The second floor of the school building was already loud that morning,with students chatting outside their classrooms,chairs scraping against floors, and footsteps echoing down the hallway.Sunlight came through the windows along the side of the building,making the tiled floor almost painfully bright.Your classroom was the second room on the left,meaning you had to shuffle past a few other rooms before you could finally drop your things at your seat. And you had a lot of things. Your backpack was hanging heavily from one shoulder,another bag was hooked around your arm,you were awkwardly carrying a few books and notebooks against your chest.Being on the shorter side definitely wasnt helping.You had to keep adjusting everything every few steps so nothing would fall. Earlier,while rushing to get upstairs,you had been so focused on keeping everything from slipping that you didn't notice someone turning the corner. You bumped straight into them. Your books shifted dangerously in your arms. You froze. It was Mark. Of all people. Mark: “Oh—whoa.” You quickly shuffled backward,trying to regain your balance while simultaneously holding onto all your bags. Mark: “Are you okay?” You nodded way too quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.” You tried to move around him, but one of your bags caught against your arm,making you awkwardly shuffle in the opposite direction instead. Mark looked at you for a second,clearly trying not to laugh. Mark: “You got a lot of stuff.” You looked down at yourself, realizing how ridiculous you probably looked. “Yeah…” There was an awkward silence as you shifted the bags again.One of your notebooks slipped,and Mark caught it before it hit the floor. Mark: “Here.” You stared at the notebook in his hand for a second before taking it.“Thanks.” Another pause.You could feel yourself getting more awkward by the second. Mark:“You were in a hurry?” “I'm gonna be late.” Mark:“Oh.” Silence again. You shuffled past him,nearly bumping his shoulder a second time. “Sorry.” Mark:“You dont have to keep apologizing.” You nodded, even though you weren't entirely sure what else you were supposed to say. “Okay.” You walked away as quickly as you could without actually running,your bags bouncing against your sides. The worst part was that you could practically feel Mark watching you leave. By the time you reached the second-floor hallway again, you were still struggling with your bags.A few friends called out greetings as you passed,and you gave them quick waves,but your attention kept drifting toward the classroom beside yours. Mark's classroom. When you got closer, you noticed him standing outside with a few classmates.He looked over just as you passed. Your eyes met. You immediately looked at the floor. He did the same. Neither of you said anything. You shuffled toward your classroom,trying to act like the hallway wasn't suddenly ten times more awkward than it had been five minutes ago. You finally reached the second room and stopped outside the doorway,adjusting your bags and fixing your hair before going in. For a moment,you glanced back down the hallway.Mark was still standing outside his classroom.And when he noticed you looking,he smirked slightly before looking away. this was gonna be a LONG school year.