The ticking sound of the clock resounded loudly, breaking the silence in my room. I couldn't get out of bed with my body perfectly lodged onto it, unwilling to be separated from the softness of my bed. I've been awake for a while but I didn't want to leave my comfort area. My eyes were glued onto the blank, white ceiling as I dread on the start of my new life.

High school.

In about an hour and a half, I'll be sitting in a new class, being in a new environment and surrounded by new faces. My head starts to visualize how my first day in high school will turn out and uneasiness wrapped me whole. I feel like I was drowning until I heard a knock on the door.

"Yuki," my mum's voice rang through the door. "It's time for school,"

"I'm awake," I replied and finally got myself to sit up on my bed. The bed creaked lightly as I got out of it and my legs stepped on the cold wooden floor, sending chills to my body.

I made my way into the toilet, turned on the faucet and water run smoothly out of it. I didn't need to gaze into the mirror to know how much of a mess I looked. The medication didn't help in the end and I barely got any sleep. Sure enough, when I looked up at my reflection, my eyes were bloodshot with a face paler than ever.

Here's to the start of my day.

I stepped out of the house and looked up to the sky. The sun hasn't come up yet so it was still a little dark. The weather seems damped but the wind felt good.

As I walked down the empty street, I took in the neighbourhood that I've never actually seen yet. Rows of houses stood still in silence, with trees and flowers surrounding them. Birds were chirping harmoniously, welcoming morning.

It actually felt… peaceful. A feeling I haven't sense in a while.

Something on my left caught my attention. It was a row of high fences that was covered by bushes and vine wrapped around the nettings. As I got closer, a basketball court revealed in front of me. There's a court here? So near to my house?

I staggered to a stop and stood by the side of the court.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A dribbling basketball sound. It's been a while since I've heard it.

A flashback snaked into my mind. Running. Passing. Jumping and...

I snapped out of the flashback and shook the thought away. Get a grip of yourself, Yuki. Why are you going back there? Besides, this isn't the time for it.

I focused back on my surrounding and concentrate on the dribbling.

Isn't it a little dark and way too early to be playing basketball? I took a few steps ahead until I was under a rusted lamp post, just next to the gate.

I peered into the court cautiously. Standing in the middle of the wide court was a figure. His back was facing me so I couldn't exactly see the face but it was a guy. He was wearing a white shirt and dark short pants. Even from this distance, I can see that he's really tall. His dark spiky hair stood still and wavered a little when the wind blows.

His hand was dribbling a basketball and his head tilted towards the direction of the hoop. The dribbling sound is so nostalgic. It's been a year, hasn't it?

Right then, he jumps and shoots. His timing, stance and gesture. They were perfect. My breath was taken away by his flawless form. There's no doubt that he's a great basketball player. Not many players in my life were considered to be perfect but he's just that good.

The ball goes into the air and stayed upwards temporarily before arching towards the orange hoop. As it falls through the hoop, the guy ran ahead to catch the ball and when he turned around, he was facing my direction.

I didn't see his face clearly since it's was still kind of dark. He didn't move but kept staring at me. For some kind of reason, I found myself blushing and my legs swiftly took me away. As I reached the playground nearby, the dribbling sound started again. I turned around for a moment, resting my eyes on the basketball court. My heart was beating really fast, too fast.

I looked up at the sky, cleared my mind and continued my way to school.

After a while, I finally reached the entrance of the school. I wonder what kind of life awaits me in this new environment. Will it be different from last time? I clenched my fist as I took a deep breath and stepped through the school gate.

Students everywhere excited to start a new year in school and the sound of chattering was loud. I was overwhelmed by the huge crowd and try to calm myself down. I quietly made my way ahead but starts to feel anxious, wondering where to go and what to do now.

"Yuki?"

I heard my name but I kept going ahead. There shouldn't be anyone that I've known from Junior High that came to this school so I'm pretty sure it wasn't me that the voice was calling out to.

"Sasaki Yuki!"

Huh?

