Romance

Main characters: Daniel, 17 — quiet, thoughtful, and talented at drawing, but afraid of letting people get close to him. Amara, 16 — confident, funny, intelligent, and new to Daniel’s school. Michael, 17 — Daniel’s best friend, who loves teasing him. Zainab, 16 — Amara’s best friend, protective and outspoken. Chapter One — The New Girl The first thing Daniel noticed about Amara was not her smile. It was the way she walked into the classroom as though she already belonged there. It was Monday morning, and the classroom was louder than usual. Students were talking over one another, chairs scraped against the floor, and someone at the back was trying to finish an assignment that had been given the previous Friday. Daniel sat beside the window, his notebook open in front of him. He wasn't really studying. He was drawing. A pencil moved quietly across the page as he sketched the school gate from memory. He had almost finished when Michael leaned across the desk. "You're drawing again?" Daniel covered the page. "Keep your voice down." Michael laughed. "Who are you hiding it from?" "Everyone." Before Michael could answer, their English teacher entered. The room immediately became quiet. "Good morning, class." "Good morning, ma." She placed her books on the desk and looked toward the doorway. "We have a new student joining us today." Daniel looked up. A girl stood beside the teacher. She wore the school's uniform neatly, with a backpack hanging from one shoulder. She looked around the classroom, apparently trying to decide whether she was nervous or excited. "This is Amara." "Good morning," she said. A few students responded. The teacher pointed toward an empty seat. "You can sit there." The empty seat happened to be two desks in front of Daniel. Amara walked toward it. For some reason, Daniel suddenly became very interested in his notebook. She sat down. Then she turned around. "Hi." Daniel looked behind himself. She was talking to him. "Hi," he replied. "I'm Amara." "I know." She raised an eyebrow. "The teacher just introduced you." "Oh." She smiled. Daniel looked away quickly. Michael leaned toward him and whispered, "You're finished." Daniel frowned. "What?" "Nothing." The lesson began. For the next forty minutes, Daniel tried to concentrate. He failed. Not because Amara was distracting him intentionally. She wasn't even looking at him. But every few minutes, he found himself wondering what she was thinking. At the end of the lesson, Amara turned around again. "Do you know where the science laboratory is?" Daniel nodded. "Yes." "Can you show me?" He hesitated. "Sure." Michael immediately started grinning. Daniel ignored him. When the bell rang, Amara stood and waited near the door. Daniel packed his books. As they walked down the corridor together, neither of them said much. Then Amara looked at him. "You don't talk much, do you?" Daniel smiled slightly. "Not really." "I noticed." "You talk a lot." She laughed. "Maybe that's why we're going to get along." Daniel looked at her. For the first time that morning, he smiled properly. He didn't know it yet, but that short walk to the science laboratory would become the beginning of a friendship that would change both of their lives. And neither of them was prepared for how complicated first love could become.