The school gates loomed closer, swallowing up the crowd of students rushing inside. 

The morning chit-chat began to fade with the drizzle, as students began to crowd the gate in groups and lonewalkers.

Fiona slowed her steps, stealing one more glance at the boy beside her.

He hadn’t stopped talking for even a second. The words kept spilling—science facts, theories, and strange analogies that only made sense to him.

 And yet… for some reason, she didn’t mind anymore.

Maybe it was the way his brown eyes sparkled, or maybe it was just nice to have someone by her side on her first day.

They reached the gates at last. The boy stopped, his expression tightening as though he’d hit an invisible wall.

“Guess… this is it… huh…” he muttered, staring at the archway. His voice softened, almost to a whisper.

 “We’ll have to…” he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

The way he said it made Fiona blink. Like “goodbye” was a word he wasn’t used to saying.

“Yes,” she replied gently. “But we’ll meet again, I suppose.”

For a moment, she hesitated. Then, gathering her courage, she offered him a small smile.

“The name’s Fiona.”

The boy froze. His eyes flickered toward her, then to the ground. His lips moved, barely a sound, but she caught it.

“...Fiona.”

Her chest warmed, just a little. He said it like he was memorizing it, folding it carefully away somewhere safe.

Slowly, he turned away and walked off clutching both straps of his backpack.

She was just about to give up on learning his name when suddenly—

“It’s Elliot!” he blurted, far too loud.

And then—crack!

His voice broke right in the middle of his grand announcement.

The nearby students all turned. A few snickered. Someone whispered, “Oh my god, did you hear that?”

The boy—Elliot—went red instantly.

“Oh no,” he groaned, slapping both hands over his face.

 Without another word, he bolted forward, practically sprinting into the school like the ground behind him was on fire.

Fiona blinked at the empty space he’d left behind, then—unexpectedly—laughed. The sound slipped out of her before she could stop it.

“Elliot, huh…” she whispered to herself. “I’ll remember that.”

The bell rang sharply overhead, jolting her back to reality.

She adjusted the strap of her backpack, took a deep breath, and stepped through the gates.

First day of high school. 

And already… It feels like things are going to get interesting.

*************