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Description
I keep my eyes focused on the linoleum tiles beneath my shoes, careful not to step in anyone’s way in the crowd of students that are returning to their school day after lunch. I do not know the people around me; most of them are a year or two younger than I am and I do not share classes with the rest. The cafeteria do not really lay in the area where the seniors at Oakley Hill Secondary School have lessons. Rarely anyone my age bother to mingle with the freshmen and juniors. I cannot wait to graduate; there is really nobody to talk to in this place, not after my best friend moved from England to live a year in France.
“Hello,” he says in a neutral tone as we walk past each other in the hallway. It is crowded, and people are talking loud – I barely hear him – but I am sure he said it to me and not someone else. He snatched me right out of my trail of thoughts. Not only did he say something, but we also had eye contact for a split second. I know who he is; we have physics together and once our social science classes merged for a school trip. He is one of those who always sits at the back, never paying attention to the teachers’ preaches. However, it never seems as if he thinks he is too cool for school, he always shows up on time and never skips homework or tests. His grades are above average, and he is good looking enough to be quite popular if he wants to.
I throw a glance over my shoulder and see the back of his head disappearing in the crowd. We never talked before, I barely even notice him anymore as it only bothers me when I sit and take notes while he does nothing. Perhaps he was mocking me? I look down at myself, but cannot find anything out of place, although my clothes are not exactly fashionable. I keep on walking to my next class, but cannot concentrate. All I think about is the simple “hello” and that tiny smile, during the whole lesson. For some reason it cheers me up.
Then, while the teacher is talking about a movie we have seen called Pay it forward, I realise that no one use to say that to me. After I lost contact with my friend abroad, there is almost nobody that I talk to. That “hello” was the first time someone on the school said anything to me for a week or so. I wonder why he did it, though, why he said that to me but ignored everyone else. Was it intentional, or did he say it because I was in the way? Eventually I decide that at least I have to return the greeting, and decide that I will take the seat next to him on the bus, which is always empty.
I spot him in the unusually crowded line, waiting alone for the bus to arrive as everyone else around him is chatting. When we step on, I make sure that I get the seat next to him. He glances up at me, then out the window. Heavy, wet snowflakes are starting to fall from the sky and trickles down the glass immediately after it lands. I get cold feet, and minutes pass. After a while, we are almost the only ones left on the bus. He looks at me sometimes, in the reflection of the window, yet we do not exchange words until we have reached the edge of the city.
“Are you not going off?” I ask and he shakes his head, a faint smile on his lips.
“I live not far from you, only I get off a little later.” he reveals, and gives me something to think about for a moment. I never saw where he got on before; apparently, I never bothered to offer him a thought as he sat in that same seat every morning. How could I not notice that he got on before me? I must have been blind, and ignorant.
“So… hello…” I say after a while. He laughs a nice, lowered laugh that does not intend to seem mocking, rather honest, and turns toward me.
“I knew that was why you came to sit here. I don’t see how such a small greeting would make that big a difference though.” His eyes are dark green, I notice, another thing I did not know about him. I wonder how he is like, except for the carefree attitude towards school.
“No one says that anymore. Everyone is busy with their phones or just skips that part of the conversation.” I mumble when nothing else comes to my mind and his expectant, as well as curious, eyes continue to focus on mine.
“That is why you suddenly decided that you should come and talk to me? Or did it just open your eyes to the fact that I take the same bus as you every day and go off just a few blocks away, and that it makes a perfect excuse to come and talk to me?” he grins at me, and I shrug. When he puts it like that, I feel bad about even sitting down next to him, and at the same time, I am happy that I finally did it.
“Yeah, I guess it is the first one.” Big lie, because if he had not said hello to me I would never have figured out that we took the bus together for this long on our way to and from school. I would have continued to sit a couple of rows ahead and never offered a glance in his direction. “It makes you that much more approachable, at least.” He nods in understanding and aims his attention at the back of the seat in front of him.
“So you’re saying I am threatening? Is it because I am Asian? Or do you not like smart guys?” he asks in a teasing tone, and raise an eyebrow at me, still with a silly smile on his lips. I have to laugh.
“No, that’s not it, not at all. You are far from threatening. I guess I mean to say that a hello invites people to talk to one. And when you said that to me, you made me want to talk to you.” I say, then narrow my eyes and make a grimace. “That sounds gooey.”
“At least I get what you mean,” he says, slouching in his seat and looking out the window. “And I think you’re right. People seem more approachable when they greet you.” I look at the swirling snowflakes outside, and the streets and houses covered in a thin layer of newly fallen snow.
“Why did you say it, though?” I ask.
“Do I need a reason?” he asks, I cock my head to the side and look into the eyes of his reflection.
“No, I guess not, but I was wondering since we never talked before. Why do you suddenly want to be friends?” I continue, sounding more persistent than I would like to.
“You seemed… down. You always do, ever since that other girl left. Therefore, I thought I would try to cheer you up, as I have heard a hello can do. Did it work?” he turns his head in my direction and smiles. I am stunned, out of words, so all do is nod.

