The first day of the new school year, the schoolyard was bustling with laughter echoing everywhere. l kept my head down, walking quickly toward my classroom,trying not to attract anyone's attention . l've never felt comfortable in front of crowds because
I'm self - conscious - self conscious about my appearance. That's what made me hide within the shell l had created for myself.
The opening ceremony went smoothly. After it ended, l returned to my clas sroom, looking around,hoping to find a group of friends to sit with. But then the teacher walked in, introducing herself to the class. After that, she reminded us about the labor activity scheduled for the next day. l was absentmindedly looking around when the teacher announced that she would arrange the seating for the entire class. A flicker of worry crosseed my mind - l was afraid l'd be seated far from my friends.
As it turned out, she seated me away from my familiatr friends, at the third row. The person sitting next to me wat leo . We had been classmates for two years, but we rarely talked to each other. For the first two days, neither of us spoke a word - not because we disliked each other, but because we were both shy.
l admired him a lot. He had a good - looking appearance, a cheerful personality, and a confident, humorous tature. Meanwhile, l just wanted to stay quiet and focus om my studies.
Everything changed during an art class. l was engrossed in my drawing when he turned to me, his eyes signaling that he needed help with something. l asked:
" Do you need me to helo with something ?"
He hesitated for a moment before replying:
"Could you help me with this drawing? "
His tone was tinged with worry, as if he feared l might refuse. l was surprised, but l quickliy regained my composure and nodded:
"Okay, but next time, you'll have to do it yourself."
He nodded, flashing a bright smile. from that moment on, we started talking more. At first, it was just about lessons, but gradually, we began sharing stories about our lives.
Leo often teased me. Sometimes, he would hide my belongings or purposely drop my pen so l'd have to bend donw to pick it up. l glared a him, but deep donw , l couldn't bring myself to be angry. He laughed and said:
" You look really cute when you're mad"
l felt a bit flustered hearing that. Sometimes, l wondered if me were truly becoming close friends, or if these were truly becoming close friends, or if these were just fleeting moments of joy at the start of the school year. But one thing was certain: H had made my days much more memorable than ever before.