Ethan was the kind of kid who always flew under the radar.  He was never really noticed by others, he seemed to just blend in, sometimes getting lost in the shadows.  He had no friends and he was okay with that.  No friends to him meant no confrontation.  This was his philosophy on going about life.  The idea that he did not have to worry about or deal with anyone just made life for him easier. 
In school, he walked the halls alone.  Class after class, he sat in a desk in silence.  No one ever tried to make conversation with him nor did he ever try himself.  He did not feel the need to talk to his peers because that was not what he was there to do.  He was there to learn, take tests, get good grades, and then graduate.  To him, socializing was just simply a waste of time that took away from his studies.  Ethan’s teachers never felt the need to address any concerns regarding his severe lack of talking because his transcript was nearly impeccable.  He loved to learn and he studied constantly. 
Kelly Stone was used to being the new girl.  She had switched schools two times a year for as long as she could remember, so when she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina halfway through her senior year, she was not the least bit phased.  Kelly was a special girl.  She was what most people define as a perfect girl; she made friends very easily, she was always nice and polite and with her beautiful long blonde hair, she was gorgeous. 
It was the start of the new semester and just an ordinary day for Ethan.  He got out of bed, got dressed, ate breakfast, and went to school.  He sat down at a desk in the front corner of the classroom and read his literature textbook.  A few minutes go by and Ethan pulls his head up out of his book to notice someone walking through the doorway he did not recognize.  Instantly, he noticed her exquisite beauty as she walked with grace.  He thought to himself, who is this girl, she must be new because I’ve never seen her before.  Ethan’s eyes remain on this mysterious girl as she walks toward the teacher.  Ethan cannot hear the conservation between the two, but a few moments later, she walks in his direction and plops down in the open desk desk to him.  She looks over to him and smiles, and he, taken by surprise, gives a faint smile back. 
After neatly organizing her books on her desk, she looks back into Ethan’s direction, smiling again, and says, “Hi! I’m Kelly Stone. I’m new here.” 
Ethan was not used to this, no one ever spoke to him, nor did he speak to anyone himself.  So in response he, in a quiet voice, said, “Hi.” 
At first Kelly was slightly taken back by his lack of emotion, but in refusing to accept this she decides to continue the conversation. 
“So you know my name now, but I don’t know yours,” she said.  “What is it?”
There was a pause of silence for a moment.  Ethan turned his head from his book to her face and with a slight bit of hesitation he said, “Ethan.”
Kelly, with a grin from cheek to cheek, said, “Well it’s nice to meet you Ethan, I hope we can be good friends.”
With that, the bell rung and class started, putting an end to their conversation.  The last word she said stuck to Ethan.  Friends? He thought. Who would want to be my friend? I don’t have friends.
For the rest of class Ethan did not pay attention to the teacher talking, nor did he read his book to study, his mind could not stop replaying the conversation he had just had over and over again.  When class ended, both Kelly and Ethan got up from their desks and walked into the student filled hallway with neither person saying a word.  Ethan kept his eyes on her as she walked down the hallway to her next class until he could no longer see her through the crowds of people. 
As the day went on, Ethan hoped to see Kelly again in another one of his classes.  But class after class, he was continuously disappointed, and did not see her again that day. 
That night he did not do his homework at his usual fast pace.  He could not stop thinking about this girl who had just come into his life earlier that day. 
Morning after morning, he raced out of the house to get to school.  First period English class was the highlight of his day.  For about two weeks, the same thing happened everyday.  Ethan would already be sitting at his desk as Kelly walked in, and she, with a big smile, would say, “Good morning Ethan!”
Ethan would respond back in a less enthusiastic, yet still friendly tone, by saying, “Good morning Kelly.”
Although this was the only communication they had between one another, that was good enough for Ethan. 
It had been two weeks since the two classmates met.  Kelly, who had already made many new friends since her first day, thought of Ethan as nothing more than a nice kid she sat next to in English class.  But to Ethan, Kelly was much more than that. 
It was the day Ethan always dread the most when group projects were assigned.  He always wanted to do the projects on his own because he never wanted nor felt comfortable talking to his fellow classmates.  After Ethan’s english teacher explained the project, she paired everyone up in partners.  The moment he heard “Kelly and Ethan,” his stomach dropped.  He could not be happier to be partners with Kelly, but, at the same time, was extremely nervous for he knew how much he would have to talk to her.  It had taken him two weeks to get comfortable with saying good morning to her everyday, so having a full conversation with her was a huge jump. 
As the last name was called, Kelly turned to Ethan and said, “Our project is going to be awesome! I can’t wait!”
Ethan responded by saying, “Yeah. It should be fun.”
Class after class, as Ethan and Kelly worked on their project together, Ethan started to become more and more comfortable with talking to her.  One time he saw her in the hallway and even said hi to her.  Ethan never would have thought he would say hi to someone in the hallway, let alone a girl, but she was changing him.  Ethan raised in hand in class one day, and even though everyone stared at him in disbelief, he spoke with confidence.  Everyone around him, his teachers, his classmates, his family, all noticed his desire to no longer be mute. 
Three weeks had gone by since Kelly and Ethan started working on their project and Kelly started to become absent here and there.  He never asked where she was or why she was out, nor did she ever speak about it.  However, her absences started to become more frequent than normal and eventually it was everyday that Ethan would find himself working on their project alone.  For about a week Ethan would come to class in hope that Kelly would be there too, but she never showed up. 
One day Ethan decided that he could not take it anymore and had to know where she was.  He went up to his teacher and asked if she knew where Kelly was. 
The teacher responded by saying, “Oh I’m sorry Ethan, but Kelly is very sick. You are probably going to be on your own for the remainder of the project.”
Ethan was very confused.  He did not understand how someone so happy and so perfect could be sick.  Ethan asked his teacher if he would be able to visit her and she gave him Kelly’s address. 
That afternoon after school, Ethan decided to visit Kelly, something he ever would have done before he met her.  He drove to her house and sat in his car for a little bit, contemplating if he really wanted to do this.  Once he finally got enough courage, he walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. 
Mrs. Stone opened the door and said, “Hi.”
Ethan responded by saying, “Hi. My name is Ethan. I’m a friend of Kelly’s from school, we’re in the same English class.”
This put a big smile on Mrs. Stone’s face.  According to Mrs. Stone, Ethan had been the only friend of Kelly’s to come visit. 
That was the last time Ethan ever saw Kelly again.  She had died just two days later.  Although Kelly was only in Ethan’s life for a short time, she made the greatest impact on his life.  She showed him the true values that come along with communicating with others and friendships.  She showed him that there was much more to life than burying yourself in books and studying.  Because of her Ethan became a whole new person.  He participated in class, he made friends, he said hi to people in the hallway, and never again dreaded a day when group projects were assigned.