And I Have Never Looked Back~ Haylie Gregory

He was sitting there, quiet and alone, in the corner of the classroom. His head was tilted down as he twittled his thumbs. He was unknown to the world. He was unknown to this world. The world was known as Room 355, Senior’s homeroom.

 In this world, everyone was popular, the center of attention and dressed in the latest fashions. They were involved in all the school activities and coveted by everyone. They were the Alphas. He was different than them. He didn’t speak much and didn’t make eye contact with anyone. He wasn’t dressed in the latest fashion. He didn’t look or act like Room 355 material. He wasn’t Room 355 material. He was an Unknown.

Sitting at a desk, she stared at him, wondering what could possibly be going through his mind. Did he want to be left out? Did he know that he was different? Did he want to be different? Did he know that, even though he was invisible to this world, he wasn’t invisible to her?

He wasn’t like all the other Unknowns. There was something different about him that she liked. When he spoke, he spoke words of wisdom. When he was confident in something he had done, his face bore a tiny, crooked smile that not many people caught. She did though. She knew that, even though he was considered different, she wanted to know him.

To get up and talk to an unknown would be giving everything up, according to the spoken rulebook of Room 355. You would be giving up your place at their table, being apart of their conversations. You would be forgotten. You would become an Unknown.

She was tired of the Room 355 ways, but she didn’t want to be alone. She wondered, “What if he doesn’t accept me? What if I go to talk to him and he doesn’t respond? Would I be accepted back into Room 355?” 

With every ounce of courage she could round up, she grabbed her backpack and walked over to the corner of the room, his corner of the room. She took one of the many vacant seats by him. Everyone in Room 355 turned to look at her. “Hey, mind if I sit with you?” were the words that fell off of her dry tongue. Room 355 was then filled with whispers. She stared at him, waiting to see if her efforts were for not. He turned his gaze towards her, staring at her with his kind, sad eyes. His confident, crooked smile appeared on his face. “Sure”, he said.

At the moment, every emotion she was feeling before that moment left her. No more fear and no more worry. She became an Unknown, and she never looked back. I became an Unknown, and I have never looked back.

Mark 12:31 "And the second is like, namely this, THOU SHALT LOVE THEY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF, There is none other commandment greater than these."