She was different, this he knew from the moment he first locked eyes with her. She sat alone quietly, almost as if the world was oblivious of her presence. With her chin rested in her hand, she and this boy who she had never seen locked eyes. There was something there that words could not describe. They both knew this.
Days went by but words had yet to be exchanged. There was a nervous energy that seemed to come about whenever either of the two had tried to move in on the other. But then it happened.
“Hi,” the boy said, his voice soft, yet strained. “My name’s Jack” he muttered, the words barely escaping his mouth.
She struggled to reply, finally managing to spit out only her name. “Ashley” she quickly sputtered.
A smile started to creep across Jack's face, instantly lightening the mood. “Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Ashley.” said Jack, starting to let his guard down.
“Likewise” replied Ashley, also starting to feel a little better, even letting off a fleeting smile.
Something most people didn't know about Ashley was that inside she wasn't a happy person. She seldom smiled, and when she did, more times than not it wasn't genuine. But when she looked at Jack, she knew something was different about him. He made her feel safe, even though she hadn't even known his name until just then. But she knew there was something about him.
Later that day, as Jack was going about his day, learning where his classes were, he had realized that he had no idea who Ashley was. He heard gossip about people everyday, yet Ashely never seemed to be the topic of conversation. He asked around, but no one really new who she was. A couple of people he asked had seen her around but didn't know much about her, and the rest didn't have a clue. This girl really was living in her own secluded corner of the world.