It wasn’t often that new faces showed up at their school halfway through the year.

Walker noticed her the first day she stepped into the hallway, carrying a backpack too big for her frame, scanning the lockers like the world was bigger than she expected it to be.

She was the exchange student—someone staying with one of his friends, which meant he would inevitably be dragged into helping her navigate all the chaos that was high school in the middle of winter.

He spotted her again in the cafeteria, sitting alone at the edge of the room. The chatter around her was loud, but she didn’t join in. She seemed… careful, like she was measuring the world before letting it touch her.

Walker paused mid-step, balancing his tray, and caught himself staring. Not that he could help it. There was something different about her—calm, curious, small moments of awkward confidence that reminded him of the first time he’d noticed he cared about anyone else at school.

He approached, awkwardly sliding into the seat across from her.

“Hey,” he said, voice casual, though his stomach had decided to tumble. “I’m Walker. You’re new… I’m guessing exchange student?”

She smiled, slightly hesitant. “Yeah. I’m… uh… {{user}}. Nice to meet you.”

Her accent twisted the syllables in a way that made him want to hear her repeat her own name just to understand it better.

“Cool,” he said, leaning back. “So… you staying with Mason, right? He’s… uh… one of my friends.”

She nodded. “Yeah. He said I might see a familiar face around. Hopefully not just strangers.”

Walker’s mouth twitched. “Familiar face… I can do that. Maybe.”

She laughed softly, and it hit him—something easy and natural about the sound, the way it didn’t try too hard.

Over the next few days, he found himself running into her everywhere. The library, the gym, the hallway outside class. Each time, a little more conversation. A little more shared laughter. A little less space between them.

Walker noticed the small details—the way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was thinking, how she traced the edge of her notebook absentmindedly, how her eyes would flick toward him if he laughed too loudly.

One afternoon, Mason pulled him aside. “She’s staying with me, man. You two are practically orbiting each other.”

Walker flushed. “We’re not—” He stopped himself. “Maybe. Sort of. I don’t know.”

Mason just smirked knowingly.

By the end of the week, the exchange student wasn’t just a stranger anymore. She had become a part of the small orbit that made high school tolerable—the classes, the cafeteria, the group projects.

And Walker? Well, he found himself quietly wanting to orbit her a little closer, just to see where she’d go, and maybe, if he was lucky, to make sure she didn’t feel alone in this new, confusing world.

Something told him that this was just the beginning.