A short history

The medium-sized pub was located in the lower part of town.

Its atmosphere and décor quickly attracted a group of regulars, who, to the owner's delight, drank copious amounts of beer and other liquors.

A sound investment, it yielded good profits.

That evening, the space would likely fill up again quickly.

The first potential customers appeared on the horizon.

Three young girls were just approaching the building housing this nicely decorated "hangout" for young people.

A neon sign reading "Secret Pub" glowed overhead, which was perhaps a bit out of fashion these days. Nevertheless, this was the only pub in the city with a neon sign, and it looked old but elegant.

The room itself was decorated rather somberly, but that only gave the pub a unique atmosphere that attracted young people from all over the city.

There was something mysterious about it, and the name "Secret Pub" perfectly suited it.

The last of the girls closed the door, leaving behind the now rather strong wind.

The inevitable autumn was approaching, and it was probably one of the last relatively warm evenings.

The young women headed towards the winding staircase that led to the proper room.

It was Saturday, and Natalia, Karolina, and Sara were to spend the evening at the pub with three of their classmates.

"Oh, Marcin's here," Karolina noticed, emerging from the upstairs room.

Two blondes and a brunette moved toward the table where a young boy sat, playing with a beer mug coaster.

After a moment, he felt like he was being watched, but before he looked up, the three girls were almost there.

"Hey, Marcin," Karolina began. "Sebastian and Bartek will probably be late again," she said, sliding neatly behind the table.

Settling herself comfortably in the middle, she placed her purse next to her.

She seemed very confident, yet still natural.

Natalia entered the table right behind Karolina and sat down next to her, shrugging off her denim jacket.

Sara, meanwhile, walked around the other side of the booth, passing Marcin, who was sitting in a chair opposite the girls, and sat down to Karolina's right.

Her unusually lively eyes met Marcin's as she sat down.

"Hi Marcin," she said as naturally as possible.

"Hi," he replied, "well, Sebastian and Bartek will probably be late again.

" "What?" Sara asked

. "Nothing, I just agree with Karolina," he said in a slightly embarrassed voice, as if he were trying to explain away some awkward situation.

However, this situation wasn't awkward at all.

"She was saying a moment ago that Sebastian and Bartek would probably be late, as is their style," he continued.

"Oh, yes," she replied, her voice trailing off for a moment. "Well, you're probably both right," she said fleetingly, then turned her attention to Natalia.

"What are we ordering?

" "Juice for me, because then Sebastian will probably convince me to buy a beer," she replied, taking her cell phone out of her pocket.

"I'll text him that we're already mad at them and that they have five minutes to be here, that always works," she added cheerfully.

"And you, Marcin, are you taking anything?" Karolina asked suddenly.

"Uh, yes," the boy blurted out after a moment. The girl had clearly snapped him out of his reverie. "I was just about to go get a beer, so I can get you some too?"

"Hmm, okay, then get a small one for me—and what do you want?" she asked Sara.

"I don't know, I'll wait for the guys, maybe I'll try a beer later. "

Natalia got up from the table.

"I'm coming with you—I'll maybe grab some chips."

Marcin and Natalia headed down a narrow passage and disappeared behind the wall.

When they returned carrying mugs and juice, surprisingly, Sebastian and Bartek were already seated at the table.

"And that's how the cookie crumbles," Sebastian finished in a lively voice, while Sara and Karolina burst into uproarious laughter.

"Oh, I see you're almost on time for once," Natalia remarked as she reached the table.

Marcin set down the mugs and offered hands to Sebastian and Bartek, respectively.

Sitting down, he glanced at Sara.

She was rather petite.

She had a very gentle and girlish face.

Beautiful eyes, set against innocent features, and light, incredibly straight hair that fell just past her shoulders, made her an attractive and alluring young woman.

"You really rocked it in geography today," Bartek said cheerfully, looking at Marcin.

"Well, the old lady had to throw a sponge at you after all," Sebastian resumed lively.

"And how did you jump up in the air?" Bartek tried to say, but his increasingly intense laughter prevented him from doing so.

"I heard Iza and Gośka laughing about it later during the break," Karolina added, also cheerfully.

"Oh, I was just lost in thought. It can happen to anyone," the boy explained, taking a calm sip of beer.

Sebastian noticed the gesture and perked up a bit

. "Bartek, how much today?" "Two. Three?

" "Order the first one and then I'll get the second one," he intoned, pausing, giving him time to consider his next line of thought. "We'll see about the third one.

" "Okay."

The boy rose from his seat.

"And for you, Natalie, I take it you want a beer too?" He turned his penetrating gaze on Natalie and waited for an answer.

Although his gaze was questioning and a little uncertain, he was actually confident he could persuade her.

The girl couldn't hold his gaze and gave in, as she always did with the rest.

"But what am I supposed to do with this juice now?" she replied, frowning.

Sebastian glanced around the table sharply

. "Give it to Sara."

Sara perked up at the sound of her name and met Natalia's gaze.

After a moment, she noticed that Sebastian was also fixing his piercing gaze on her.

"Okay, I can drink it," she relented.

