1 1.1 Youth

Yomo walked down the alley that led from the college entrance to the main building. The end of summer covered the campus with a heavy heat that one could feel would soon be over in the hints of coolness in the late evening. The trees were bursting at the seams with green leaves. The shortening days were for the moment the only visible sign of the end of summer and the beginning of the poetic season that was autumn. The end of the holidays and the start of the school year. A time that people did not like, as a rule, but Yomo liked this nostalgic atmosphere where people went back to their daily routine, remembering those blessed times of the summer months.

Maybe he was weird, but the young man loved student life with its joys and disappointments. He did not mind working for his future, even though he was very familiar with the concerns of students and experienced them just as intensely as others. These difficulties were, in his opinion, part of what this period of life had to offer.

He entered the entrance hall of the law school and headed for the lecture hall where he had his first class. It was already full when he arrived. It was the beginning of the year, everyone was still present for the classes... In a few weeks, his lecture hall would be half empty. He was used to it, he had been at the university for three years already. The students were the same everywhere: lazy and more interested in the pleasures of youth than in studies. How can you blame them! He was the same after all. He just had a more complete view of the situation, perhaps more mature because of his personal situation. That was all.

He saw his friends and joined them. Giving them a quick wave, he put his bag on the table and sat down on the still uncomfortable chair in the lecture hall. The teacher arrived shortly afterward and the class began.

After three long hours of teaching about European institutions, the three friends went out and headed to a bar to celebrate their reunion at the beginning of the year. They toasted and drank their beer, cooling their throats. One of them put his glass energetically on the table before exclaiming:

"Aaaaah my god that feels good!"

The other two laughed at his reaction.

"Did you miss us that much Jin?" a boy with silky brown hair scoffed.

"I like beer, man, don't get any ideas," Jin replied.

Yomo looked at them with a smile. He had missed his friends, and the beers after school.

"By the way," Jin continued. "Have you heard from Neti?"

Yomo shook his head.

"She's starting again in two days, I think," he replied.

"I sent her a message yesterday but she didn't reply," the brown-haired boy pouted.

"Nils, we all know that Neti never respects you, especially when it comes to answering your messages," Jin mocked him.

Nils took offense and said that it was because of him and his bad jokes that she ignored him like that. Jin offered to prove him wrong by calling Neti, which enraged his comrade to see her answer in only a few seconds.

"Neti! We're at the bar across from the college! Are you free?" said Jin into the phone. "All good !"

He hung up and turned to the other two who were chatting happily.

"She's done with the administration and is joining us," he said.

"Oh, really, that's favouritism," Nils complained. "Why does she answer you so quickly, while I get the wind knocked out of me every time?

"It's the privilege of the handsome, you can't understand," Jin replied, winking at him, which made Nils even angrier.

Yomo looked at them laughing, running his hand over his face. He had missed those two idiots! Neti arrived shortly afterward and joined them in their early afternoon binge.

"So how's the language transfer going?" asked Yomo.

"Ah, a pain in the ass," she replied in annoyance. "I've been in it for a week and I can't get out of it! But usually, it's over, they've got all the papers and I'm registered in the applied languages course. I start tomorrow!

"Yes, congratulations Neti!" encouraged Jin, joined by Yomo and Nils.

"Thank you, thank you," she said with a big smile. "So, what are the goals for the year?"

"Here we go again! Remember that we didn't even reach last year's goals, why should we set new ones? That's ridiculous!" protested Nils.

"Shut up mop, you're hurting everyone's ears with your bad mood!" Neti retorted, sticking out her tongue.

The two of them started to argue like children. Yomo looked at them with a smile. These two had not changed. Jin watched them ecstatically as he sipped his beer as if he was watching a show. Watching these two annoy each other and add fuel to the fire was his favorite pleasure. He hadn't changed either, Yomo thought. Ah, really, he had missed those days! He was someone who valued friendship very much and therefore cared a lot about his friends. He felt best when he was with them, or with those close to him whom he trusted. There weren't many of them, but it was enough for him. He enjoyed the life he had today and was perfectly content with it. He could say, looking at his life from his perspective today, that he was happy.

"I've set myself the goal of finding an internship and a boyfriend," Neti said with a broad smile.

"Ah, good luck," Nils pouted.

Neti ignored him and took two good sips of her beer, which was already almost finished. This young woman had a hell of a run, which always surprised Yomo.

"I'm trying to find a six-month internship and a work-study program for next year," said Jin, who was happy to play along. "And on a personal level, I've decided to open myself up to new experiences.

He followed his tirade with the same movement as his friend and took two good sips of his beer to the intrigued "oooh?" of his friends who gently mocked him for his personal ambition.

"You'll have to ask Yomo for advice then!" Neti teased him.

"Haha, I don't share my sex friends with my other friends, sorry!" he laughed.

