He ran into her, but never saw her.

  The blur of his white hoodie came before Janice. Unguarded, the hopeful girl watched and waited for him to notice her. He walked behind her, a constant half foot away, talking softly with his friend in black. Hidden in the last shadows of the night he never approached her. Janice waited with silent intensity. Casually, she slowed her pace. Seeing that did nothing, Janice took a bolder approach. Coming from his right, she swung her lunch box and the right side of his slow-moving form. Giving a jocular greeting, her heart pounded in waiting for his hello. Under the cafeteria’s dimmed lights, Janice could see the indifferent look on his face. Tight-lipped, acting as if he never knew her. She did not know what changed between last week and then. All she knew was how high her humiliation levels were rising.

  While the low glow of the rising sun cascaded across the expanse of the Mary Stone High, Janice gradually rose above her embarrassment. If anything that impassive face was a clear indication of how out of her league he had always been.