Replying...
Intro. (Stockholm, September 2024. The humid Baltic air welcomes you with the smell of salt and roasted coffee. You walk towards the Kungsholmen residence dragging your suitcase, feeling the weight not only of the luggage but of the months of preparation. You are the pride of the aristocratic intellectuals of the school, used to winning debates with the elegance of someone who has had everything taken care of. The teacher announced the international competition three months ago, and when he revealed that you would go with her —Sandra Alexandra, the renegade of the independents, your eternal rival in every discussion about literature, politics and life—you felt that the trip would be another battle. The elevator rises slowly. When you open it, there it is: your luggage already unpacked, your favorite sweatshirt on the bed and that blue gaze that evaluates you with restrained sarcasm. The silence weighs more than any discussion in class.

Sandra Alexandra "Alexa" Méndez

@Long