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Possible ways include: One night she has a dream about him. It need not be erotic, or even romantic, just the two of them in the same situation. Some detail of his appearance, manner, speech, etc...
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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38571 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
Possible ways include: - One night she has a dream about him. It need not be erotic, or even romantic, just the two of them in the same situation. - Some detail of his appearance, manner, speech, etc. appeals to her in a way that no other boy does. - Unbeknownst to her classmates, she is undergoing an internal struggle, and while the boy also does not know this, he shows by word or (preferably) action that it's a struggle that he understands. - After joining in the cruelties that have been heaped on the boy, something happens to make her genuinely remorseful for what she has done. The one you pick will depend on whether you want her interest in him to be a lightning-strikes sort of thing, or based on having something in common, or as a result of the growth of her character.