I turned towards the voice and standing with a bunch of guys, was a familiar face that I haven't seen in years. He left his friends and made his way towards me.

"It's been such a long time, Yuki!" he said as he put his hands on my shoulders. "Do you remember me?"

It was Kou. My ex-neighbour from Nagoya. He moved away after I started Junior High and we've lost contact ever since. We practically grew up together and he was the one that got me into basketball. He's a reliable, kind and like a brother I never had.

"Kou! What are you doing here?" I asked, astonished.

"Well, I study here. Why are you here, away from Nagoya?" he removed his hands from my shoulders and stood upright.

I took a closer look at him. He has become taller, more than a head taller than me. His skin was tanner than before too and his strong grip on me earlier showed off his tight muscle. Still as good looking as ever with his easy smile, dark brown eyes matched with his black tousled hair.

"Ah… Well, my family had just moved here because Father was assigned to a new role here in Yokohama," I explained. "I didn't expect I'll ever see you again though."

"Me too. I missed you," he said as he ruffled my hair. "How did we lose contact, anyway?"

"Your house burned down. Your family and you moved to stay with your relatives," I adjusted my hair. "My family and I came back from a trip and heard of the news. Then, you never came back. It happened so suddenly that we didn't even get a chance to say our goodbyes."

"Oh! That's right. I remembered everyone was there to send us off but you weren't there. I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "I should have called but I didn't have your number and I thought that I would be at the relatives' temporarily but my family decided to stay. One thing led to another, I've been here since."

I shook my head and smiled. "I'm just glad to see you doing well, Kou."

"So how have you been since?" he asked cheerfully but my emotion wavered at his question.

He must have caught onto something on my expression and was going to ask me about it but he was cut off by an arm slung around his shoulder.

"Hey, Kouichi," a new, rough voice joined in. "Are you hitting on the freshman on the first day of school? You've improved. I'm proud of you."

This guy was a slightly bigger version of Kou. He was taller with a wider body, with a buzz cut hair. His skin was slightly tanner than Kou's too.

"I'm not," Kou tried to shrug his friend's hold on him but his friend kept holding on. "Hey, let go of me!"

"Come on, introduce me," he urged Kou and smiled a little too warmly at me. Kou sighed and looked annoyed.

"This is a very old friend of mine, Sasaki Yuki," he said lazily as he looked at his friend but became bright when he turned towards me. " Yuki, this is my idiotic friend, Asato Shunpei. He's a senior like me."

"It's nice to meet you, Asato-senpai," I greeted the guy in front of me.

"It's nice to meet you too. You can just call me Shunpei, Yuki-chan," he said.

I was taken aback with him referring to me by my last name but I smiled politely. "I don't think that's appropriate for me to call you like this, senpai."

"Any old friend of Kouichi has the privilege to do so," he said to me with a wink.

"Hey, don't flirt with Yuki," Kou said as he shrugged off Asato-senpai's arm again but successful this time. "She's off limits. Stay away from her."

Asato-senpai questioned him, "Why not? Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"No, but she's like a sister to me and she just moved here. I have the responsibility to look out for her."

"Oh, please. I'm sure Yuki-chan wouldn't want someone like you looking out for her. Right, Yuki-chan?"

"Who are you to decide that for her? I mean it, Shunpei. Ten steps away from her starting now. And don't call her Yuki-chan. You guys are not even friends for you to refer to her this way."

"Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan," Asato-senpai called my name repeatedly to Kou's face.

"Stop it, Shunpei," Kou said protectively.

I laughed a little at both of their bickerings. It's been a while since I've felt the warmth from being with friends. Although I've just reunited with Kou and met his friend, it was… fun.

Just then, there was an announcement that sounded through the speaker of the school. "Freshmen, please make your way to the auditorium now for the opening ceremony that will be starting soon. Kindly follow the signs and ask for help from any teachers if you are lost."

"Well, that's my cue to go," I said to Kou and Asato-senpai.

"Do you want me to take you there?" Kou asked kindly.

