I remember there was a time when I was alone. That large portion of my life was darkness, almost like a dark room that I was in the middle of. I always tried to search in that dark room for some kind of exit, something, anything. But then the light appeared, and that source of light was none other than a boy. The first time I met him it was when I was playing in the backyard with my dog, we had been playing chase. But quickly something caught her attention and she ran into the bushes making me pout. "Sunny, come here Sunny. Mom said I can't let you get into the bushes, you always dig something up come here." I frowned as Sunny came out of the bush wagging tail and a ball in her mouth. "Where on earth did you get that." I reached out and took the ball from Sunny and groaned as I tried to shake off the ball because of how slimy it was.

"God Sunny, where did you even find this? Mom literally never gives you tennis balls because of how crazy you go over them." I chuckled as I looked at Sunny who was twirling in a circle and barking at me wanting me to throw the ball. "Ok alright, fine just one throw alright" I grinned as I brought my arm back and threw the ball and Sunny ran right after it.

"Hey! That wasn't your's!" I turned towards the voice and frowned as I came face to face with my neighbor. I crossed my arms and raised a brow, "Really I don't believe that-" "It literally just went over the fence what are you talking about." I sighed and looked at the boy "Listen unless you can prove that it was your ball then I won't be giving it back to you." "Listen it is my ball! I literally tried to hit you- shit." I scoffed "Unbelievable you tried to hit me with it!" "Hey! Don't act like I'm the bad guy, what the hell" the boy scoffed as he turned around. I sighed and whistled as Sunny came over to me and dropped the ball at my feet. I bent down and picked it up then immediately threw it at the boy "There you got your ball back happy?" The boy held the ball in his hand reluctantly mumbling "It's all slimy now, what the hell."

I sighed and looked at him "Listen, there isn't much that I can do about it you know. It's really your fault that you threw it into the yard of a dog owner." "Well, maybe I wanted to tell you to stop being so loud, is that so unbelievable?" I laughed as I looked at him "by what? Hitting me with the ball and then what?" He raised a brow as he looked at me and mumbled "What do you mean?" I sighed and walked closer to him, "I think that you should be owing me an apology as well."

"Only if you properly owe me one for your dog slobbering the ball in the first place." I huffed and mumbled, "Fine, I'm sorry for Sunny taking your ball, and well Slobbering all over it." I rolled my eyes as he smirked and then nodded saying "Alrighty, well I am sorry for throwing the ball over in an attempt to hit you." I nodded as he finished and turned around to continue playing with Sunny until I heard him clear his throat. I turned towards him seeing his cheeky smile as he held out a hand and said: "I'm Sebastian, I really am sorry for all the trouble I caused can we perhaps start on a new foot?" I looked at him confused, but sighed after a moment and held my hand out "Fine. I'm Aliyah, it's nice to meet you Sebastian, and hopefully get to know the real you." I watched as he grinned nodding his head and saying "Same to you!" then he was gone, but that wasn't the last time that I saw him, it was just the beginning.

After coming over to my house and playing with me in the backyard for months, the time passed and soon enough we were heading into 7th grade. I couldn't believe it when I walked into class and Sebastian was there, but he was in the back reading a book. I tried to keep my head down and sit in the front corner, a usual spot in many of my classes. That was until I heard him call me "Hey Ali! Come sit back here with me." I sighed and looked up at him and sent a shy smile before walking over to him. While I was used to his company at home, I never really saw him last year or years before in school.

I also just kept to myself, because I didn't know if I was bothering people, and I guess I was just shy. I looked up as Sebastian touched my arm breaking me out of my trance and making me realize I was already seated next to him. "Hey, are you ok?" I looked at him and nodded slowly, but I felt something was wrong my chest felt tight. I took a breath of air which felt shallow and I tried to look away from Sebastian's concerned face as I tried to calm down.

I never understood why this happened to me in such big areas, or around a lot of people I always felt so different alone and with Sebastian or my family. I continued to take a shallow breath but it didn't seem to be working. I jumped and gasped as something touched my hand, I turned to look at Sebastian who still seemed worried, but there was also embarrassment. "Hey, it's ok to give me your hand, you can squeeze my hand. Like uh- oh remember that time you were worried cause your parents had to take Sunny to the vet? Squeeze my hand like you did when you were really nervous back then ok?"

