Seatmate Stranger

The hallway felt louder than usual as I walked toward my new classroom. Students were shouting, laughing, running—like every normal morning—but today, everything felt different. Maybe because I didn’t belong here. Not in this section. Not anymore. “Transfered ka raw?” one girl whispered as I passed by. “Bakit kaya? Sayang, honors pa naman siya.” I kept my eyes on the floor. They didn’t know the reason, and I didn’t want to explain it. Not again. When I reached 12-Hope, the door was half open. The noise inside leaked out like a storm—desks dragging, boys arguing about basketball, girls screaming over t****k. I inhaled, straightened my ID, and stepped inside. The teacher wasn’t there yet, but almost everyone else was. And just like that, the entire room turned quiet. Not completely—but enough for people to stare. “Ay, new student?” “Hindi, transfer lang.” “She looks smart. Why’d she get moved here?” Their eyes followed me as I searched for an empty seat. Only one desk didn’t have a bag on it—at the very back, beside the window. Perfect… until I saw who was sitting beside it. Him. The boy everyone mentioned in whispers. The one who never talked. The one classmates warned each other about. Liam. His earphones were in, head resting on his arm, eyes half-closed like he didn’t care about anything or anyone in this room. I swallowed hard. Of all people, why him? Still, I forced myself to walk to the back. “Uh… excuse me,” I said softly. He didn’t move. I cleared my throat. “This seat’s free, right?” No reaction. I slowly placed my bag on the desk and pulled out my chair. The moment the legs dragged slightly, Liam finally lifted his head. His eyes—quiet, unreadable—met mine. For a second, I froze. He said nothing. No hello, no nod. Just stared, then looked away like I was another noise he didn’t need. Great. First day and my seatmate already hated me. The teacher finally entered, and everyone rushed to their seats. “Class, we have a transferee from 12-Integrity,” Ma’am Santos said. “Introduce yourself.” I stood, heart pounding. “Hi. I’m Aya Ramos.” “Aya?” someone whispered. “Isn’t she the top student from Integrity?” Ma’am smiled. “She’ll be sitting at the back. Beside Liam.” Murmurs filled the room. “Good luck to her.” “She won’t survive a week.” My cheeks burned. I glanced at Liam, but he wasn’t even looking. He was staring out the window, earphones still hidden under his hoodie. As the lesson started, I tried to focus, copying notes quickly. My pen suddenly ran out of ink. Perfect timing. I checked my bag—no extra pen. I didn’t want to borrow from anyone. Not on my first day. I sighed softly and closed my notebook. A few seconds later, something tapped my desk. A black gel pen slid toward me. I blinked and turned. Liam wasn’t looking at me, but the way his hand slightly moved back told me everything. He gave it to me. Quietly. Without a word. Without looking. I slowly picked up the pen. “Thanks,” I whispered. He didn’t answer, but for the first time, I noticed something—the faintest twitch at the corner of his lips. Not a smile. Just… something. And for some strange reason, it made my first day feel a little less heavy. Maybe sitting beside him wouldn’t be so bad after all.