THE BOY SHE COULDN'T SAVE

Catherine

Catherine's POV

I don't know when I started noticing Raymond. Maybe it was the first day he walked into our classroom. Or maybe it was the way he quietly took his seat at the back and seemed completely uninterested in everything happening around him.

There was something about him. Something I couldn't explain. I found myself looking at him more often than I should. Whenever I caught myself staring, I would quickly look away and pretend I was busy.

But the truth was, I was curious. Very curious. Raymond was different from the other boys. He wasn't loud. He didn't try to impress anyone. He didn't join the noisy conversations during break.

Most of the time, he was either listening to the teacher or writing something in that little notebook he always carried around. I actually liked that about him.

His reserved nature was interesting. But somehow, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it. It felt like his silence wasn't simply his personality. It felt like he was keeping something inside. Something big. Something he didn't want anyone to see.

Sometimes I would look into his eyes and wonder what was going on in his mind. What could make someone our age look so distant? Why did he always seem like he was somewhere else, even when he was sitting right there?

I wanted to know. I didn't know why I cared so much. I just did. Maybe I was being nosy, or maybe I was just curious about the new boy. But whatever it was, I had decided to find out.

The following week, I would talk to him. Not from across the classroom. Not through a smile. I made up my mind that I was going to walk up to him and actually talk to him. I had no idea what I would say.

I only knew one thing.

I wanted to know the boy behind the silence.