The Love Letter I Keep Reading

AVALEIGH’S POV I woke up at 6 AM – just right before I had to head to school, since my first class was at 7 AM. This was my first day as a senior high school student, and I couldn’t shake the nervous knot in my stomach. I had no idea what senior high life would be like. Everyone said it was hard, that there would be plenty of challenges ahead, and I believed them. After I took a shower, I got dressed right away. Standing in front of the mirror, I smoothed down the fabric of my uniform and smiled to myself. It fit perfectly – really beautiful, and it suited me well. Once I finished combing my hair and pulling it back neatly, I headed to the kitchen to eat the breakfast I’d prepared earlier: warm rice and fried eggs, plus my favorite bread slathered with chocolate spread. I ate quickly, then grabbed my bag and headed out the door. The school I’d chosen was quite far from my place, so I made my way straight to the bus stop to wait for my ride. While I was sitting there, the bus came to a sudden stop to pick up a passenger. When the young man stepped inside, I froze. I found myself staring – he was incredibly attractive, with sun-streaked hair and sharp features that caught the morning light. But more than that, I noticed him right away because he was wearing the same school uniform as me. He scanned the bus, his gaze landing on the empty seat beside me. Then he walked straight over and sat down, his shoulder brushing mine as he settled in. Even as he adjusted his bag on his lap, my eyes remained fixed on him. “Are you mesmerized?” he asked, his voice low and smooth. The question made me jump, and I snapped my eyes away so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. “Huh, excuse me?” I replied, my cheeks warming with embarrassment. A small smirk played at his lips. “You’ve been staring this whole time. At this rate, you might just melt me with that look.” I rolled my eyes – how dare he be so cocky – and turned to stare straight ahead at the road, even though my heart was beating far too fast for comfort. When the bus pulled to a stop, he moved ahead of me to get out of his seat, so I ended up walking behind him. We made our way to the bus door together – and just as we reached it, he turned suddenly to face me. “Oops, lady’s first,” he said, a warm smile spreading across his face. I just looked at him for a moment before stepping down and heading toward the school gates. I was walking up the stairs when suddenly I heard a psst behind me. I glanced back briefly before turning to keep going—but he stepped in front of me to block my way. “Nonchalant much?” he said. I rolled my eyes first before asking, “What do you want?” “Wow, you’re so mean,” he replied. “I was just about to help you find our classroom.” Really? Could he be my classmate? How would he know right away? Is he guessing or something? “As if we’re classmates,” I scoffed, pushing his hand out of my way. It was my first day, after all—I had no idea where the classroom was. I hadn’t spotted the bulletin board yet, so I’d been wandering around looking for it. When I finally walked inside the room, there was no teacher yet. I scanned the area for an empty seat, and to my surprise, when I looked toward the back, I saw him there. Even worse, the only vacant spot was right next to him. I walked over and sat down immediately. I heard him mutter under his breath beside me: “I told you so.” Ugh—if only I’d known earlier... “Good morning, class,” our teacher greeted us. “Since it’s the first day, I’d like everyone to introduce themselves to one another.” My heart suddenly started racing—I’ve never been comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, not even just for an introduction. Especially with him there; I felt like he’d laugh at me. My classmates began taking turns as my hands shook nervously in my lap. “Nervous?” he asked, making me look up at him. “Is it that obvious?” I shot back. He just nodded at me. I didn’t know what to say, so I just stared at him—until I saw the teacher gesture for me to come up next. I stood up quickly. “First day of class, and already falling in love back there?” the teacher joked. “No, sir!” I answered right away, then started my introduction. “Good morning, everyone. My name is Avaleigh Vienna Clemento, I’m 18 years old. I love the arts—painting, designing—and I also enjoy reading and writing poetry.” “So you’re quite artistic, then?” the teacher asked. I nodded. “You should join our school’s contests—we have plenty focused on the arts.” “Y-yes, sir,” I replied. Next up was my seatmate. Even his posture screamed confidence—tall, attractive… did he play basketball? “Ah, I’m Knight Carter Blackwell. I’m 18 years old. I love sports—volleyball is my favorite, but I play basketball too. I also know how to play chess, and I’m a photographer. Thank you.” Wow... an athlete and a photographer. “Oh, so you’re an athlete! Great—we have lots of sports programs here, so your talents won’t go to waste,” the teacher said. “Okay, thank you, sir.” I watched him as he sat back down. After a moment, he looked my way—and I quickly averted my gaze. I’ve never met someone that talented before... “What are you thinking about?” he suddenly asked, making me jump. “Huh? Nothing—mind your own business!” I snapped, rolling my eyes before looking down at my desk. He’s not even that special, I muttered to myself, even as I saw him grinning out of the corner of my eye. When our third class ended, recess finally rolled around—and not a moment too soon, because I was starving. I headed straight to the canteen, bought a glass of juice and some pancakes, then sat down at a table in the corner. Suddenly, someone approached me and asked, “May I sit here?” I just nodded. “Avaleigh, right?” she asked again. “Yeah, that’s me,” I said. “Elliana Jade,” she introduced herself, holding out her hand for a handshake. “So do you live near the school?” she asked. “Just one bus ride away,” I answered. She nodded, then caught me off guard with her next question: “By the way… that guy sitting next to you in class—are you two close?” Oh, so that’s why she came over... “Him? No way,” I said quickly. “I don’t know him at all—he’s basically a stranger to me. Besides, I don’t even want to get to know him.” My rapid-fire reply left her quiet for a moment. “You seem pretty upset with him,” she said. “I’m not! It’s nothing,” I shot back shortly. “Okay, okay… anyway, would you want to be friends?” she asked. “Of course!” I said. I’d never been the type to approach people first or make the first move in friendship—I was always too shy—so I was glad she’d come to me. “Great! We’re friends now!” she beamed, slinging an arm around my shoulders.