Steven sat a few seats away from me. I nodded at him, and he smiled. He really had the most awesome smile. Then the bell rang, and a girl came into the room, looking a little lost. I didn’t recognize her. She had curly brown hair and freckles on her cheeks, and her backpack looked heavy, like it held every book for every class. Mr. Emmet, our teacher, looked up from the folder he was leafing through. “You must be Hailey,” he said, smiling at her, and she gave him a relieved smile back. “That’s me,” she said. Mr. Emmet stood up. “Everyone, this is Hailey Kocek. It’s her first day here,” he said. Then he turned to Hailey. “You can take that empty seat in the third row. We’re having a test today, and you’re off the hook for that. While everyone’s taking the test, I’ll get you up to speed on what we’ve been learning.” Hailey nodded. “Thanks,” she replied, and she took the empty seat, which happened to be right next to Steven. She smiled at him, and I noticed that he smiled right back.
