Saying goodbye can be heartbreaking when we know the person won't be coming back. 

    Irene entered the classroom. It was her third class period: Spanish.

    Since it was the first day of school, she chose a random seat to sit in. It was a seat somewhere in the middle, leaning towards the front. She was the first few to enter. Eventually, more students walked in.

    Within one minute left until the bell rang, a girl entered the room. To everyone it might've been any random girl, but as Irene took a glimpse of her, she felt something strange. The urge to talk to her. The black-haired girl wore a serious expression on her face. She went to the far right corner and sat in the chair. It was something strange for Irene, since she never wanted to talk to anyone out of the blue. She was always an introvert. In school, she only had a couple of friends, and rarely participated in class. Nevertheless, she decided to come up with a way to talk to the Girl without making it seem desperate.

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     A couple of days go by. The same routine as the first day repeats itself. Until the teacher came up with new seat arrangements. The seats were moved and it became groups of four. It was cube-shaped, two desks facing the other two desks. So, by the time a person sits in one seat, the person in front of them would be looking their way. Irene walked in a a few seconds after the unknown girl, which she did on purpose since the last few days she calculated at what time the Girl would usually come. Irene glanced around the room until she noticed the black-haired female. Luckily, there was an empty seat next to her. Though she wouldn't be looking at The Girl face-to-face, she was satisfied enough to sit beside her. There were two other girls sitting in the same pod with them, they were quite friendly and Irene didn't mind them at all.

     The teacher instructed them to open their computers and to search a specific website. As the Girl next to her opened her computer, Irene quickly took a glimpse of the screen to hopefully catch her name. But instead, she was shocked at the screen "background" it displayed. It was a picture of a boy band. Irene knew the group and looked away immediately to her own screen. She knows them?! Irene thought. She finally met someone, that most likely, has the same taste in music as her. She couldn't hide her excitement and grinned. She tried to get rid of it, which she did, but not completely. Crap, I didn't get her name. Irene mentally grimaced.

    They worked on an assignment the teacher gave them. Luckily, for Irene, it didn't take long enough to learn the Girl's name.

    "Hey, Isabele. Do you know what you're doing?" The girl in front of her asked.

    Isabele? Irene repeated her name in her head. The Girl—Isabele—looked up at her and shook her head. The other female awkwardly smiled and continued with her homework. Irene continued working on her homework until the bell rang. Isabele closed her computer and stuffed it into her black backpack. She swung it over her shoulder and walked out of the classroom. Irene had barely moved, she shook her head, gathering herself and closed her computer. She put it into her backpack, as well as the pens she took out for notes. She walked out the classroom, hoping to spot Isabele, but it was too late. She sighed and walked to her next class.

*What's more heartbreaking than a goodbye, is when the person who left, never said goodbye in the first place*…but…

It was around late August, early September. In other words, it was about two to three weeks after school began. The seating arrangements changed again, into a Double U-shape. Irene came a bit later than Isabele. Luckily again, there was an empty seat next to Isabele. she subtly walked over and sat next to her. The seats were much closer. She put down her backpack, sat on the chair and opened her lock screen to check the time. Her home screen was a different picture of the same boy band Isabele put onto her computer.

"You like them too?" Irene flinched at Isabele's question. She turned off her phone and mumbled, "Yeah."

That's when their friendship began.*

They would talk only during class, the subject would change every now and then.

They went from talking about school and music...*

"Who's your favorite?" Isabele asked, smiling at Irene.

"Favorite? Hmm..." Irene held her chin and looked at the ceiling, thinking. "Ah, I admire H"

"Really? Me too!" Irene replied.

…to opening up.*

They both laughed. Isabele recieved a message from someone.

She reads it and her eyes dart up as if she remembered somthing.

“Oh, right! I have a sister that goes here. Hmm, oh wait, she's a Sophomore just like you." Isabele told Irene. Irene slightly tilted her head to the side.

"What's her name?"

"Clementine."

Clementine?  Irene thought. She would have to do some searching. Irene hadn't had a class with a girl named Clementine.

Irene nodded.

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The teacher announced about his club he sponsored. It took a bit of convincing, but Irene managed to have Isabele come with her to the meeting. Irene did have a couple of friends, but Isabele was someone different.

Was it selfish?

Her friends were quite busy, or just weren't interested. Irene was happy to have someone who could go with her, as she doesn't like going alone to a social gathering.

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It was the day of the first meeting, ironically enough, they couldn't attend the first meeting. Irene had to go to a family party while Isabele had a badminton meeting. But, they did attend the second one. They arrived a few minutes after the starting time. They waited in a line outside the classroom. As they neared inside, they had to sign and write their school ID number. Irene's aquantices were inside and they greeted her.

"Come sit here!" One of the said.

"Fiona, don't oblige her." The other one mentioned.

Irene chuckled, "It's fine, Ana." Irene turned around to face Isabele. "Let's sit here, yeah?"

Isabele nodded and smiled at Irene. Irene sat down behind Fiona, who was sitting next to Ana. Isabele sat next to Irene. Basically, a quad.

The meeting had begun and most of the time Isabele and Irene were like the friends who met each other since they were little. They looked inseparable.

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The meeting was coming to an end, Isabele mentioned to Irene that she'd have to leave early to go to a badminton meeting. Irene nodded and smiled at her as Isabele left.

Isabele was left with Ana and her friend. They talked for a bit. until Irene decided to leave a few minutes before the meeting ended. She felt uncomfortable without someone she knew closely.

Was that selfish?

Irene gave an excuse and said her goodbyes to the rest that were still there.

The food that was given by the club sponser were tamales, Irene packed a few for her family. She couldn't deny they were delicious.

She was walking back home, it was around October, so it was getting quite chilly.

Irene loved autumn. She loved the feeling of the weather, the colored leaves, and pumpkin spice lattes.

She smiled the rest of her walk back to her home.