Description
I keep my eyes focused on the linoleum tiles beneath my shoes, careful not to step in anyone’s way in the crowd of students that are returning to their school day after lunch. I do not know the people around me; most of them are a year or two younger than I am and I do not share classes with the rest. The cafeteria do not really lay in the area where the seniors at Oakley Hill Secondary School have lessons. Rarely anyone my age bother to mingle with the freshmen and juniors. I cannot wait to graduate; there is really nobody to talk to in this place, not after my best friend moved from England to live a year in France.
“Hello,” he says in a neutral tone as we walk past each other in the hallway. It is crowded, and people are talking loud – I barely hear him – but I am sure he said it to me and not someone else. He snatched me right out of my trail of thoughts. Not only did he say something, but we also had eye contact for a split second. I know who he is; we have physics together and once our social science classes merged for a school trip. He is one of those who always sits at the back, never paying attention to the teachers’ preaches. However, it never seems as if he thinks he is too cool for school, he always shows up on time and never skips homework or tests. His grades are above average, and he is good looking enough to be quite popular if he wants to.
I throw a glance over my shoulder and see the back of his head disappearing in the crowd. We never talked before, I barely even notice him anymore as it only bothers me when I sit and take notes while he does nothing. Perhaps he was mocking me? I look down at myself, but cannot find anything out of place, although my clothes are not exactly fashionable. I keep on walking to my next class, but cannot concentrate. All I think about is the simple “hello” and that tiny smile, during the whole lesson. For some reason it cheers me up.
Then, while the teacher is talking about a movie we have seen called Pay it forward, I realise that no one use to say that to me. After I lost contact with my friend abroad, there is almost nobody that I talk to. That “hello” was the first time someone on the school said anything to me for a week or so. I wonder why he did it, though, why he said that to me but ignored everyone else. Was it intentional, or did he say it because I was in the way? Eventually I decide that at least I have to return the greeting, and decide that I will take the seat next to him on the bus, which is always empty.
I spot him in the unusually crowded line, waiting alone for the bus to arrive as everyone else around him is chatting. When we step on, I make sure that I get the seat next to him. He glances up at me, then out the window. Heavy, wet snowflakes are starting to fall from the sky and trickles down the glass immediately after it lands. I get cold feet, and minutes pass. After a while, we are almost the only ones left on the bus. He looks at me sometimes, in the reflection of the window, yet we do not exchange words until we have reached the edge of the city.
“Are you not going off?” I ask and he shakes his head, a faint smile on his lips.
“I live not far from you, only I get off a little later.” he reveals, and gives me something to think about for a moment. I never saw where he got on before; apparently, I never bothered to offer him a thought as he sat in that same seat every morning. How could I not notice that he got on before me? I must have been blind, and ignorant.
“So… hello…” I say after a while. He laughs a nice, lowered laugh that does not intend to seem mocking, rather honest, and turns toward me.
“I knew that was why you came to sit here. I don’t see how such a small greeting would make that big a difference though.” His eyes are dark green, I notice, another thing I did not know about him. I wonder how he is like, except for the carefree attitude towards school.
“No one says that anymore. Everyone is busy with their phones or just skips that part of the conversation.” I mumble when nothing else comes to my mind and his expectant, as well as curious, eyes continue to focus on mine.
“That is why you suddenly decided that you should come and talk to me? Or did it just open your eyes to the fact that I take the same bus as you every day and go off just a few blocks away, and that it makes a perfect excuse to come and talk to me?” he grins at me, and I shrug. When he puts it like that, I feel bad about even sitting down next to him, and at the same time, I am happy that I finally did it.
“Yeah, I guess it is the first one.” Big lie, because if he had not said hello to me I would never have figured out that we took the bus together for this long on our way to and from school. I would have continued to sit a couple of rows ahead and never offered a glance in his direction. “It makes you that much more approachable, at least.” He nods in understanding and aims his attention at the back of the seat in front of him.
“So you’re saying I am threatening? Is it because I am Asian? Or do you not like smart guys?” he asks in a teasing tone, and raise an eyebrow at me, still with a silly smile on his lips. I have to laugh.
“No, that’s not it, not at all. You are far from threatening. I guess I mean to say that a hello invites people to talk to one. And when you said that to me, you made me want to talk to you.” I say, then narrow my eyes and make a grimace. “That sounds gooey.”
“At least I get what you mean,” he says, slouching in his seat and looking out the window. “And I think you’re right. People seem more approachable when they greet you.” I look at the swirling snowflakes outside, and the streets and houses covered in a thin layer of newly fallen snow.
“Why did you say it, though?” I ask.
“Do I need a reason?” he asks, I cock my head to the side and look into the eyes of his reflection.
“No, I guess not, but I was wondering since we never talked before. Why do you suddenly want to be friends?” I continue, sounding more persistent than I would like to.
“You seemed… down. You always do, ever since that other girl left. Therefore, I thought I would try to cheer you up, as I have heard a hello can do. Did it work?” he turns his head in my direction and smiles. I am stunned, out of words, so all do is nod.