Sebastian's eyes sparkled even brighter, and he moved smugly toward the bar.

They were seventeen, and Sebastian usually bought the beer because, for a seventeen-year-old, he already had quite a mature face.

They had only recently started drinking beer. It's clear that only a few individuals from the entire school will keep their sobriety certificate until they reach adulthood.

Most young people will try drinking beer a little earlier, which is a fairly natural reaction at that age.

Time passed, and the pub filled with more and more people.

They sat, drank, talked, joked, laughed.

Everyone did the same thing.

They tried to spend time together somehow.

"What do you think, that she looks so natural?" Karolina asked.

However, without waiting for Bartek's answer, she began to express her own opinion

. "Believe me, if you met your divine model on the street, you would barely recognize her. They take those photos under the right lighting, with the right makeup, and then edit them with computers, giving her skin the perfect color and appearance." "Such photos are deceptive," Karolina continued.

"A great expert has spoken," Bartek reprimanded her gently in a tone that Karolina wouldn't take seriously.

"Just so you know," Karolina replied, "I know something about it."

"Yes?" the boy asked, curious.

"Yes," the girl replied innocently, smiling and sticking out her tongue slightly.

"In the future, I want to become a makeup artist and open my own salon.

" "Oh, that's interesting," Bartek said after a moment, leaning forward a bit.

"Haha, you see, you didn't know this about me yet – a year after I graduate, I'm going to be a makeup artist.

" "Does that mean I can get my makeup done for free?" Sebastian suddenly asked

. All six of them burst out laughing.

"You know what I'm talking about," Karolina said with a laugh. "If you want, I can do your makeup now," she added teasingly and cheerfully.

"No, you know... maybe I'll wait until you finish school," Sebastian said in retaliation.

"And you, smartass, what do you want to do after you graduate?"

Karolina suddenly asked Sebastian.

"Oh no. It's starting..." – a serious conversation about your future life, career, and so on and so forth..." Sebastian groaned

. "No, but I'm also curious," Natalia said. "Do you know roughly what you'd like to study after high school?

" "The high school graduation is in a year and a half, so there's still a lot of time until then, and for now, I'm only seventeen and I try to live in the moment, usually not thinking about what I'll be doing in six months or a year," he replied concisely and with the seriousness Natalia had previously established.

"What's right is right," Bartek replied, taking a sip of beer

. "And you, smartass, do you know what you'll be doing?" Sebastian asked.

"Of course," Natalia replied. "I'll be a journalist for one of the most widely read newspapers.

I don't know yet, which one I haven't formed a precise opinion about Polish newspapers and magazines yet."

There was a moment of silence

. "Goddamn, people, have you all already made up plans!?" "What's wrong with you? We don't even have proof yet," Sebastian demanded, his gaze darting around his friends.

"Bartek!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Tell me you're not thinking about all this yet.

" "Of course not," Bartek replied.

"Thank God, you're always on my side

." "I decided on this a long time ago, when I was probably 14, and now I don't have to think about it any further. The whole plan is hiding somewhere in the back of my mind," he tapped his head, "waiting for

the right moment to start putting it into action. But for now, you're right, we're seventeen, and I don't have to worry about anything just yet," he finished, adjusting his position at the table a bit.

"WHAT!!?" was all Sebastian managed to say. Surprise had clearly left him speechless.

"And what kind of plan is this anyway?" "Will you tell us?" Sara asked curiously.

"Oh, you know I've been interested in architecture for a long time.

" "Oh yes," said Karolina. "I remember you used to draw a thousand strange designs a week and talk nonsense about the architecture of our city during homeroom.

" "Does that still excite you?" the girl asked.

"All the time." "As long as I can remember. My dad introduced me to it a long time ago, and I know that this is what I want to do in the future. But for now, I still have plenty of time for the future.

" "And you, Sara, what would you like to do?" asked Natalia

. "Or no, don't tell!" the girl added quickly. "I'm your best friend, I definitely know, I just need to think about it for a while."

"When you were little, you wanted to be a doctor, and now, if I'm not mistaken, you've been thinking more specifically about studying pharmacy," Natalia said after a moment, pleased with herself.

"Exactly," Sara smiled.

She was pleased that her friend remembered the things she sometimes told her.

"Great." "Well, we already have a journalist, an architect, a pharmacist, and a makeup artist on board. You have ambitious plans and dreams, I must admit. "

At that moment, he turned his head sharply toward Marcin, who hadn't said a word during this discussion.

Until then, he had been sitting quietly and listening to his friends. Although perhaps he was thinking about something again, because he had a slightly strange expression on his face.

"And you, Marcin, what do you want to be?" Sebastian asked. "Probably a lawyer or a physicist working for NASA," he added, his tone a bit teasing, perhaps stemming from the fact that it turned out all his friends had their passions and plans for the future, while for now he was thinking about nothing and living from day to day.

"Me?" – asked the boy, as if Sebastian's question had suddenly jolted him from some distant land. He looked around at his friends with a confused look.

Everyone, now curious about his statement, was staring at him as if at a picture.

– I love Sarah…