"Wherever your soul was before, mine was there too." - Hira
He's Jackson. But he's also:
Daniel.
Theodore.
Nathan.
Nicholas.
Zachary.
She's Aaliyah. But she's also:
Grace.
Kathryn.
Jessica.
Amaya.
Eve.
It's the same story every time. They meet, they...
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Jackson raised his hand in the air, catching everyone's attention as they noticed that they had a new boy in their midst. He slowly lowered his hand down and tried to ignore their stares.
He absolutely hated being the new guy.
Not knowing anyone in a school where it's obvious everyone's being going to school with each other since first grade, sucks. And he was absolutely dreading lunch, which was next period. He didn't want to eat alone like a loser but also....he was hungry.
He hadn't made any new friends yet, and although a couple of girls have decided upon themselves to introduce themselves to him, he had a feeling they had a more superficial reason of speaking to him than a genuine one. The only person he really connected with today, was the Aaliyah girl from second period chemistry.
She was a beautiful as her famous namesake once was, and seemed very sweet from the moment he met her. And he even noticed she was a bit popular among everyone in their grade from the way she smiled and waved at almost everyone that passed by. Maybe being her friend wouldn't be that much of a bad thing.
But as much as Jackson wanted to keep things platonic, there was just something on the inside that kept bothering him, but he wasn't sure what. So instead of trying to figure out what that was, he just pushed it aside and made his way to the courtyard so he could get to the cafeteria. He looked around and watched as everyone reunited with their friends to talk about their summer.
Meanwhile, he was all alone.
He made his way inside the cafeteria to see what they were serving so he could decide whether he would eat there or wait till he got home. As he patiently waited in line, he curiously looked around, trying to get familiar with his surroundings, his eyes caught sight on Aaliyah waking in with another girl by her side. They looked like they were engrossed in a serious conversation and him being, well new, he didn't want to intrude. So he decided to mind his business, and eat his lunch alone.
But as soon as he grabbed his slice of pizza, he started making towards where her and her friend were sitting, since quite honestly, he didn't want to eat alone.
So much for "minding your business".
Her friend was the first to spot him as her eyes flickered over to him and brighten as soon as she saw him. She leaned in a little closer and said something, probably warning her about his incoming intrusion. They both looked up at him now, Aaliyah smiling kindly up at him and her friend curiously looking at him.
"Jackson, hey!" Aaliyah instantly greeted him warmly, making him feel more welcomed than he's felt the entire day.
"Hey...I️ hope you don't mind if I️ sit with you?" He asked. "It's just...I️ don't know anyone else so-"
Suddenly, a handsome black male makes an appearance, swooping in and stealing the chair next to her that Jackson was considering sitting in. "What's up baby girl?" He said to her, pressing a quick kiss on her lips. Aaliyah almost couldn't keep up with his quick moments and inked back a bit in surprise. The boy, presumably her boyfriend, then looked up at him with a wary look in his eye. "Who's this?" He nods right at him.
