The high school campus itself was an expansive concrete-and-brick structure spanning several blocks. From the smooth asphalt of the parking lot, Jane could see barely-filled classrooms through rows of glass windows. To her left stood the axis of the campus, a nexus of grass and concrete with a statue of some long forgotten hero at the center.

Very continental.

The mustached bus driver shut off his engine with a final sigh of exhaust.

"You'll be late, kiddo," he called from the driver-side window.

Jane breathed in, held it, then exhaled.

Her stomach was in knots as it always was, here, in this place. The worst part was always the fear beforehand. The fear of descending into a sea of people.

She took slow, deliberate steps through the mostly empty parking lot, carefully avoiding eye-contact with any of the stragglers that still remained.

The arching double doors were painted a muted red, with frosted glass inlaid at head height. Beyond, she could see the misty shapes of dozens of people, going about their daily lives.

Pushing her way through the heavy doors, she was suddenly barraged by the sound of hundreds of conversations echoing throughout the hallway. Metallic blue lockers lined the walls, vertical pairs with the occasional personal touch of its owner. Stickers, band posters, and crude marker drawings that the janitorial staff had missed.

The floor was polished marble, reflecting the too-bright light of the ceiling bulbs. A pair of students bumped into Jane, turning to whisper apologies without stopping their walk.

If one cared to notice, they would see that there were few students that walked alone. It was common place to see them clumped together, as if they were afraid of the mere idea of being on their lonesome. Even the kids too strange to fit in with regular company had formed their own mismatched group, chattering amongst themselves. Jane found herself searching the throngs of people for a red jacket and a pair of piercing green eyes.

She shook her head.

A bell rang shrilly overhead, signaling that there were five minutes until classes officially began. The clamor of students redoubled in volume as conversations came to hurried ends. Footsteps rushed around Jane.

The school, with its labyrinthine hallways, was a mess to navigate if one had not yet drawn a mental map of the place. Jane was quickly realizing she had taken a wrong turn somewhere, and the hallways were emptying as fast as they had filled.

Even if she could, somehow, summon the courage to ask for directions from someone, the few teenagers that were straggling behind were rushing towards their destinations as the school bell rang. It didn't seem like they would stop to help the weird new girl.

Jane was running out of options, and it was unsettling her. The lights seemed all too bright, the humming of the vents a sudden mocking laughter.

She hated it here so, so much. She wished she were back in her room.

She stopped her aimless wandering, the lines of lockers and glass-pane embedded doors appearing to stretch on forever. How did anyone find their way around this place?

A sudden mass bumped into her, nearly tipping her over. A single hand caught her under the shoulder as she fell forward, her arms extending to reflexively catch herself. Luckily, she never needed to, as the hand gripped her with surprising strength, preventing her from touching the ground.

Jane spun around, the hand flying from its spot beneath her arm. She wasn't quite sure what it was that she intended to do, once she faced whoever had barged into her, but it would have been intense. A profound expulsion of heated curses, or even the scathing glare of an annoyed cat. Absolutely.

Instead, she found her breath catching in her throat as she looked up into the same pair of emerald eyes from the bus. The same eyes that had dominated her laptop screen for weeks. An apologetic flash of white teeth sat below them.

Ryder ran his fingers through his hair, crimson jacket straining over his ample shoulders. His smile was one of apology, and sheepishness.

"Oh! I'm really sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," Ryder exclaimed.

Beneath the shock of seeing the boy she had been cyber-stalking for months, as well as the quickly fading indignation of being knocked over, Jane realized they were the only two people still left in the hall. He would have to be completely blind to have walked into her by accident.

"I- you..." Jane sputtered out like a particularly ineloquent bird.

Ryder watched her patiently for a moment, expecting her to attempt to finish her sentence. She did not.

Jane wasn't prepared to speak to him in person. Not yet, and certainly not like this. God, she was wearing a two-day old hoodie.

"Uh- are you okay? Do you want me to get the nurse?" he asked.

The voice in Jane's head was insulting her oratory abilities, only further tying her tongue.

Ryder's tone seemed concerned, but his eyes held more of a detached curiosity than anything. As if she were fascinating in a foreign, exotic way.

Jane shut her mouth, abandoning any attempts at speech. Instead, she shook her head.

Ryder nodded at that, though he still seemed teeming with curiosity. "Alright, that's good. Still, I'm super sorry."

"It's... okay," Jane was surprised at the sound of her own voice. It sounded higher-pitched than it usually was.

"What are you doing back here, anyway? This just leads to the auditorium."

Jane blinked. She had forgotten entirely about her class, and how late she was for it. Forgotten about almost anything, except for the way Ryder's throat moved as he talked. She dearly wished he wouldn't stop tal-

She blinked again, mentally forcing the thoughts away. "I'm a little lost."

"Oh yeah, I guess you don't know your way around yet, do you?" Ryder said, placing one hand in his pocket.

Jane narrowed her eyes. Did he know she was new to Alexander? How? The town wasn't that small.

"Here, give me your number, I'll give you the campus map," said Ryder as he withdrew his phone. It was so large that it caught the edge of his belt.

Jane, unthinkingly, took Ryder's phone and input her own number. Her anxiety momentarily gave way to the realization that Ryder Jackson had just asked her for her number.

This idea sent her mind into a washing-machine spin of emotions and questions. She did her best to tamp it down as Ryder fiddled with a message he was sending her. The buzz of her own cell phone in her pocket startled her from whatever was left of her worrying thoughts.

"Okay! There, that should work." Ryder was smiling at her. Jane smiled back, or, at least, did her best to. She imagined it more resembled an animal's baring of fangs than anything else.

"Thanks," Jane said, afraid speaking anything longer would only lead to further stuttering.

"But hey, the principals about to call an auditorium assembly. Why don't you just stick around instead?" Ryder said.

Jane glanced at the time on her phone. Nearly thirty minutes late for her class. It would probably be better to skip altogether.

"Yeah... I think I will."

The boy nodded, still smiling. He indicated a door to their side with a finger. "That'll lead to the auditorium."

Sheepishly, Jane found herself returning the smile. "Thanks again, Ryder."

"You're welcome," he replied.

For a moment, they stood, neither wanting to end the conversation, but also unsure of what to say. The butterflies in Jane's stomach continued their hurricane-dance.

"Ryder," a booming voice called from the other end of the hall.

A familiar face poked out from a set of doors, brow stern and lips thin.

"Dad," Ryder said, smile freezing in place. It looked plastic, hollow.

"We need to rehearse. Come inside." It was not a request, but a command.

Jane found herself immediately disliking the man. What sort of dad spoke to their child as if he were a dog?

Ryder glanced back at Jane, smile dissipating. For a moment, he looked weary. His shoulders slumped with exhaustion.

"I guess I'll catch you around, Jane," he said, striding purposefully towards the stage doors.

It was only later, seated alone in the auditorium, that Jane realized she'd never told him her name.