The school hallways were silenced in minutes. The doors opened and he stepped in.

Damien Sanders. The girls giggled as he brushed past them.

Damien Sanders. The boys bumped fists with him, smiling and laughing.

Damien Sanders. The cutest boy in school.

Damien Sanders. From the day she saw him, Ella fell hopelessly in love with him.

Ella Henderson. 'The Quiet Girl'. The day they started calling her that, she knew all hopes of love between him and her vanished.

She stared at him dreamily as he walked to his locker and fumbled with the lock. The hallways still quiet; he grabbed his books and hurried to his class. In his hurry, he dropped a little piece of paper, which floated lightly onto the floor. Ella bent down and picked it up. On it were the words, 'Meet me outside after school.' She sighed. Another fangirl.

She turned and saw Damien rushing down the hall, ignorant to the girls cooing over him.

"Damien! Wait!" she cried, but he didn't hear. "You dropped this…" He was gone. Ella tucked the note inside her jeans pocket and made a mental note to remember to give it back later on. She dropped her gaze and made her way to class.

•

The bell rung, signaling the end of first period. Ella rushed out into the hallways, looking for Damien. She saw a guy from her English class, James, and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, have you seen Damien? I'm looking for him…"

"Pah. Who isn't?" he spat and strolled away.

Ella stepped back, confused at her friend's reaction, then shrugged it off. She scanned the hallways again. There. She walked up to him.

"Umm, hi, Damien…"

"Look, if it's about a date or something, I'm not interested. Sorry." he said.

"No, no, it's nothing of that sort."

"Oh?"

"You dropped this this morning," she told him, handing him the slip of paper. "I saw it and tried to call you back, but you didn't hear me."

"Oh. Well, thanks." he said. He read the note. "Hey, you…"

"What is it?"

He looked at her. "Umm, oh, nothing. Nothing. Thanks again. Err... Ella, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Ella."

He grinned back. "So… I'll see you round?"

"See ya'."

As soon as he turned his back on her she collapsed in a fit of giggles. It wasn't like her, but she couldn't help it. Damien talked to me. Me! The Quiet Girl!

~Jo