The New Kid

Tony

Still panting slightly from the long run, Liza slid into her seat next to her other best friend, Ryan Carter. They had known each other for as long as she could remember, mostly because they were next-door neighbors. They also had a lot of classes together this year.

“Hey, Ryan,” Liza said right before the bell rang for class to start.

Ryan smiled and whispered back, “Hey Liza. You were almost late today, what happened?”

“Jen got asked out again, and she had to tell me all the details. No biggie.” She turned to listen to the teacher and her hair flipped over her shoulder. Ryan kept his eyes on her back for a minute, then realized he was staring and looked away, embarrassed. He looked around discreetly, seeing if anyone noticed. Luckily, no one did. Ryan shifted his gaze over to his teacher, Mr. Mason.

Suddenly a boy Liza didn’t know walked in, approaching the Spanish teacher. They talked quietly for a minute, then Mr. Mason spoke up.

“We have a new student today, class. His name is Tony Wilkins, and he’ll be joining us for the rest of the year.” Turning to Tony and pointing, he said, “You’ll take the seat behind Liza over there.”

As Tony walked over to take his seat, Liza shyly smiled at him. To her surprise, he smiled back broadly. “I hope you’re good at Spanish,” he whispered, taking his seat behind her. “It’s my worst subject, so I’ll probably have to ask you for help like, all the time.”

Nervously, Liza tucked a piece of auburn hair behind her ear. “That’s okay, I’m pretty good. I’ll help you as much as I can.” Turning back around, she allowed herself a tiny smile. That was probably the most direct attention she had ever gotten from a boy. Of course, Ryan didn’t count; he was Ryan. Maybe Jen’s advice really wouldn’t hurt… A little attention was good once in a while, right?