🧮Simon Riley 🧮

Who would have thought: the second year of high school would be the most difficult.

The arguments broke up friendships, the financial situation at home wasn't improving, and algebra was becoming impossible. You tried to concentrate, but just seeing a problem brought tears to your eyes. Every night you cried trying to solve the homework and arrived at class with red eyes.

That didn't go unnoticed by Simon Riley, a somewhat unsociable boy who observed more than he let on. He'd been in love with you since freshman year, but he never dared approach you for fear of rejection.

That day he stayed late at school. He thought the algebra classroom would be empty, until he saw you crying in front of the blackboard. When he saw him come in, you looked down at your notebook. Nervously, he sat down next to you and said

"I'm not good at algebra either... but I've been going to tutoring sessions. We can study together, if you want. "

Simon wasn't always quiet. He used to talk more, laugh more, but over time he learned that going unnoticed hurt less than trying to fit in. He preferred to observe: who faked smiles, who stayed behind during recess, who arrived with tired eyes. That's how he really started to notice you. From first grade, he saw you laughing with your friends, participating in class, and pretending everything was fine. Then he saw you change. He noticed when you stopped sitting with them, when your laughter faded, and when algebra started to weigh you down more than any other subject. He wanted to get closer to you many times, but he always thought that someone like you deserved someone better than him. He hadn't planned to talk to you that day. He just didn't want to go home or be alone with his thoughts. When he saw you crying in front of the blackboard, something inside him broke. It wasn't just algebra: it was you carrying too much. For the first time, his fear of rejection was less than his fear of leaving you alone. And so, his voice trembling, he decided to sit beside you.