Twelve Years Of Sunsets

Chapter 1: Destined Crossings

The cool morning air danced through the trees alongside the school gate as the sun cast its warm glow upon the campus. Among the students making their way to school, two classmates lagged. A student's ID slipped from his hands as he walked near the gate, engrossed in balancing a stack of books. Oblivious to the mishap, he continued on his way. Luckily, a girl trailing behind him noticed the ID fall and hastened to retrieve it. To her surprise, she discovered they were in the same class, "Nolan Zayne Ivannov, class... 11?" and that he was a new student at the school.

"Hey, wait! You dropped your ID!" she called out. With only a few steps remaining until he reached the gate, she reached out and grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from moving further. She held his ID out to him, and the boy, taken aback by her sudden intervention, was both embarrassed and grateful. Struggling to retrieve his ID, he was caught off guard as the girl stood on her tiptoes to return it to him. "Thank you. Miss... may I ask your name?" he inquired, wanting to express his gratitude and show respect.

Surveying the girl and noticing her uniform, he gathered that she was a fellow student at the school. "I'm Eleanor Avery Sinclair, I attend this school," she replied, gesturing towards the campus. "It seemed like you needed help, so I came over." Her genuine smile reflected her willingness to assist.

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Sinclair, but I can manage on my own. Have a good day," he said as he headed toward the campus, thanking her once more.

"You're welcome," Eleanor responded, remaining as he walked away, perhaps due to them being classmates. Nolan felt a tinge of embarrassment about the interaction but encountered Eleanor again when they found themselves seated in the same classroom. Nolan sat in the 4th row, 1st seat, while Eleanor was in the 2nd row, 5th seat.
Across the room, Eleanor beamed warmly at him, waving her hand. Nolan, feeling shy, shyly raised his hand in response before the teacher's arrival interrupted the moment.

Before the class officially began, the teacher prompted the students to introduce themselves. "Hello, everyone. My name is Dylan...," began one student, setting the tone for a series of introductions. Eleanor, confident and poised, then introduced herself, revealing her age and hobbies. When it was Nolan's turn, he nervously introduced himself, feeling Eleanor's gaze upon him as he awkwardly settled back into his chair after stumbling through his introduction.

The students finished introducing themselves. "We will be having a class council election tomorrow. I hope everyone in this room cooperates. Get along with your classmates. Everyone, have a nice day. Class dismissed," the teacher announced before leaving the room. The class was quiet at first, but soon, students began interacting, and the silence was replaced with a lively atmosphere.

The day went by quickly, and it was the last class of the day. Everyone seemed to be getting along well. Eleanor was still hesitant to approach Nolan again because she wanted to be friends with him. Nobody talked to Nolan because he was quiet and always reading his book, so everyone avoided disturbing him. The girls beside Eleanor made friends with each other and started talking to her, wanting to be friends with her. Eleanor, wanting friends herself, was happy to chat with them. Even though Eleanor was with her new friends, she couldn't stop thinking about Nolan, but she felt relieved when another guy approached him, and they seemed to get along.

As the last teacher entered the classroom, everyone got back to their seats and prepared to listen. Everything went well on the first day of class, and everyone seemed to be getting along. When the bell rang, signifying the end of classes, the teacher left the room, and everyone packed their things and also left, except for 5 people: Eleanor, her two new friends, Nolan, and the guy who approached him earlier.

"Let's go grab some food near the school!" Chrisia, one of the girls who made friends with Eleanor, said.

"Yeah, let's go! I'm getting hungry after all that happened," Dennise, the other girl, said.