties simply stared at each other without doing anything else, then Marco stepped away from the parapet, heading for the first available entrance.

Alessandro followed him.

The first floor being reserved for middle schoolers, as he went after his friend Alessandro he was forced to make his way through droves of kids, most of whom barely reached his navel.

Because of the crush in that area of the building, it took them a good three minutes before they reached the steps leading to the upper floor. Just as they were getting ready to set foot on the stone steps by now, Mary emerged from the hallway opposite the one from which they had come.

Marco instantly nailed it.

From the way they stared at each other without speaking, it appeared all too obvious that neither suitor had the courage to take the first step, although in the end it was Mary who took on that burden.

Emitting a sigh as if for courage, he slipped one hand into his jacket pocket, while with the other he brushed a caramel-colored lock from his forehead.

''Listen...''

Not giving her time to finish Alessandro stepped forward, and extending his arm in a blatant gesture, he assumed a pose strikingly reminiscent of that of a priest in the midst of an exorcism.

''Vade retro, creature of darkness!" he declaimed in an imperious voice.

Although they had no idea what the reason behind the joke was, many kids in the vicinity immediately burst out laughing.

Maria's face became livid.

"You want a kick in the balls?" he hissed furiously.

Not at all intimidated Alessandro crossed his arms in front of his body, then curved his lips into a mocking grin.

''You can try,'' he taunted her in an overbearing tone.

Judging by her expression, Maria looked absolutely ready to take up the challenge, but Marco managed to prevent the situation from escalating by resting a hand on his friend's arm.

''Retreat in peace, warrior of light,'' he said conciliatingly as he stood between her and Alessandro. ''I'll take care of it.''

Mary seemed to calm down, although before climbing the stairs Alessandro made time to exchange a glance with her, with which they both declared to each other all their mutual contempt.

When the bell rang announcing the end of recess Alessandro was already sitting at his desk, waiting for the first class of the afternoon to begin. Since it was math, it was obvious that it was going to be a total disaster, but at least he would be able to make up for it in the next hour.

At that point in fact there was history, and he had prepared himself well. If Cominetti had questioned, he would have volunteered immediately. Since there was no point in wasting time with trigonometry, he therefore decided to focus on this task right away.

Marco took a seat in the pew next to his, while Alessandro was still going over the paragraph on the Battle of Leipzig from his own copy of The History Under the Lens. The moment he became aware of his friend's arrival, he closed the book with a snap.

"So?" asked him curiously.

Marco lowered his gaze to the bench and shrugged his shoulders.

''It's gone,'' he confessed in a flat tone. ''We are as free as wood finches.''

''I think it's the best thing for both of us,'' Alessandro commented calmly, trying to show himself as delicate as possible.

''I can't blame you,'' Marco admitted, hinting at a bitter smile. ''Welcome back loneliness.''

Performing a sudden burst, Alessandro leaned toward his friend and encircled his shoulder with his arm, drawing him closer to himself in an expansive gesture.

''Welcome back to the club, brother,'' he bribed him affably, and extended his arm forward as if to point to the horizon. ''We, involuntary bachelors in a hostile world.''

Marco shook his head, but laughed anyway.

Since Ronzini would be arriving at any moment, Alessandro put the history book away and replaced it with the trigonometry book.

Marco quickly did likewise, but as he was pulling out his own Fundamentals of Mathematics, in his haste he ended up pulling out a large tome from the black cover as well, which then fell to the floor with a thud.

Prior to that moment Alessandro had never seen it, although judging by its appearance it was obvious that it was not a textbook.

"What do you have there?" she asked him, mentioning the volume.

''Nothing, a gift from Dad that I accidentally put in my backpack this morning,'' he replied carelessly as he picked it up from the ground. ''In fact, it just happens to be right on the spot. Now I think I'm depressed enough to start it.''

He made to put it back in the folder, but Alessandro anticipated him.

''It kind of shows''

Marco turned toward him the cover with the black background, in the center of which fluttered a red balloon, just below the large white lettering bearing the author and title of the book

STEPHEN KING - IT

''Uhm, interesting,'' commented Alessandro.