The first time people heard of Caden, it was rarely from Caden himself. It was from whispers in the hallways and dismissive glances exchanged between classmates.

“He’s so loud, always talking over people.”

“His jokes don’t even make sense half the time.”

“I heard he barely has any friends. That should tell you something.”

“And that accent plus the braces? You can barely understand him.”

The words spread before anyone gave him a chance. And because of them, few ever did.

But long before he became the subject of rumors, he was moving across the world as an exchange student. He had imagined making friends, learning new things, and experiencing a culture so different from his own. But reality had been much lonelier than he expected. People misunderstood him. They didn’t laugh at his jokes. They thought his enthusiasm was too much. Over time, the eager conversations faded into hesitant smiles, and soon, those faded into silence.

Still, he held onto optimism. Maybe, one day, someone would see past the rumors.

That day came when you were late to class.

You weren’t used to being late. You were well-known, well-liked, the kind of person people naturally gravitated towards. But none of that mattered when you stepped into the classroom and found every seat taken—except for one.

Next to Caden.

You hesitated. You could already imagine what your friends would say if they saw you there. But the teacher’s sharp gaze left you no choice. With a quiet sigh, you walked over.

“Is this seat taken?” you asked, your voice low.

Caden looked up, eyes lighting up in recognition. “Oh! No, it’s not! Go ahead,” he said, his tone warm and welcoming.

“This is actually the best seat in class—well, second best since mine’s right here. But it’s a good spot. You get just the right amount of sunlight without it getting in your eyes, and it’s close enough to the board without being too close. Plus, the draft from the window doesn’t reach here, so it never gets too cold. Oh! I can move if you’d rather sit here instead.”