Alex saw Fiona shifting her feet side to side uncomfortably as Mr. Collins read the note she possessed, silently moving his lips. He peered down at her with a big grin on his face, possibly gleeful that he was finally taller than one of his students. “Girls and boys, this here is a new student. Here name is Fiona, isn’t that wonderful?” announced Mr. Collins, beaming like a proud parent.<br/><br/>Alex couldn’t help but to smile when he smiled that big, she thought as she took her seat. The new girl flushed, mortified, with even her ears and neck turning a deep shade of red. Everyone stared at her while she could do nothing but stare at the floor. It was an awkward, silent moment. All the students were sizing her up. The guys were trying to guess if she put out and the girls were trying to decide whether or not she was a threat to their reputations.<br/><br/>The consensus was that she was not a threat. So, everyone went back to what they had been doing previously as if nothing happened. That’s high school for you, though. Alex was glad that Mr. Collins had seated Fiona next to her, even though it made her feel nervous to have her so close. Carmen poked her from her seat behind Alex and leaned forward to ask her something, but Alex shushed her, not really in the mood to listen to her stupid remarks.