I choose a seat at the very back, at the very right, beside the window.
Ten minutes pass, but they feel like years, until the second personarrives. A short boy with straight hair. He doesn’t spare me a glance and sits right at the front. More students start pouring in, and both relief and anxiety fight for the throne in my heart.
I decide to shut down—survive on low power for the rest of the day.
I don’t have enough energy to be anxious, and there’s too much of a void inside me to feel relief.
The seats fill up and, thankfully, predictably, no one sits beside me.
I check my phone and still don’t find a reply from Alexis.
The chair beside me is suddenly pulled back, and I look up to see a tall boy with messy hair, grinning widely at me.
“Good morning,” he says warmly, and I blink.
Instinctively, I look on the other side of me to make sure there’s just a window and not other people he might be talking to, but he’s looking directly at me.
He laughs and sets his bag on the table where my bag is and slides into the chair beside me, pivoting in my direction.
“You’re the new girl,” he says, and I find myself admiring the way he speaks. Like the letters slide smoothly off his tongue.
“Yeah,” I answer, sitting upright. Even sitting down, he’s taller than me. Without the colors, his hair appears as a light gray, the roots a shade darker, which means it’s dyed. His curls spill in a way that remind me of the sea’s waves.
“I’m Jamie. Your buddy.” He doesn’t extend his hand. Up close, I can see his eyes twinkling in shades of gray, and I wonder what color they really are. I pinch myself.
“Right.” I press myself against the wall, a bit uncomfortable with how close he is.
Jamie notices and inches his seat away from me. “Sorry.”
I don’t know where to look or what to think. What is happening right now?
He runs a hand through his hair. “If… well… if you have anyquestions, you can ask me. I was new here two years ago, and it can be a bit daunting. There are so many hallways.”
I blink, a light bulb flickering on.
Jamie.ThatJamie. The one Alexis and half the school have a crush on.
“Oh my God, hi, Jamie!” a voice trills from the front of the classroom.
A girl with long seemingly dark gray hair struts up all the way to where we’re sitting. She’s beautiful with her dark eyes and flawless porcelain skin.
“I’ve been looking all over for you.” She stands in front of him on the lower benches and rests her elbows on the table. “How was your summer?”
“It was great,” he says with the same enthusiasm he showed me a minute ago. I guess this guy has it turned up to a hundred at all times. “Vietnam was breathtaking.”
“Wow,” the girl replies like he just said something profound. “We spent the summer at our chateau in Monte Carlo. You would have loved it there.”
“I’m sure I would have.”
I don’t know why I feel as if I’m eavesdropping on this conversation.
“Oh my God, Ji!” I hear Alexis and look toward her, smiling. She hurries up the steps, engulfing me in a hug. “You made it! I was worried you wouldn’t find your classes.”
“I’m good,” I mumble into her hair. I don’t mention I texted her this morning. She must have been busy with how hectic the first day is.
She leans back. Her eyes shine and her hair is blow-dried, matching the other girls’. “Let me introduce you to my friends! Nicole, Jenny, and Hayley.”
Nicole turns out to be the girl with the chateau in Monte Carlo.Jenny is the one with round glasses. Hayley stands beside her with her hair in a high ponytail.
