Chapter Text
You jerk your eyes awake at the sudden thump from behind you. Three girls erupt in laughter at the sight of a kid tripping, his books falling out of his arms. You want to say something and stick up for him, but you decide it’s better to just keep your head down. It’s a mean thought but better him than you.You’ll have your turn Tuesday—gym day.
You try to retreat back to your homeroom daydreaming, letting your eyes slip close. But after a few moments of quiet, your name is echoed over the loudspeaker requesting your presence in the office. With a sigh, you pick up your bag and head out the door.
Nervousness settled in your stomach as you walked down the hall, though you know you haven’t done anything to get into trouble. Upon entering the office, the secretary looked up from her glasses and smiled, lipstick staining her teeth. You wait for her to say something before realizing that she’s the one waiting for you.
“Hi, I’m y/n. I was called down just a minute ago.”
Suddenly, the principal, Mrs. Knight, steps out of the office with a slip of paper and someone following close behind.
“Thanks for coming down, y/n. This is Sebastian.” She gestured to a kid who you assume is 13, though he could pass as older with his looks. His eyes were wide and bright, shining with the color of the summer sea. Soft, brown locks of hair dangled in front of his face; you try not to stare, but he’s probably the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen. No, he is the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen in this run down junior high school.
Mrs. Knight breaks you out of your reverie by giving you the slip of paper she held in her hand.
“I figured since you guys have so many classes together, you wouldn’t mind showing him around.”
“Uh…yeah. I mean, no. No, I don’t mind. Yeah, I’ll show him around.” He’s staring at you, not saying anything. You reach your hand out to be polite. “Hi, I’m y/n.”
He awkwardly takes it and holds it for a few seconds before pushing his hands back in his pockets. You take the schedule from Mrs. Knight and thank her as you walk out the door together.
An uncomfortable tension settles in the air as you try to break the ice. “So, Sebastian, right?” He nods. You get the feeling he isn’t much for talking, at least to people he doesn’t know well. “Where are you from?”
“Romania.”
“Wow, seriously? That’s pretty awesome. How’d you end up here?”
“Well, I was born in Romania and spent a few years there; I don’t remember much. I moved to the States before I was old enough for school. Since then I’ve been all over California with my family.” He stops himself, acting as if he had said too much. Or maybe he was just self-conscious about sharing his personal information.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you or something.”
“No, you didn’t. Don’t worry about it.” He smiled at you a little, pushing the hair out of his face. His smile was small and sweet; you couldn’t help but smile back at him.
You come to a stop at his locker and help him open it to toss his books into. He quietly thanks you and you two continue down the hall to your first class. You slip in the back while the teacher is distracted and have him sit next to you.
“If you don’t make yourself too noticeable, you won’t have to go up and introduce yourself in front of everyone.” He flashes you a look of gratitude. You don’t know why, but he seems so easy to read, as if you’ve known him for a long time.
This day past far easier than most. Sebastian shares every single class with you, even lunch. Goodbye eating alone next to the door. You have a friend now. Someone who genuinely seems to enjoy your company and likes to do more than just small talk.
When the final bell rings, you actually feel a little disappointed. It was nice to talk to someone other than your mom or that random guy in science who emails about homework.
“Do you take the bus?” he asks, walking out of the building.
“No, my house is nearby, so I just walk.” Somewhat nearby. You didn’t want to get back on the bus after Kaitlin spilled her leftover lunch on you.
“Do you mind if I walk with you?” he asked.
“Are you sure? Where do you live?” You don’t want to pass up the opportunity to spend some more time together, but you also don’t want him to go out of his way. Maybe he felt the same as you. It’s been forever since you’ve connected with someone like this, and it’s a nice change of events.
“It’s on Zehner Avenue, which I guess isn’t that close, but I feel like I should get used to the neighborhood. My parents say that we’ll be staying here til I graduate, so I better embrace it.”
You try not to smile too wide, but a smirk definitely spreads onto your face.
“That’s where I live, too, so we shouldn’t have any problems finding it,” you laughed.
He also seemed excited at the way you two were hitting it off. You don’t know how you haven’t run out of things to talk about, the conversation continues all the way back to your houses: his at the north end of the block and yours at the south.
“Do you walk to school, too?” he asked before turning to go inside.
“Yeah, usually.”
“Maybe we can walk together, then?” You were thinking it but were glad you’re not the one who said it.
“Yeah. That sounds good. I’ll stop by your place around 7:30?” He smiles and nods at that. You wave him goodbye and walk the next few yards to your house at an animated pace. Maybe everything would start turning around.
You feel a little uneasy at how Sebastian made you feel. Putting all of your friendship and support into one person is bound to end up in disappointment, but he seemed to need the companionship, too. You’ve grown used to being on your own and not bothering with anyone else, but maybe things would be different from now on.
But maybe having a best friend would be nice.