Kaede
On the first day of school, freshman year, was when I first took notice of her. Drowsily, I walked in the school lobby to change into my rubber-soled shoes and there she was, a few lockers away from mine. She was putting on her shoes and storing her leather shoes away. Then she sprayed her hands with some sort of sanitizer.
"SAKURA!" We hear a loud yell, and she looks up. Our eyes meet for a second. Brief, but it was enough for me to take her in. Milky white skin, dark jet black hair, and big, big gray eyes. She blinked at me and I turn to my locker and changed my shoes, pretending to not have been enamored by how attractive she was.
Her friend comes running up behind me and they talk. Her voice was smooth like honey and her laughter, like the chiming of bells. I felt a warmth spread through my cheeks and I grew afraid for a moment. When I looked back at her, she had already walked away with her friend.
I paused to breathe. I only came to this school for basketball. It was the closest one to my house and the coach was legendary. But here, I realized, it offered more gifts than I expected.