Writers 
My new friend
Episode two
"New Haven." "My route is almost the same." He opened the umbrella. "Shall we?" Ella hesitated. She wasn't used to walking home with anyone. But refusing would only mean standing in the rain for another hour. "Okay." They stepped out together. The road was wet, and small streams of water flowed along the gutters. Ethan held the umbrella carefully so they would both stay dry. After a few minutes, he noticed Ella was walking close to the edge of the road.
"You'll get splashed by passing cars," he said. She moved a little closer. "Thanks."
A speeding bus drove past, sending muddy water across the road. Ethan quickly pulled Ella closer to him. The water splashed behind them instead. Ella looked up at him in surprise. "You didn't have to do that." "I know." "But I wanted to." She looked away, trying to hide the smile on her face. As they continued walking, they passed an elderly woman struggling with two heavy bags of groceries. Without thinking, Ethan stopped. "Good afternoon, Ma." The woman smiled weakly.
"Good afternoon, my son."
"Can I help you carry these?"
"You don't have to."
"It's no trouble."
He carried one of the bags while Ella picked up the other.
The elderly woman looked at them with gratitude. "You two make a wonderful team." Ella immediately became shy. "We're... just classmates." The woman laughed. "That's how many beautiful friendships begin." After helping her to her gate, they continued their journey. Ethan noticed Ella was unusually quiet.
"What are you thinking about?" She shrugged. "Nothing." "I don't believe that." After a long pause, she spoke. "Most people pretend to be kind because they want something." Ethan looked at her. "I don't." "How can I be sure?" He smiled. "You can't." "I guess you'll just have to watch my actions."
Ella nodded slowly. For the first time in a long while, she found herself wanting to believe someone. The next morning, Ethan arrived at school early. As he entered the classroom, he found a neatly wrapped lunch box on his desk.
There was no name. Only a small note.
"Thank you for yesterday.". Ethan looked toward the last bench. Ella was already reading her book. She didn't look up. He smiled. He quietly picked up the note and placed it inside his notebook.
Just then, a loud voice interrupted the peaceful morning. "Well, well.. the new boy and the quiet girl are already becoming close."
The entire class turned toward the door. It was Brian the school's most popular student. He walked in with a confident smile and looked directly at Ethan. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." The classroom fell silent.
Ethan stood up calmly. "What do you mean by that?" Brian smiled. "You'll find out soon enough."
He walked past them and took his seat. Ella's smile disappeared. She lowered her eyes and remained silent for the rest of the morning. Ethan looked at her with concern. He didn't understand what Brian meant...
But he was determined not to let anyone stop a friendship that had only just begun.
Stay tuned, Episode three coming soon