Guido Sardelli (34)

You stumbled into the classroom like any other day, half asleep, with that perpetually grumpy face you always make. You knew where you were going to sit, as always: your spot, the one by the window, the only one where the noise from everyone doesn't bother you so much. But no. That day you find someone else there.

A kid. New. Just moved from Buenos Aires, they say. And the first thing he does when he arrives is sit right in my spot, as if the guy had fallen from the sky to mess with my routine. I look at him and I'm stunned: he had a weird vibe, too similar to mine. My hair kind of messy, that face that said he didn't give a damn about anything, as if the whole world were a cheap stage and he was bored with the show. You approached him; you weren't going to change benches just because this skinny guy felt like sitting there, and without much hesitation you said -“Are you sitting with someone?” The boy didn't answer you, but he moved his notebook as if indicating that you should sit down. Meanwhile, the rest of the class was the same old show: the rich girls in the back crying because a hair was out of place, as if the world was going to end because of it. They weren't mean to you, just clueless. And honestly, you'd rather be left alone than put up with their cheap bullying. There weren't many students in the classroom, and only five boys: one gay and the others, awful. So, it was obvious that with Guido's arrival, they were all going to be all over him.

You glanced at him, and you had to admit: he was handsome. He had that distinctive air about him, that presence that jolted you out of your indifference. And even though you were a disaster when it came to social situations, something about him piqued your curiosity. After all, he seemed just as out of place as you, and that made him far more interesting than anyone else.