chapter 1 : You Like Her, Don't You?

The classroom buzzed with chatter as students filed in, greeting each other with laughter and excitement as the first bell of the day rang. At the back of the room, a boy, around 17 or 18 years old, leaned casually against his desk, chatting with his friends. His name was Max, and his relaxed demeanor made him a natural center of attention.

"So, you actually think Mrs. Henderson is going to give us a pop quiz today?" one of his friends, Jake, asked with a grin, already dreading the idea.

Max chuckled, running a hand through his messy hair. "I wouldn't put it past her. But I'm pretty sure I can ace anything she throws our way. Unlike you, of course," he teased, nudging Jake with his elbow.

"Hey, I don't need your smart-aleck comments," Jake shot back with a smirk. "At least I didn’t forget to study last night."

Max grinned, unfazed. "I’m just naturally brilliant," he said, leaning back in his chair, his tone playful.

He glanced around the room, his eyes falling on Lena, who sat at her desk near the front. She was laughing softly, her voice warm and welcoming as she spoke to a few of the students around her. Her smile was like a beam of sunlight, effortlessly drawing people in. It didn’t matter who you were—Lena had a way of making everyone feel like they mattered.

"What's up with Lena, anyway?" Jake asked, following Max’s gaze.

Max shrugged, though his eyes lingered on Lena, who was busy chatting with a couple of people. She was always so friendly, so approachable, but Max couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to her than she let on. She was the kind of person who seemed like she never had a bad day, always smiling, always ready to help anyone who needed it. But Max had caught glimpses of something deeper—moments when she seemed lost in her own world, staring off into space with a far-off look in her eyes, as if something was weighing on her mind.

"She’s just... nice," Max said, trying to sound casual. "You know, always helping out. Talking to everyone."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but there’s always that one person who’s a little too nice, right?"

Max shook his head, his thoughts momentarily clouded by the question. "I don’t know. I mean, she's friendly with everyone, like... too friendly, you know? It’s like she’s got no secrets."

Jake snorted. "Ha! That’s funny. It’s like you want her to have a secret." He leaned back in his chair, grinning at Max. "You like her, don’t you?"

Max blinked, caught off guard, and his face flushed slightly. He quickly turned away, trying to play it cool. "What? No! I just—I don’t know. She’s... just different."

Jake smirked. "Uh-huh, 'different.' Dude, you’ve got it bad."

Max groaned, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "I don’t have a crush on her, okay? Can we just drop it?"

Ryan, who had been quietly listening, glanced up from his phone with a smirk. "Max, man, you’re blushing. If that’s not a crush, then I don’t know what is."

Jake laughed. "Don’t worry, Max. We all see it."

Max sighed, trying to steer the conversation away from Lena, but his mind kept drifting back to her. She was always the center of attention, but in a quiet way. People adored her, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Her kindness seemed effortless, but sometimes, just sometimes, Max wondered if it was too effortless. Was there something she was hiding beneath that bright smile?

He glanced at her again, catching her glance for just a moment. She smiled back at him, and for a brief second, he felt something he couldn't quite put into words—something soft, but also full of possibility.

"Alright, let’s get to class," Max said, standing up quickly to distract himself from his thoughts.

They went back to their seats.

As the bell rang, their homeroom teacher entered the class and started her lesson.

Max gets distracted the whole time, his thought drifting back to Lena. He knows, more than love its kind of familiarity that he feels when he sees her, like he knows her for a very long time. It started from first time they met.

.....

"You know, there is a new girl coming this year." Jake said, suddenly interrupting the conversation.

"New girl?" Ryan asked, curiously.

"Yea, I heard from Ron."

"Ron? Who is Ron?" asked Ryan.

"Oh you know, our science teacher's son. The one in 10th grade". Max said.

"Oh him?"

"Mmm". Nodded Jake.

The bell rang and everyone went to their own seats. Miss.Edla, their homeroom teacher, entered the classroom with a girl."good morning students, today we have a new student joining us."

she turned towards the girl, "introduce yourself miss. Lena." Lena nodded her head and started to speak with a small smile on her face.

"Hello everyone, my name is Lena Sebastian, I'm from India and live with my dad, mom and my little brother. I hope we can be friends. Thank you."

max's eyes was glued to her the whole time she spoke. He felt very familiar when he saw her, like he had met her before, but he couldn't remember where it was.

Lena sat in her seat and the lessons continued.

during the break, lena became the center of attention. All the students sorrounded her introducing themselves. Lena was a very outgoing person and soon made many friends.

During the lunch break, Lena seemed to be aware that max was looking at her. She went to him and introduced herself again. "Hello my name is Lena, can I know your name?"

"O-Oh! i'm max."he said, startled.

What is this sudden urge to cry!? What the **.!? His mind went blank for a second and his heart seems to fill with sadness. When he looked at Lena's smiling face again his heart seemed to be pierced with guilt. He couldn't understand why he felt that, but he kept a calm demur in outside.

Lena seems to see his inner thoughts her smile widening a little more. It was subtle, but max caught it with his sharp eyes his eyes darkening a little. Lena also greeted his friends who was standing beside him and went back to her seat.

...

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