The Boy By The Window
692 Words
I thought about Ethan more than I wanted to admit.
Not in a I like him kind of way.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
He was just the first person who was nice to me at a new school. That was all.
I walked into the classroom and found an empty seat near the middle. The teacher, Mrs. Parker, looked up from her desk and smiled.
“You must be Amelia.”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Welcome to our class. Everyone, this is Amelia. She just joined us, so please make her feel comfortable.”
A few students smiled and waved. Others simply went back to what they were doing.
I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
Mrs. Parker pointed to an empty desk.
“You can sit there.”
I followed her finger.
The seat was beside the window.
And next to the boy who helped me earlier.
Ethan looked up when I sat down. For a moment, he seemed surprised.
Then he smiled.
“Looks like you found your way here after all.”
I laughed softly. “Barely.”
The lesson started, but I struggled to focus. Everything felt unfamiliar—the teacher’s voice, the notes on the board, even the sound of people turning pages.
I looked outside the window.
The school field was wet from the rain, and a few students were walking across it with umbrellas.
“Daydreaming already?”
I quickly turned back.
Ethan was looking at me.
“No,” I whispered. “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
I shrugged. “Everything, I guess.”
He nodded like he understood.
“That happens when you’re somewhere new.”
I studied him for a moment.
“How do you know?”
He looked away toward the window.
“I guess I just do.”
There was something about his answer that felt like he was hiding a story.
Before I could ask, Mrs. Parker called on him.
“Ethan, can you answer the question?”
He sat up straight and gave the correct answer without hesitation.
The class moved on, but I noticed something.
Everyone seemed to know Ethan.
They greeted him. They smiled at him.
But he still seemed lonely.
That didn’t make sense.
At lunch, I sat alone at a table, pretending to be busy on my phone.
The truth was, I didn’t want to look like I had no friends.
Then someone placed a tray across from me.
I looked up.
Ethan.
“Mind if I sit here?”
I shook my head. “No.”
He sat down.
For a while, we ate in silence.
Then he looked at me.
“So, Amelia… tell me something about yourself.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Like what?”
“Anything.”
I thought for a moment.
“I like reading.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
He smiled. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”
“Why?”
“Because you look like someone who writes stories, not just reads them.”
I froze.
Nobody had ever said that before.
“How did you know?”
He shrugged.
“You have a notebook with you all the time.”
I looked down at the notebook beside my bag.
“You noticed?”
“Yeah.”
The way he said it was simple, but my heart skipped slightly.
He noticed.
A small thing.
But somehow, it mattered.
“What about you?” I asked.
He leaned back.
“Me?”
“Yes. Tell me something about yourself.”
He looked away, thinking.
“I like music.”
“That’s it?”
He smiled.
“For now.”
I laughed.
“You’re mysterious.”
“Maybe.”
The bell rang before I could ask more.
As we stood up, Ethan looked at me.
“See you tomorrow, Amelia.”
I smiled.
“See you tomorrow, Ethan.”
As I walked back to class, I realized something.
For the first time in a long time…
I was looking forward to coming back.
And maybe my new beginning wasn’t going to be as lonely as I thought.
- Writer
