Ella never really cared where she sat in ELA class until she got stuck next to Noah Carter.
At first, she thought he was just another classmate, someone to occasionally swap homework answers with or complain about essays. But lately, things felt different. Noah always had a funny comment when their teacher went on a long speech about symbolism, and sometimes he’d pass her a quick look that made her want to laugh, even when she wasn’t supposed to. They weren’t exactly friends, but they weren’t just classmates either.
They were in the in-between stage, and Ella kinda liked it.
“Please tell me you understood number four,” Noah whispered, leaning toward her desk as her teacher kept on talking.
Ella glanced at his notebook, then back at him with a smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Noah grinned, flopping back in his chair. “Wow. Betrayal.”
She laughed softly, twirling her pencil. “You’re just mad I actually read the chapter.”
“I skimmed it,” he argued.
“Exactly.”
Before he could come back with a comeback, the teacher clapped her hands. “Eyes on me, class.”
Ella quickly turned back to her notes, but out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Noah still looking at her. It was short, barely even a second, but her stomach flipped just a little.
The bell rang sooner than she expected, and as they packed up their stuff, Noah stretched. “Finally. Weekend, here we come.”
Ella slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Got big plans?”
“Yeah, Friday night I’ll be busy with Shabbat stuff.”
She blinked. “Oh, you do Shabbat?”
Noah nodded. “Yep. Family dinner, no phones, all that.”
Ella raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you don’t actually use your phone at all?”
“Nope.” He popped the ‘p’ like it was nothing. “24 hours completely unplugged.”
Ella thought about that. “Honestly? That sounds kinda nice.”
“It is. The food’s always good and my dad doesn’t have to tell me to ‘put my phone down and be present.’” He did an impression of an annoyed parent shaking his head. “Like yeah, dad, that’s literally the point.”
Ella laughed. “I don’t know much about it.”
Noah glanced at her as they walked out the door. “Want a crash course?”
She shrugged, smiling. “Maybe.”
They reached for the hallway, where they usually went their separate ways. But today, Noah hesitated for a second since he wasn’t in a hurry to leave.
Ella wasn’t either.
Maybe ELA was about analyzing words, but right now, she was more interested in the ones they hadn’t said yet.
