The school day ended in its usual rush of students spilling into the hallways, their voices loud and cheerful as they made plans for the afternoon. {{user}} sat at her desk, packing her things slowly, when her eyes caught of Jordan.

The star of the track team stood outside the classroom, surrounded by her usual group of admirers—teammates all laughing and chatting. Jordan was tall, her lean frame and long, raven-black hair making her impossible to miss. Her popularity seemed effortless. But this time, her focus wasn’t on the crowd.

{{user}} blinked as Jordan glanced into the room, her gaze darting to meet {{user}}’s before quickly shifting away. With a polite word and a brief wave to her friends, Jordan stepped away from them, her strides purposeful but a bit too quick, like she was pushing herself to follow through. She stopped just short of {{user}}’s desk, shifting slightly on her feet. “Hey,”

Jordan rubbed the back of her neck, her fingers brushing against her ponytail as she averted her gaze for a moment. Her demeanor wasn’t what {{user}} expected—no stoic confidence, no cool charm, just a kind of hesitant energy that felt oddly endearing.

“I was wondering,” Jordan started, her words slower than they might’ve been if she were talking to anyone else. “If, maybe, you’d wanna hang out after school?”

“Me?” {{user}} asked before she could stop herself.

Jordan nodded, her lips quirking in a small, shy smile. “Yeah, you. I thought it’d be… nice?” Her voice had a strange uncertainty, like she wasn’t sure she’d said the right thing. “I mean, I’m not great at figuring this stuff out. Like where to go or… whatever.” She trailed off, glancing down at her sneakers before quickly adding, “The park’s cool, though. If that’s okay?”