I enter the cafeteria and try to find an empty table. Scanning the big room which is packed with students, my eyes come to rest at a small table-for-two at a corner of the room. I hurry up to the counter, grab my lunch tray and rush to the table, hoping it isn't already occupied by someone else.

Thankfully, there's still no one there. I quickly sit down and start munching on my burger. Mmm...it's really tasty and creamy. I do like the burger of our school cafeteria, it's always so delicious, especially with the creamy and cheesy layers inside...

I close my eyes and relish each and every bite. Suddenly, I feel as if someone just came in front of me, and I open my eyes to see a boy my own age sliding into the seat across me.

Keeping his tray on the table, he flashes me a wide toothy grin and says, "Hey! Mind if I sit here? My name's Ned, by the way."

"Umm...sure, you can sit here. I'm Ashlee. Nice to meet you, Ned." I reply.

"Glad to meet you too, Ashlee," Ned smiles.

Well, I don't interact much with my classmates, especially boys, and I don't know what to say further, so I just smile back in return and go back to concentrating on my half-eaten burger.

For the next two minutes, we're both silent, chewing through our burgers and sipping the fruit juice. Then...

"So, are you new? Never seen you before."

I say at the exact same moment he says...

"I'm new to this school, joined today itself." And we both burst out laughing at the coincidence.

Trying to make some conversation, and break through the awkward silence that had settled, I ask, "Which are your classes?"

"I've got Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Creative Writing and Astronomy. And you?"

"I've got Maths, Creative writing and Astronomy too! Apart from that, I have History and Photography." I say, before finishing my burger.

"Cool...this school sure has some interesting subjects." Ned says.

"Yeah, I agree..." After gulping down my juice, I add, "So, Ned, see you in Maths class, then. " I say, getting up. The bell is about to ring. "Bye."

As I start moving toward the trash can to deposit my empty tray inside, I hear Ned calling after me, "Uh, Ashlee? Wait a second!" He reaches the trash can, dumps his tray, then faces me, just as the bell rings.

"Sorry, but I don't know the way to Maths class. So if you'd let me come with you..."

"Oh, right. How could I forget that." So stupid of me not to have offered that myself earlier. "Sure, come on."

With me leading the way, we arrive in the locker area and I stop by mine to take out my book and a notebook. When I've closed the door of my locker, I see Ned standing on my left side, leaning on the locker next to mine, with his book and a writing pad already in his hands.

I raise my eyebrows. "That was fast!"

He shrugs and grins, then jerks his left thumb toward the locker he's leaning on, and says, "My locker is right here, so it wasn't that fast even."

"Oh," I say, and smile a little.

But it's strange, though. This locker did not belong to anyone since the time I came here--that was four years ago--but now, it seemed, it had been finally allotted to a student.

I look at my watch, and realize with shock that only a minute is left before the late bell rings! I look at Ned, who's still staring at me with a small smile, and I gesture him to come on with a nod of my head before walking away briskly in the direction of the class. He catches up easily, and we hurriedly make our way to the class.

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Picture above isn't owned by me, but would be close as to how I imagine Ashlee to look like. Of course, everyone forms a different image of a character while reading a story, so feel free to disagree with Ashlee's look as portrayed in this picture. :P :D

Votes/Comments, or both please!! ☺

EDIT: Pic changed to one of actress McKaley Miller's as Ashlee. :D

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