The Quiet Beginning
This is a story about a boy named Frank. It was the beginning of the school year, and he said to himself that 11th grade was the perfect time to get a girlfriend. Choosing the right person wasn't a challenge for him as he had already set his eyes on a girl named Julia.
She was a very beautiful and quiet girl. She always kept to herself; it was as if she had no friends. Julia sat alone at lunch, always reading or writing in a small notebook she carried. She had this calm presence that made her seem almost untouchable.
After some careful consideration, Frank gathered the courage to talk to her one afternoon near the school library. He was taken aback by her friendly nature—he had assumed she didn’t like people, which is why she was always by herself. But over time, Frank came to realize that Julia didn’t interact with people often because she lacked the energy they had. She felt out of place in loud, fast-paced environments and preferred the quiet.
A couple of weeks flew by, and Frank and Julia started dating.
Frank enjoyed the time he spent with Julia and considered those moments some of the best in his life. There was no pressure—Julia didn’t demand anything from him. She was low-maintenance and thoughtful. She wasn't dramatic sometimes (as some of you reading this now might be), but Frank felt like he was trying to crack a code. Julia rarely talked about herself or her feelings, and while she always listened to him, she kept much of her own world hidden away.
Their relationship was peaceful—almost too peaceful.
Then Praise arrived.
