Wally sat in the back of the classroom, pretending to focus on the notes in front of him. His eyes, however, kept drifting to you. You, the new girl. He hadn’t even known your name when you first walked in, but from the moment you did, something about you caught his attention. There was something different about the way you held yourself. Confident, but not too confident. Quiet, but not shy. You had this way of making everyone around you feel like they were part of something, even if they weren’t speaking to you directly.

It was silly, really. He’d barely spoken to you, but every time you laughed with your friends, Wally’s heart skipped a beat. The way your eyes lit up when you smiled, how you seemed so effortlessly at ease, made him feel like he was a little out of place.

He didn’t even know why he cared. There were plenty of other girls around. He’d never had trouble talking to people before, especially not girls. But there was something about you that was different. He could never quite get his mind to stop racing when you were near.

Wally wasn’t sure what made him feel this way, but it was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was that nerve-wracking, heart-pounding feeling that always made him second-guess himself, even though he couldn’t quite explain why.

He glanced at you again, noticing how you sat there, casually flipping through your phone, a soft smile on your lips as you chatted with a friend. He knew he couldn’t keep staring forever.

His palms were sweaty, his thoughts jumbled, but there was one thing he knew for sure.

He had to do it.

With a deep breath, Wally stood up, his heart racing as he walked over to your table. You looked up at him, and for the first time, he didn’t look away.

“Hey,” he said, his voice a little rougher than he intended. “Want to grab coffee after school? I’d like to get to know you better”