The Way You See Me

Chapter One

Stranger in Focus

Savannah's Point of View

The birds outside my classroom window didn’t seem to care where they were going.

They crossed the sky, disappeared behind the clouds, and came back again as if nothing in the world could stop them.

Even the wind moved where it pleased.

I wanted to know what that felt like.

I didn’t have a destination in mind. I just wanted, for once, to go somewhere without worrying about what would be waiting when I got back. Home had become a place I hurried through, and school wasn’t much better.

Still, running away wouldn’t solve anything. Maybe all I needed was a break. How was I supposed to take one from my own life?

“Good morning, class! I hope everyone is doing well today,” Ms. Grey said.

I heard her voice without taking in a word. My attention stayed on the window, where the last bird had already flown beyond the roof.

I knew how I must have looked, sitting alone and staring outside. Someone would probably tell me to make friends, to stop waiting for my life to change. I used to have friends. I used to have people at home who noticed when I walked into a room. I hadn’t meant to lose touch with everyone, but after a while, reaching out took more effort than I had to give. I couldn’t bear to socialize after the incident.

“We have a new student joining us today,” Ms. Grey continued.

“This is Mason Creed. I trust you’ll make him feel welcome. Mason, your seat is beside Savannah Hamilton.” She paused for a second. “Savannah, could you raise your hand?”

Would I feel any different if I could leave right now? Or would I take all the same thoughts with me?

Ms. Grey sighed. “She’s the one helplessly gazing out the window.”

At that, I turned. A few classmates laughed, and my face warmed before I could pretend I hadn’t heard them.

Then I saw him coming down the aisle.

Dirty-blond hair and reddish-brown eyes that met mine for a second before I looked away. He was tall, easily six feet, with his hands tucked in his pockets and an expression I couldn’t read.

Everyone had turned to look at him, but he seemed entirely at ease. I wished I could borrow a little of that composure.

He passed my desk, close enough for me to catch the clean scent of soap and fresh linen on his clothes, and sat beside me. I stared at my notebook as though I’d been studying it all along, not bothering with the fact that I was recently exposed.

“Miss Hamilton,” Ms. Grey said, adjusting her glasses, “since the outdoors has held your attention this morning, you can earn some extra credit by helping Mr. Creed learn his way around the school. Understood?”

Of course. Getting caught daydreaming was embarrassing enough; now I had to interact with someone.

“Yes, ma’am,” I reluctantly responded.

“Excellent. Let’s begin today’s lesson. I hope you’ll be joining us this time.”

“Perhaps,” I muttered, too quietly for her to hear.

I opened my book and, for the first time that morning, finally managed to leave the window alone.

•°❀°•°❃• After Class •❃°•°❀°•

By the time the bell rang, I was already rehearsing what to say to Mr. Creed, or whatever his name is.

Most days I barely had the energy for my own routine: school, home, work on weekends and repeat. Now Ms. Grey expected me to give someone a tour of the part I liked least.

I slipped my books into my bag, taking longer than I needed to.

“You can’t sit around staring out a window all day, wishing someone would come along and give you a purpose in life.”

I looked up. A girl from our class stood beside my desk. Her dark hair fell around her face, bangs just above a pair of eyes so blue they almost looked gray. I’d seen her sitting with a book plenty of times, but we’d never had a conversation.

Apparently, she had been paying me attention, I hadn’t noticed.

“I wasn’t…”

“Don’t.” Her voice was sharp enough to stop me.

“As long as you have life, you should be living it. You think about everything and do nothing. What a waste.”

She started away, then said under her breath, “Some people don’t get another chance.”

I watched her go, seemingly speechless.

She didn’t know me well enough to say any of that, and yet the last part had sounded painfully personal.

I couldn’t decide whether I was angry at her or worried about her.

The new kid was still at his desk. If he’d heard us, he gave no sign.

Ms. Grey, meanwhile, was watching from the front of the room. Her look said she hadn’t forgotten my assignment.

I took a breath and faced him. “I guess I’m giving you the grand tour. Unless you’d like me to fail my extra credit assignment,” I stated with a hint of sarcasm.

He stood, picked up his bag, and followed me without an answer.

I took him past every classroom on his schedule, pointed out the cafeteria and nurse’s office, and explained which hallways were quickest between classes. I told him where the boys’ restrooms were, which was information I had never expected to deliver out loud. Every moment of silence made me add another detail.

