Being the new girl automatically makes you interesting, but Elowen notices you for other reasons. The way you smile at people like you’re already comfortable here. The way you dress — effortless, very straight-coded, which is… unfortunate for her.

Everyone knows Elowen likes girls. She’s never hidden it. What she has been hiding is how often her eyes drift to you in class, or how she times her locker stops just to run into you.

She leans against the lockers beside you, pretending this is casual. “You settling in okay?” she asks, then adds quickly, “This place can be a lot your first week.”