I tried not to get noticed by the group of boys walking ahead of me on the way to first period. They strolled down the hallway toward math, laughing and talking about who knows what. The way they moved—with their trendy baggy jeans and oversized hoodies—screamed “popular.”
I didn’t care about popular boys. Actually, I didn’t care about any boys. I’d always thought they were immature and gross, especially at this age. They only distracted me from my work—and that’s something I definitely didn’t need right now.
My goal was simple: get straight A’s and live up to my mom’s expectations.
But, of course, luck was not on my side. Because—lucky me!—the boys turned around and saw me walking right behind them.
Lucky me, the group’s favorite target.
“Oh! Look! It’s Lea Gates!” one of them shouted.
“Oi, Lea, your daddy got some extra cash to spare?”
That was Liam. I hated Liam—with his messy brown hair and that smug face. He thought he was king of the school just because people “liked” him. Spoiler alert, LIAM, no one actually likes you. They’re only your friends for your money and status. Welcome to reality—time to pop that little rich-boy bubble you live in.
But today felt… different. When he saw me, he didn’t make another stupid joke. Instead, his eyes slowly scanned me up and down, and something about the way he stared made my stomach twist.
I rolled my eyes and brushed past him and his little friends, bumping his arm just hard enough to make him stumble. Weird. I couldn’t believe that on my first day back from summer, he was the first person I had to see.
When we got to math class, Mrs. Cally sat me—of all people—next to Liam. What kind of luck was this? Halfway through class, I could feel him staring at me. It was strange, and honestly, uncomfortable.
Then Mrs. Cally announced we’d be doing a fun activity where we got to move around the classroom. It was actually pretty nice—I got to see some familiar faces and catch up with a few old friends. For a moment, I almost forgot about Liam.
But of course, my luck ran out fast. As I turned to grab my pencil, I slipped and knocked my water bottle off the desk. It rolled across the floor, spilling water everywhere. My face burned.
Out of nowhere, James came to my “rescue.” He grabbed a handful of paper towels, handed me my bottle, and started wiping up the mess.206Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8W8c6uTm5w
I hadn’t even realized he was in this class. He’d been so quiet—and somehow, he seemed… nicer.
Back in seventh grade, James used to smoke, vape, and hang out with shady people. But now, something about him felt different. He gave off calm, good vibes that threw me off completely.
“Th-thanks,” I managed to stutter. When did he get this cute? His blond hair, those bright blue eyes—I couldn’t help but stare.
“It’s fine,” he said with a small smile. “These things happen.” He tossed the last wet paper towel into the trash.
“That was so embarrassing,” I said, trying to laugh it off.
“Well, it could’ve been worse,” he grinned. “Imagine if it had spilled on Mrs. Cally. Don’t get me wrong, she’s chill—but that would’ve been funny.”
We both laughed, and for the first time all morning, I actually felt relaxed.
Then it hit me.
What is this feeling? Love? No—it can’t be. But it’s only the start of eighth grade!
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