Soon I was talking about everything from lunch lines to how to find the library.

He listened. At least I thought he did. Whenever I glanced over, those reddish-brown eyes were on me, but he offered so little in return that I couldn’t tell whether I was helping or wearing him out.

By lunchtime we’d covered most of the school.

Our schedules will take us in different directions so we decided to break off until afterschool, and I was relieved to stop hearing myself talk.

The girl with the dark hair wasn’t in the cafeteria when we passed through. I caught myself looking for her anyway.

I ate outside with the lunch I’d made at home: a turkey and cheese sandwich, and a bag of chips. The air was cool, and I had the table to myself.

Usually that suited me.

Today I kept hearing that girl’s words and wondering what had made her say them.

•°❀°•°❃• After School •❃°•°❀°•

“Sorry, I never got your first name,” I said when I caught up with the new student outside.

Dark clouds had gathered over the school. I’d hurried after him so we could finish the exterior part of the tour before the rain came, though he didn’t seem worried about the weather at all.

“Mason.”

“Right. I’m…”

“Savannah.”

I stopped. “How did you know?”

He kept walking.

I hurried to stay beside him. “Hello?”

Suddenly it occured to me Ms. Grey most likely said my name in class. I’d been too distracted to notice.

Still, he could have just said that.

“Are you just going to ignore me?” I asked.

“Shh.” He put a finger to his lips.

I stared at him. “Excuse me? You don’t get to shush me!”

“Bothersome,” he muttered, burying his hands in his hoodie pockets.

For someone who’d hardly said a word all day, he knew how to get under my skin.

I could feel myself bristling, more than the comment deserved.

It reminded me of how easily I’d let other people’s silence make me feel undeserving. I drew a breath to answer him, but the first drops of rain struck the pavement between us.

Within seconds, the sky opened up. Mason broke into a run.

Without a second thought, I ran behind him.

“How did I end up in this?” I cried out through the rain. “I could be home eating cup noodles!”

“Maybe if you paid attention in class, you wouldn’t have needed extra credit,” he called back.

He dodged a puddle with very little effort and looked over his shoulder with a smirk.

“Nobody asked for your opinion!” I retorted.

I could hear him laughing, this unfiltered hearty laugh that sounded like it came from somewhere deep inside him.

I tried to keep my annoyed expression, but he kept glancing back and making hand signs until I broke and laughed too.

The rain felt cold against my arms, my shoes were soaked, and I had no idea where we were going. Somehow, I was having fun.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed like that.

I wondered if this was what people meant when they told me to go out and live a little. Maybe they didn’t mean anything grand.

Maybe they meant running through the rain with someone who made life feel a little less miserable.

We stopped in front of a massive brown-brick house, the largest house on the block. I bent over, catching my breath. “Where. Are. We?” I said between breaths.

“My house.”

I realized I’d followed Mason all the way home. That thought sobered me quickly. I barely knew him. He was a transfer student I’d met that morning, and now we were standing on his doorstep, both of us dripping wet.

“I should go,” I said sheepishly.

Instead of answering, Mason opened the door and held it for me. Rain poured off the roof behind us. I hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside once I heard thunder and saw strikes of lightning.

Inside the foyer was warm. Water ran from my sleeves and gathered on the floor. For a moment we stood close together, still breathing hard from the run.

When I looked up, he was looking at me. My heartbeat, which had only just begun to slow, picked up again. Then his gaze dropped to my hands.

“You’re shivering,” he observed. “I’ll get you a towel.”

I glanced back at the door.

I’d come in to escape the rain, but being in a near-stranger’s house was another matter. He’d been kind, though I still knew almost nothing about him other than the fact that he’s in my class.

I needed a moment to decide whether to leave or not.

“It’s pouring,” Mason said, following my look. “And dark. You should wait until it eases up.” He took off his shoes and moved farther into the house, leaving the choice to me.

Through the glass, I could barely make out the pavement under the rain.

Going back out now would mean another long, soaked walk to the bus stop and waiting for the next one to come.

I mean, I guess I could just leave when the storm passed.

I slipped off my shoes and followed him all the way inside, curious about the boy who’d been silent all morning and laughing with me by afternoon.