Irene's POV

I couldn't believe what I just saw. The classroom was huge. It full of people from all types of different backgrounds and ages.

I've never been to a school where every class was compromised of different grade levels.

I then realized that I had been staring for a while when I saw people staring at me.

I started to walk but I almost screamed when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I slowly looked behind me and saw a boy, about my age, looking down on me.

He had black, short, wavy hair that was parted in the middle and the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes that I had ever seen. He stood about a few inches taller than me.

"I guess you're new here? Well, I'm Elijah, nice to meet you." The boy, Elijah, greeted.

"I'm Irene. Nice to meet you too." I answer quietly. I hate my shyness.

"Well Irene, I was assigned to be a girl named Irene's tour guide today. I guess your the one for me." He told me with a warm smile.

His smile was beautiful.

"I smiled and shook my head yes. He took my hand guided me to the middle of the class. Despite all of the weird states I got from the other students, I didn't really feel bothered.

"I usually sit here by myself in this class, but feel free to take the seat next to me if you'd like." He told me, his smile never leaving his face.

I sat down next to Elijah and took a look around the classroom. I saw students talking, having fun, and doing various other activities. Elijah took out a notebook and started to write. The teacher still wasn't here yet.

Weird.

"Mr. Demalgo usually doesn't get here until the bell rings." Elijah laughed. "So feel free to enjoy the peace and quiet before he arrives." He smiled.

I took out my phone and played a game. It was already 7:45 and class began at 8:00.

I was starting to get bored so I put my phone away and brought my attention back to the classroom. I looked to my left and saw a group of girls and guys taking- no yelling to their friend right in front of them. I'm not one to judge someone based on the outside, but I just can't deal with loud people. They give me a headache.

I take a look to the other side of the room where there was small talk and quiet conversations going on.

I then look right on front of me to see a girl and boy having a quiet yet intriguing conversation.  They were both laughing and talking, but not to loud to draw attention to themselves. They weren't to quiet either. They both knew how to make the other laugh.

Hmm. These seem like my type of people.

The bell rings and everyone bolts out of the classroom. I didn't even get to meet my own homeroom teacher.

I get a tap on my shoulder and look up to see Elijah smiling at me. He has a lollipop poking out of his mouth.

"I assume we both have the same classes, given that the principle assigned you to show me around." I told him. He nodded and walked over to the nearest trash can to throw his candy away.

He then softly grabbed my hand and lead me out of the classroom.

We made small talk about the school, like about it's interior and exterior. We also made small talk about the people in this school. Elijah even told me to watch my back and make sure I trust the right people. 

He held my hand the whole way, guiding me through the crowed hallway of students.  I guess he didn't seem to mind, but my heart was about ready to burst out of my chest every time I made eye contact with him.

We then reached Mrs. Collins classroom for World History.

I take a seat next to Elijah and he lets my hand go. I must look like a lost puppy following him around. But who cares?

"Hello there class. If you didn't already know, I'm Mrs. Collins and I will be your World History teacher. I assume you all know each other so I won't put you all through the pain of playing a "get to know each other" exercise again." I hear students laugh and clap at the end of her speech.

"Now that that's settled, look under your desks to find your book and open it up to page 3." She orders us.

We continued on with our lesson after hearing her lecture on what materials we should always bring to class, etc, etc.

Elijah and I soon met our other teachers as the day progressed. It was going well and it really felt like this was going to be a good school year.

•••

It was 11:55 and the lunch bell rang at 12:00. Hungry students were eager to get out of their classrooms and land a seat in the cafeteria.

Elijah grabbed his backpack to pack up and so did I. There was one girl staring at me the entire class period. She rolled her eyes everytime she saw Elijah say something to me.

I ignored her which seemed to anger her more. She would sometimes turn around to the girl beside her whisper things while staring and pointing in my direction.

Elijah seemed to notice this too. 

"Don't worry about it. London's nothing scary. She all bark and no bite." He whispered to me.

I smiled at his words. I not scared of a girl who can't even line her lips properly.

RING!

Most of the students bolted out of the classroom, but a few stayed behind.

Elijah put his arm around my shoulder and walked me out of the classroom.

"I'm sorry for what happened back there. Please don't be irritated by London. She hates everyone and everything, including me." He must've saw the curiosity on my face. "Let's just say our relationship isn't what it used to be." He explained.

"There's no need to apologize. Ivette people like her before. I promise, we all have our ups and downs."

I saw a wave of relief on his face when I said that.

We arrived the lunchroom and Elijah brought me over to a table with a few people sitting at it. I pushed my glasses up so that they weren't going to fall off of my face.

"These are my friends. Lilliana, Georgia, India, Dominic, Noah, and Isaiah.

What's with all these good looking people.  I don't belong at this table.

I sat down next to Elijah and the girl named Georgia. She had long, brown, wavy hair and brown eyes. She had black rimmed glasses. Her outfit was similar to mine.

"I'm Georgia. Nice to meet you." She kindly offers her hand to shake.

"I'm Irene. Nice to meet you too." I smiled, accepting her offer.

I say hi to everyone else and take out my lunch kit.

I found out that Georgia and Lilliana were cousins, and that India used to be tutored by Carmen in math. Noah and Isaiah are twins and Dominic is an award-winning gymnast.

We all talked and got to know each other as the day went on. 

•••

I hope you liked what you saw today." Elijah said. The last bell rang and it was time for me to go home.

"I really enjoyed this day with you. Your friends are really cool too." I told him. His face went a little red and he laughed when I said that.

My face get hot too. I looked down at my feet to avoid eye contact.

I felt his hand in my shoulder and I looked up to find him smiling warmly.

"I hope we can be friends." He said.

"I do too." I answered. 

I looked back at the ground and saw that he was reaching for my hand.

"If you ever need anything, call me." He told me.

He quickly walked away and I looked at what he put in my hand. I opened up the paper and saw a phone number written inside.

"Aww! That was so cute!" A familiar voice said.

I looked back and saw someone that I hadn't seen in ages.

"Carmen!"