I never thought I'd change schools mid-year.
But life—it likes to throw you into trouble and make you figure it out.
Maia High School was one of those troubles.
Not a great school, not a terrible school.
It was somewhere in between—a place so ordinary that there was nothing to remember, from the school gate to the football field.
And just like every familiar first day, when I walked in, a few eyes were glued to me.
Dark brown dyed hair, loose shirt, collar half-closed, sleeves rolled up.
A faint bruise on my left cheek—a "memory" of the chaos last week.
I knew I didn't look like the kind of student who was easy to get along with.
Never mind.
I've never lived to make others comfortable.
The proctor's office was at the end of the row. I knocked on the door.
"Are you… Lucas?" The proctor looked me up and down.
Yes, I just transferred here.
Your file…
The teacher raised his eyebrows as he skimmed through the disciplinary page. I didn't need to look to know what it said.
Fighting, causing trouble, uncooperative attitude.
I crossed my arms.
I'll try not to cause trouble… if no one starts it.
The teacher sighed, probably bored with my way of talking.
Maia is a normal school, Lucas. Don't make it unusual.
Yes. I remember.
I left the room before the teacher could say anything more disturbing.
The hallway was quite crowded. Students were chatting, laughing, no one noticed that I almost bumped into the locker door.
A normal school in the true sense.
Until I saw… her.
The girl sat alone in the middle of the hallway, hugging a thick stack of books.
Long hair tied loosely over her shoulder, bright, quiet face.
A small black hearing aid behind her left ear.
Aily.
I heard someone calling her name like that.
She didn't pay attention to the noise around her.
She didn't react when I passed by.
Not cold...
But she couldn't hear.
Two girls standing nearby whispered:
- Aily always reads books.
- Yeah, and she's deaf... what a pity.
- But she's so beautiful!
I paused for a second.
I don't know why.
She raised her head.
Her light brown eyes looked straight at me, light as a wind but there was something... that made others stop.
Not wary.
Not judging.
Not afraid like many people looked at me.
Just a simple, clear look that made the noise in my head quiet down a bit.
I turned my face away first, reminding myself:
Don't look anymore. You've only been here less than ten minutes, Lucas.
The hallway ahead brightened as the bell rang.
I shoved my hands in my pockets and shrugged.
It was a normal school.
But it seemed…
My first day wasn't so normal.