I looked at his outstretched hand nervously, I kept taking these shallow breath's before I nodded slowly and grabbed his hand squeezing it tightly. I felt some of the stress come off my shoulders but was still panicking about my breath control now, I felt my body come close to the table and soon enough my head was resting against it. I felt something on top of me and realized that Sebastian had put his jacket over me as a form of privacy, which oddly helped. I felt my breath coming back, but I worried about class and what the teacher would say.

I jumped as the bell rang I quickly released Sebastian's hand, he just grabbed it again and gave it a tight squeeze before letting go. I heard his chair move and then steps lead away and I poked out from under the jacket watching as he walked to the teacher who was walking in with copies. I watched as the two talked and then Sebastian pointed towards me making me hide back under and not see the rest. I started taking deep breath's again making sure that I wouldn't go into panic again. I heard footsteps approach and then someone sat back down in Sebastian's seat making me poke out slightly. As I poked out I saw Sebastian's face close to mine making me flush and I turned away whispering "what did you tell the teacher?"

Sebastian smiled "I just told him your having a bit of a rough day, an to try not to call you out. He said I would have to fill you in since today is the first day and a lot of rules and stuff too which I said I don't mind. Do you know why?" I looked at Sebastian confused at his question as he smiled and whispered "We already practically live at one another's house, so we can just spend time not playing and I can tutor-" I punched his arm gently and glared at him mumbling "I don't need a tutor, I can do things myself."

"Ok, that's all right. But I'm still heading over to your house like always. I mean Sunny would probably try to escape like that time I was going to go to science camp for a week." I rolled my eyes a smile on my face as I crawled out of the jacket a bit having it rest on my shoulders. "I still believe you taught her that because you didn't want to go to a science camp," I smirked as he looked away and I knew that I had won the argument. I sighed as I hugged the jacket closer to me liking the comfort it brought as I took out some of my notebooks to catch up on notes.

"You know, I didn't want to go to science camp. I really wanted to go to music camp but my mom is so adamant about me learning something-" "Mr. Ortiz, I understand your concern for Ms. Kim. But it does seem that she is perfectly fine at the moment, so I would appreciate it if you paid attention. I flushed bright red as I felt myself shrink into my jacket a bit and look down at my notebook embarrassed. "Yes Sir" I heard Sebastian mutter and I turned to look at him seeing that his ears were bright red and he was also focusing on his notebook now.

The bell rang multiple times throughout the day, and at times we separated ways. The first time we separated was after our 3rd class. "What do you have next?" I asked Sebastian putting my hands in the jacket pockets, I was hoping we had the same lunch. Sebastian smiled as he looked down at me saying "Band with Ms. Flemings. Hey, what's wrong? I thought you were taking that honors science course weren't you?" I laughed nervously and said, "No, Uh I decided not to." I watched as his smile turned to a frown, I shook my head and grabbed his hands saying "Hey, you love music what are you so sad about?"

I watched as Sebastian looked at me and muttered "Aliyah, are you in any of the honors programs you were talking about?" I bit my lip and laughed muttering "Hey Sebastian don't worry I mean it's fine." I watched Sebastian mutter "You didn't change them cause of me right-" I shook my head quickly the guilt eating away as I muttered "N-No that's not it I swear. It's just, my parents want me to be in regular courses." I smiled gently knowing I couldn't tell him that at the conference the honors teacher told my parents that there would be a lot of expenses for the classes. Extra materials, funds for trips, along with them thinking that the classes were meant for the students to build community together, and think. That I wasn't talkative or a team player, so that night when we got home. My parents sat me down and said there wasn't a way that they could let me do the classes. That already they had to cut back on things, plus maybe the teacher was right and it would be better for me.

"Hey, Aliyah look at me" I looked up at Sebastian who smiled and said, "Keep my jacket safe till we meet at home ok?" I nodded and muttered "Do we not have other classes together-" I felt Sebastian's hand on my head making me stop. "Of course we do, but not until homeroom, plus you need my jacket more, I mean look at you your shivering." I giggled as he poked my sides a few times. I pushed him gently as the warning bell rang "you're going to be late" I laughed as he waved before running off.

I smiled once he was gone and I turned to head to lunch my face feeling warm, but I didn't mind because Sebastian seemed to see me.