Once upon a time, there was a girl named Nina.
She was a quiet, soft-hearted high school student.
Her small family included just three members — her mother, her younger brother, and herself.
Her father had passed away when she was very young.
Though her life wasn't perfect, she always found a reason to smile — and lately, that reason was a boy named Henry.
Henry wasn't just any boy — he was the most popular guy in school.
Charming smile, confident attitude, always surrounded by friends.
And for Nina… he was more than a classmate.
He was her secret crush.
She never spoke to him.
In fact, he probably didn't even know her name.
But still, every morning, Nina went to school just to see him — even if it was from far away.
---
One morning…
Nina was running late.
She hurried through the school gates, her hair a bit messy, books clutched tightly in her arms.
"I'm going to be late!" she muttered to herself, picking up her pace.
Suddenly— BAM!
She crashed into someone at the hallway corner. Her books fell to the floor.
"I'm so sorry!" she said quickly, not even looking up.
A familiar voice replied,
"You should walk. You're already late — no need to cause a second accident."
She froze.
It was Henry.
Eyes wide, she finally looked up to see him holding one of her books.
Both of them were late — what were the chances?
He handed her the book and smiled slightly.
"Let's just walk. The teacher's going to yell either way."
Together, they walked to the classroom.
As expected, the teacher frowned.
"You're both late. Go stand outside until the period ends."
Nina and Henry exchanged a glance before stepping out into the corridor.
She stood silently, heart pounding.
> "This is the first time I've ever been late for class..."
"And it just had to be with him."
She couldn't help but smile.
Maybe… this was the beginning of something new.
To be continued...