The bell rang while I was still in the parking lot, and I had to walk quickly to get to class. Once I entered, I was disappointed to see that the girl was not there again. I went and sat next to Beith, who was waiting for me eagerly.

- "I have news for you," he whispered as soon as I sat down.

- "Tell me quickly before we start."

- "Clara agreed to go out with us tonight," he announced with a huge smile on his face.

- "Bravo! That's fantastic," I said, celebrating lightly until the teacher entered the class.

Beith had been trying to go out with Clara almost all summer. He genuinely liked her, to the point that he had exhausted me and Gerard with his endless talk about her.

The class went by quietly, and when it was over, Beith and I went to find Gerard in the room he was in. As we walked through the hallways, there was a great commotion with large groups of students gathering together. In one of these groups, I saw her, listening attentively with her friends to an older student. Should I go talk to her? And what would I say? I didn't even know her name, and I doubted she had any intention of meeting me again. Eventually, I found the courage and told Beith to come and listen to what they were saying, so if there was a chance later, I could talk to her. We approached her group, consisting of some girls from the first year and some boys from the second, all listening to a tall girl who was probably in the third year. As soon as she noticed our presence, she immediately stopped talking to the others and turned to us.

- "You're Dave, right?" she asked, and I nodded affirmatively. "Great, come here to hear about the party," she said and invited us with a wave of her hand.

- "What party are you talking about?" I asked as we took a few steps and were closer to the group.

- "On Friday, we're having a welcome party," she replied with enthusiasm and a smile. "It will take place in the afternoon at a lake near the city, and it will be announced on Friday in a post on RealYou by a third-year student. You are all invited. Oh, I forgot, the party is a secret; don't let teachers or parents know because lake parties are not allowed for students."

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She was about to add something else, but the bell rang, and everyone started to leave. I greeted Beith and looked for the girl. She was walking alone towards the classroom, so now would be a good opportunity to talk to her. I walked a little faster and reached her, walking beside her. She had noticed my presence but preferred not to say anything. I had to start the conversation.

- "Um, sorry, can I talk to you for a moment?" I said with a great deal of awkwardness. "I'm Dave from the history class, if you remember."

- "I think there's no one here who doesn't remember you," she replied with a little laugh.

- "Yeah, you're probably right," I said, and then I fell silent. I had no idea what to say about this, so I just stared into her blue eyes.

- "Did you want to tell me something?"

- "Yes, of course. I want to apologize for the way I treated you yesterday. I was frustrated with the situation, and..."

- "Oh, don't worry about it," she interrupted. "These things happen to everyone."

- "Which class are you going to now?" I asked after a few awkward seconds where I probably should have said something about how badly I behaved and not just brushed it off so easily.

- "History again," she answered and showed me the book she was holding in her hands. "And you, I assume the same, right?"

- "Yes, the same," I replied, showing her the book I had in my hand. "If you don't have company, we can sit together."

Anxiety had taken over me, and my mind wasn't working with my mouth. What I suggested probably sounded strange. I turned and looked at her, waiting for an answer. She was quite short, wearing short basketball shorts with a blue hoodie, and her hair was tied in a small round ponytail.

- "Sure, why not. Just one thing, though," she said.

- "What?" I asked casually.

- "Do you have any idea what my name is?"

A wave of embarrassment swept through my entire body. I couldn't believe that anxiety had taken over me so much. I truly didn't expect to appear so foolish and naive, spending all this time without even asking her name.

- "You're right," I replied, laughing slightly, trying to hide the embarrassment that had overcome me. "Will you tell me, or will you leave me wondering?"

- "Kyanna," she answered and entered the classroom where we had first met yesterday. She approached the desks, sat next to the one I was sitting in the previous class, and looked at me. I smiled at her and sat down next to her.

The class passed quite slowly and painfully, with Mrs. Margaret describing in great detail the First Separation of South America after the end of World War III. After having to say goodbye to the whole class once again, I went as quickly as I could to meet Gerard and Beith for the tryouts. They were waiting for me a few hallways away from the gym, and when we met, we went to change.