Enjoy the story!
She walks down the long corridor, confidence in every step. Her purpose is made clear to everyone she passes, because everyone knows who she is and what she's up to. Everyone's known since 1st year, and it's the same every day. She strides past her peers, not an ounce of fear in her eyes. She walks right up to him and everyone watches as she chickens out, backs down, doesn't go through with it. It will be different this time, she thinks. But everyone knows it won't be.
Everyone seems to know quite a bit about her; she's popular, outgoing, and gets along with everyone she meets. She doesn't have any qualms about speaking her mind, and she'll say the first thing that pops into her head.
It's different when she's talking to him though, and everyone knows it. Her sentences are planned, rehearsed, and she knows exactly what she's going to say. Everything up until the point where she actually has to say something… that never seems to go well. After several seconds of her mouth hanging open, willing the words caught in her throat to break free (they never do), she mumbles a sorry goodbye and walks away. And it's the same every day. Everyone has just accepted it as part of the morning ritual; a constant presence in their lives.
Everyone except for him. Truth is, he's just as smitten with her as she is with him. Unfortunately, as these things tend to go, neither of them have a clue. And it's the same every day: he wishes (oh how he wishes) that she would say something to him. He smiles and nods encouragingly at her, willing the words caught in her throat to break free (they never do), and as she mumbles something that he doesn't quite catch, and as she turns her back on him for the thousandth time, and as her figure gets smaller as she walks away, her shoulders slumped…
It will be different this time, he thinks. And everyone gasps as he walks after her, catching her by the arm, turning her to him. He smiles.
"Your name's Rose, right?"
