Cleo's curls blew behind her hair as she rides her bike down the pier. It was her second year at Newport since moving there with her family. She was on her way to the local comic bookstore that she usually visits. Once the summer was over, Cleo was going to transfer from Newport Union High School and start her sophomore year at Harbor private school in order to explore better educational opportunities. The idea of moving to a new environment was already a little daunting, but she was confident that she would handle the change in scenery.
When she went inside the comic store, Cleo was eyeing a recent issue of X-Men that had released not too long ago. She approached the shelf when a boy with curly dark hair reached for the same book. The two of them reached for it again, simultaneously. Cleo tried to speak, but they did so at the same time, making it awkward. She could tell that he must've been eager to get the new book. "Forget it", Cleo muttered before walking away.

"You know what? You can have it", the boy sighed, causing her to stop in her tracks. To her, he seemed a little disappointed to make the decision, but though as if he knew that she wanted it too.

"Are you sure?", Cleo asked. "You seem like you really wanted it".

"Yeah, but you might need it more than I do".

She took it from the shelf and went to the front desk. After she brought it, Cleo sat on a bench outside the store, reading it when the boy approached her and sat on the other side of the bench. "Hey, um, I'm sorry about earlier", he said. "I just get really passionate about comics".

"No worries", she replied, keeping her eyes on the pages.

"You know, I didn't really think I'd find you here."

"Why? Because I'm a girl?", she asked.

"No, I mean, like, I've never met any girls around here that were interested in that kind of stuff".

"You'd be surprised", she said. She didn't think she blamed him, considering that half of the girls in Orange County were interested in to getting tans, designer clothes, and boys. Cleo wasn't sure about the boy's intentions, but she hoped that she wasn't trying to flirt with her after almost debating over a comic book.

"I'm Seth,by the way", he said.

"I'm Cleo", she replied.

In that moment, she realized that she never had a conversation with someone that lasted beyond two words. Cleo always preferred to keep to herself and only had small interactions with other kids her age. It was partially because she had fake friends in the past and refused to let herself go through it again. As they continued to talk, she started to learn more about Seth. She eventually found out that he also attends Harbor.

"So, you're an X-Men fan, huh?", Seth asked.

"Yep", Cleo showed him the X-Men badge on her backpack.

"Okay, be honest. Which one is better, the first X-Men or X2?"

"X2. It's a sequel so there was a lot more action in it".

"You make a good point", Seth said, impressed by her response. "So, here's what I was thinking-maybe, I can show you some of my other comics and you can show me yours."

"I think I like that idea", Cleo nodded her head.