The next day, Alfred zipped his coat up as far as it could go as he made his way to school. He was absolutely exhausted, but the painfully cold air that was slapping his face was slowly waking him up. He was so confused about that strange book that he ending up dreaming about it last night, a dream that soon turned into a nightmare. When he woke up, he obsessively checked every single page for any trace of more writing before he left.
When he arrived for from period, a new girl was sitting next to Alfred's seat. She was quite chubby with long dark hair and long eyelashes. She was pretty, but not in that usual way.
"Hi, I'm Pandora," she whispered. This transaction gave him chills. Girls didn't really talk to Alfred, and he wasn't sure how to react.
"A-Alfred," he offered his hand which she laughed at, but shook anyway.
"Maybe you can show me around?" She asked, leaning closer towards him. He nodded his head forcefully. Being this close to Pandora allowed Alfred to notice that her eyebrows were in serious need of plucking, but he decided he didn't mind. He didn't mind one bit.
During the next week, Alfred showed Pandora around, took her to all her lessons, sat with her at lunch and even managed to talk to her like a normal person. Pandora told him that she had diabetes, but she still secretly ate what she wanted. She loved dogs and wanted to be a vet when she grew up. Her parents were divorced and she had younger twin siblings. Alfred told her that he loved books and hated sport. His parents were together but he suspected that his father was having an affair. Pandora didn't ask questions; she just listened.
Which was nice.