_I'm Aleinia, and this... this is the beginning of that story…
It was a suffocatingly hot summer, just before I entered sixth grade.
That day, my sister and I went to an English center. After I finished a placement test, I stepped outside to wait for my results. While standing there, a cousin of mine, Liana, arrived with a boy—her friend, who also studied at the center. I later found out he had started studying there even before her.
That was the first time I saw him.
Liana and I are the same age. Back when we were little, we called each other by traditional family titles, but once we grew older, we just spoke like normal friends.
When she spotted me, she ran over to say hi.
Maybe because she greeted me so naturally, the boy looked up too—and our eyes met for the first time. Just a brief glance, though. He quickly looked away.
My first impression of him? He was tall. So tall that I actually thought he might be in eighth grade. Or at least sixth. When I learned we were the same age, I was... kinda jealous of his height, honestly.
His face? Decently handsome at first glance. But when I looked closer, I noticed his acne—it was the puberty kind, and pretty noticeable.
To be honest, from my "refined" aesthetic standards at the time, he looked... average. I won't say he looked rural or anything, but yeah... I wasn't much better-looking myself back then:).
About five minutes later, the teacher came out with our graded tests.
I wasn't good at English. I had guessed a bunch of answers since I couldn't remember or didn't even know most of them.
The class I wanted to join—same one as Liana—wasn't some beginner class either. It was an advanced one.
When he handed me my paper, the teacher looked over his glasses and said:
"I thought you were in eighth or ninth grade, which is why I gave you this test. Otherwise, you should've taken a different one. You didn't get basic questions right but somehow got advanced ones correct? You must've guessed. This class is beyond your level. But if you insist on joining, that's your choice."
...He gave a little smirk, like I wasn't worth the trouble.
I looked down and stayed silent. I mean, he wasn't wrong. I had guessed a lot.
Honestly, I was ready to leave and go study somewhere else. But for some reason, I said nothing... and stayed. Maybe it was because Liana, my sister, and even he were all going to be in that class.
Later, the teacher spoke with my mom. He said I was weak in vocabulary and suggested I move down a level.
Still, he let me and my sister sit in and observe that day's class.
As soon as we stepped into the room, every pair of eyes turned toward us. Curious, questioning, maybe even a little judging.
First impressions? The class was small but crowded. There were maybe 35 to 40 students, but only six tables. Each table sat three people—maybe four if they squeezed.
Anyone without a seat had to grab a stool and just sit somewhere. No desk.
That day was a test review session, so the teacher just went over answers.
I tried to focus on the lesson and didn't pay much attention to him. I only barely noticed that he was sitting next to a tall, decent-looking guy. After that? I forgot about him for the rest of class.
After the lesson, the teacher pulled my mom aside again.
He said I was weak, but my sister—who was in the English team at school—had no issues.
Truth is, my vocabulary was bad. And honestly, I had no idea how to fix it.
The teacher told us to go home, think about whether I wanted to stay in this class or drop to a lower one, and message him afterward.
I nodded. My sister and I got into the car and went home.
As for him... someone came to pick him up right after class.
So we didn't talk that day either.
…..