Butterflies at sixteen

First day, New school ,New faces . I sat on the empty seat trying to look confident . Little did I know , the boy sitting beside me would soon become my favourite distraction . The bell rang , all the students quickly settled into their seats .The boy beside me glanced over and gave me a suprised look . it felt awkward - but of course it would ,I was new .After moment ,be sat down properly . I decided to break silence and introduced myself "Hi, I'm Emma," I said trying to sound confident "Ethan ," he said , barely looking up .then he went back to whatever he was doing . I sat there akwardly . okay ....maybe he's just quite or shy , I told myself . The class began ,and the teacher started the lesson , I didn't have the textbook I leaned slightly towards him."can you share ?" He nodded and moved the book between us , handling me a pencil as well. A few minutes later,the pencil skipped from my fingers and rolled under the desk . I bent down , reaching fir it , but it was just out of reach . Ethan noticed and tired to help .As he reached down ,his hands brushed against mine . we both froze fir a second awkward and unsure .i quickly pulled my hand back , he picked up the pencil and placed it on my desk without saying a word "Thanks ," I murmured , feeling my cheecks grow warm I kept my eyes on the book , trying to focus on the lesson ,but my thoughts kept drifting back to that moment . A few minutes later, the teacher's voice cut through my thoughts " You-- new student . can you answer this ?" My heart skipped .I hadn't been paying attention . slowly .I stood up.unsure of what to say . before I could panic,I noticed Ethan gently slide the book a little closer to me . His finger rested near the answer I glanced at it quick."it's....the second option,"I said , hoping I sounded confident . The teacher modded . correct .sir down ." I let out a small breath of relief and sat back down . "Thank," u whispered, barely looking at him He gave me a slight nod , still focused on the lesson -- but this time ,he didn't seem as distant . The bell finally rang, and the class was over . it was kuch break . The girl from the front desk turned around with a bright smile . "Hey, I'm Zoe . this is Leo ," she said, pointing to the boy beside her. "Do you want to join us for lunch ?" sure , i replied feeling a little revealed Zoe and I walked ahead , chatting softly ,while the boys followed behind us . we found a table and sat down together .Zoe immediately started talking, leo joined in , joking around , making the atmosphere feel easy and welcoming I glanced at Ethan for a moment . he sat quietly eating Ethan was quietly eating, completely lost in his own world, while I sat right in front of him pretending to focus on my lunch—but really, I was just stealing glances at him. At one point, he looked up, caught me staring, and smirked. “You planning to eat or just study my face?” he said, and I nearly choked on nothing.The school day finally ended, and everyone started heading out in small groups. I spotted Ethan walking ahead of me, hands in his pockets, looking effortlessly calm… and annoyingly attractive. For a second, I just watched him, then made up my mind. “Ethan! Wait—I’m coming too!” I called out, jogging to catch up with him. He turned around, a little surprised, then slowed down so I could walk beside him. “So… where do you live?” I asked, trying to sound casual. “I usually go by bus,” he said, glancing atfelt like walking.” I smiled, relieved. “Same here. I wanted to check out the campus and the area around it.” “Good excuse,” he said with a small grin. We started walking side by side, not too close, not too far. The air felt different somehow—quiet, but not awkward. Every now and then, our hands almost brushed, and I became way too aware of it. “So,” he said after a moment, “first day… survived?” I laughed softly. “Barely. But I think walking with you might be the best part.” He looked at me for a second, then smiled—one of those small, real smiles that made my heart do something very unnecessary. “Then I guess I should walk slower,” he said.We finally reached my lane, and I slowed down a bit. “I’ve reached home… see you tomorrow,” I said, giving him a small smile. “Yeah. See you,” Ethan replied. And then… he just walked away. No smile, no wave—nothing. Just turned and left like it was the most normal thing ever. I stood there for a second, watching him go, feeling a little confused. Was he always like that… or just weird? I shook my head and laughed softly to myself. “Whatever,” I muttered, unlocking my door. As soon as I stepped inside, reality hit me. Homework. A lot of homework. I dropped my bag on the bed and sighed. “First day, and they already want to end my life academically.” But somehow… in between all the assignments, my mind kept drifting back to him. His calm voice. That small smile. And that strangely expressionless goodbye. “Yeah… he’s definitely weird,” I whispered, opening my notebook. But I didn’t hate it.That day turned out to be pretty good. I came home, finished some homework (okay… some), and then took the most amazing nap ever. The problem? I woke up late. Like… really late. I jumped out of bed, panicking. “Oh no, no, no—I’m going to be late!” From the kitchen, Mom’s voice came instantly. “Can’t you sleep early at night? It’s only your second day at school and you’re already late! If you keep this up, how will you focus on your academics?” “I slept a little late yesterday!” I rushed out, trying to find my uniform and my shoes at the same time. “It won’t happen again, I promise!” She sighed but didn’t say anything more. I grabbed my bag, rushed out of the house, and almost ran the whole way. “Great,” I muttered to myself, slightly out of breath. “Second day, and I’m already making a terrible impression.” But somewhere in the back of my mind, one thought kept popping up— What if Ethan is already there? I quickly fixed my hair while walking. “Why do I even care…” I whispered, even though I already knew the answer.I rushed through the school gate, slightly out of breath, and hurried into the classroom. “Relax,” Zoe said as soon as she saw me. “You’re just a little late. Teacher isn’t here yet. Sit, sit—have this.” She handed me a drink. “Lifesaver,” I said, taking a sip. Leo was already cracking jokes like usual, making everyone laugh. Even Ethan was smiling. I paused for a second. He doesn’t look that bad when he smiles… Actually… he should smile more often. I quickly looked away, pretending to focus on my drink. Just then, the teacher walked in, and the whole class settled down. “Class,” she said, “from today, you’ll start group study. It will help improve your marks. You can pair up with your benchmates.” Before anyone else could say anything, a girl from the front row raised her hand. “Ma’am, I want to study with Ethan.” The class went a little quiet. The teacher looked at him. “Ethan?” He didn’t hesitate. “I’m fine with my benchmate.” For a second, I thought I imagined it. The girl’s face changed—she clearly didn’t like that—but she couldn’t say anything because the teacher was right there. I tried to act normal, but inside, something felt… weirdly nice. Zoe leaned closer to me and whispered, “Looks like someone just got rejected.” I almost laughed, but instead, I glanced at Ethan for a second. He looked completely calm, like nothing even happened. Yeah… definitely weird. But somehow… I didn’t mind it at all.