Jin grimaced at the idea. Only Nils, who was still wearing his usual pout of a student jaded by his friends' nonsense, did not join in their enthusiasm. He interrupted them a little abruptly in their laughter.

"Ah...you're really..." he began.

"Come on, lighten up Nils," said Yomo, who was used to his friend's bad character.

In general, Nils had a bad character, but in reality, it was mostly to protect his heightened sensitivity. And Yomo knew this very well. With his small stature, his rather fragile appearance, and his horrible character, many people did not hesitate to pick up on him. He had to learn to protect himself from these situations by hiding behind a rather aggressive facade that didn't let anything show. But if you knew him well and managed to gain his trust, he was an extraordinary person, who gave without counting the cost. But to do that, you had to be one of his friends... and that was the privilege of few.

"Don't count on me to participate in your stupid game," he said, drinking his beer.

"No girl would be interested in you anyway, so you'd better not have too many expectations," Neti sneered, which started another heated argument between the two friends.

Not paying attention, Jin turned to Yomo.

"What about you Yomo? Any plans?"

"Mmmh," he began. "An internship would be nice, and a work-study program for next year as well, so I wouldn't have to take too many part-time jobs."

Jin nodded.

"And on the personal side? No boyfriends in sight?" questioned Neti, who had dropped her childish argument with Nils and returned to the original discussion.

"You know relationships aren't really my thing..." Yomo replied, running his hand through his hair.

Neti watched him for a moment before resuming, curious.

"Aren't you afraid of being lonely one day? You'll meet fewer people once you start working," she said.

Yomo shook his head and smiled.

"I'm too independent to feel lonely," he replied. "And most of all, I can't stand having to deal with someone I don't feel perfectly comfortable with."

Neti nodded silently.

"We're the opposite, both of us, haha! I'd rather be in a relationship before I finish college, even if it's not a person who's totally compatible with me. I'm too afraid of being alone," she admitted.

She finished her beer in one gulp. The conversation continued naturally, as the evening wore on, much to the delight of the group of friends. Yomo savoured this moment of sharing with his friends in this warm late afternoon which brought back summer memories to the occupants of the bar who did not lose this opportunity to enjoy it a little more!

As they were talking, a group of students entered the bar and one of the girls approached them.

"Neti! How are you? Are you back in college already?" she said with a big smile.

"Ange! Yes, and you? I'm just passing by to drop off some papers," she replied.

"Oh I see! I'm lucky to run into you then!" the newcomer smoothed her hair with her hands.

Not exactly discreet, she glanced at Yomo who continued to drink his beer in silence. He ignored her completely. He was used to this behaviour and had a well-honed defense mechanism in place. Nils glared at her in the hope of scaring her away. But the young student was not paying attention. She seemed quite determined.

"We're having a meeting for new law students, would you like to join us?" she flashed Yomo a bright smile.

"Really?" asked Neti, who was a stranger to the considerations of the boys in the group and loved student parties.

She turned in the direction her interlocutor indicated and saw several tables full of law school students.

"Oh, great! Shall we go?" She stood up and started to follow Ange, who motioned for the boys to follow them.

"Come with us, the girls will be happy to see you... You're the most popular third year in the college after all !"

Yomo didn't even answer. Jin gave her an awkward smile as he thanked her for the invitation and said that they would come once they finished their beers. Which wouldn't be for long, since they had all relatively finished their drinks. Exasperated, Nils drained his glass and ordered another one before getting angry at the 2nd year who was already far away and couldn't hear them anymore.

"The most popular 3rd years in college... all this to get Yomo to come and hit on him all she wants! I hate girls like that seriously!"

Jin patted him on the shoulder to calm him down, telling him not to pay attention.

"We better get going or it's going to be weird," he said to his two recalcitrant friends. "I don't want to go as much as you do, but it'll be a big deal if we don't go when Neti has joined them.

Nils turned his head and Yomo sighed as he stood up.

"Yomo, this is your chance to find your new booty call for the new year," Jin tried to lighten the mood.

Yomo smiled and shook his head.

"Not at this kind of group party, I can't tell who's gay or not," he replied.

"You're not thinking of coming out in college, are you?" Nils questioned him, still sulking. "It'll save you from all those girls who spend their lives hitting on you!

"Sure, but it'll give me a whole lot of other worries," he smiled, ruffling his friend's hair, who protested by pushing his hand away from his head. "Besides, I'm not even sure it would stop the girls..."

He put his arms around his friends' shoulders and led them towards the tables of students who had already started drinking, trying to cheer them up with some jokes. Warmly welcomed, they were of course invited to split up and mingle with the students already seated. Yomo spotted a table in the back, away from the girls who were already giggling as he approached. He sat down between two boys who made room for him. There were fewer of them and they were less noisy than the other tables, which suited him better.