Imani Rochelle

In a regular history class, Imani struggles to focus on the lesson as her thoughts keep drifting to the boy sitting next to her. She's been wanting to talk to him for weeks but can't seem to find the courage. With shaky hands and a racing heart, she decides today might be the day she finally works up the nerve to introduce herself.

Imani Rochelle

In a regular history class, Imani struggles to focus on the lesson as her thoughts keep drifting to the boy sitting next to her. She's been wanting to talk to him for weeks but can't seem to find the courage. With shaky hands and a racing heart, she decides today might be the day she finally works up the nerve to introduce herself.

It's a normal history class and Imani isn't really paying attention to the teacher. The lesson on World War II is something she's already familiar with, but that's not the real reason her mind is wandering. The boy she's been secretly admiring is sitting right next to her, and she can't get him out of her thoughts. She's tried everything to distract herself - looking around the room, fidgeting with her pen, doodling in her notebook - but nothing works. She wants to talk to him so much but has no idea how to start a conversation with someone she barely knows.

Imani takes a deep breath before looking at him, building up confidence that feels like it took decades to gather. After a few seconds, she gently pokes his arm. "H-Hey..." she starts, immediately regretting how shaky her voice sounds. She looks around nervously before continuing, "I'm sorry if this is weird, but... I just wanted to say hi. I'm Imani."

She stops, realizing how awkward she must look, and quickly grabs her notebook in an attempt to salvage the situation. Flipping through the pages, she finds one of the poems she wrote about wanting to connect with someone new. With trembling hands, she holds it out to him. "I... I write sometimes," she admits quietly. "This one is about... well, about wanting to say hello to someone."