"No, it's okay," I gestured over to a group of students that were walking ahead. "I will just follow them. I think they are freshmen too."

"Okay then," he pointed right towards a white building with a grey roof that was behind what appears to be a football field. "That's the auditorium, right there."

"Thank you, Kou," I bowed and was about to turn away.

"Yuki," he called out so I stood still and looked at him. His face was unreadable. "I'll see you around. Maybe we can catch up and talk."

Does catching up means I have to tell him what happened in Junior High? He was the other best friend that I ran to whenever I have problems or doubts. I was always honest with him but being apart for such a long time, I wasn't sure if I can open myself up to him. What's more, something inside me is telling me not to say anything.

"Yeah, Yuki-chan. Let's chat again. I would like to get to know you more and hear some dirty bits about Kouichi," Asato-senpai cut in. Kouichi elbowed him and he grunted.

I smiled again, "Okay, Kou and Asato-senpai. See you." I turned and head towards the gym.

Kou. Comparing him from when he was a kid and now, he has a mature air surrounding him now. He was a brotherly figure but he was childish too. My heart felt a little lighter after talking to him and Asato-senpai. I started to reminiscence the old days growing up with him. The talks, lame jokes and basketball.

I shook my head and decided to pay attention to where I was heading instead. I was getting nearer to the auditorium now. As I walked through the entrance, I felt a blast of cooling air. The auditorium is huge and the floor was smooth. On the floor, there was white lining, framing the basketball court. If it weren't for the chairs covering most of the floor and this is an opening ceremony, my brain might be freaking out now.

A swarm of students has already sat down and waiting for the speeches to begin. I found a row of empty seats and immediately sat on a chair in the inner corner of the middle row. I scanned the wide room. There were too many students Teachers welcoming students. Students laughing. A spiky-haired guy passing by. More students walking into the hall.

Wait, spiky hair?

My head turned sharply towards the guy and my eyes followed him. That height and that hair. Isn't him the guy from this morning? He was walking to the front and before long, he was gone.

I considered of standing up to spot him but a sweet voice came from above my head distracted me.

"Hi, is it okay if I sit beside you?" the owner asked.

It was a girl with dark brown hair tied up in two loose ponytails. Cute, short and full of energy.

"Sure, have a seat," I said as I shifted my seat a little. I took one more glance at the front again but no more sign of Spiky Hair.

"Thank you," she said as she sat down beside me. "I am so excited for our first day. By the way, I'm Hibari Fumika. I was from Wazai Junior High. What about you?"

"Sasaki Yuki from Tonari Junior High," I replied, warily.

"Tonari? Where is that school? I've never heard of it before."

"It's from the Aichi prefecture. I had just moved here."

"Oh, really? It must be hard to move from another place to here. How are you holding up?" she asked with a kind tone.

"I'm not sure yet. I haven't gotten the chance to check this place out yet since I've just come here a few days ago."

"Well, if you like, I could bring you around. There's this place that serves the best sweet puffs."

I was hesitant again. I went on for a year in Junior High without any friends. I wasn't sure if I am open to making friends again. I don't even know if I deserved it.

Hibari noticed my silent and quickly said, "Hey, I am sorry. I didn't mean to come on so strong. Everyone tells me that I am too talkative and can be ignorant sometimes."

"No, it's not that. I just wasn't sure if I should eat sweet puffs. I'm on a diet, after all," I lied and patted my stomach. I shouldn't go offending people on the first day.

"Hey, you're thin enough. You shouldn't even consider a diet. Listen closely now. Sweets are the epitome to life. It makes you happy when you're sad and happier when you're happy."

I couldn't help but laugh a little at her words. "That's a very interesting way of seeing it."

"Of course. Now that you have gotten to know me, you'll get a lot more of this," she said with a wide grin on her face.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"By the way, Yuki. If you don't mind me calling you by your last name. My instinct tells me that you and I are going to be good friends during our days at this school." she gave me a genuine smile.

I returned her smile weakly and nodded. "Sure, Hibari."

"Fumika. Call me Fu-mi-ka."

"O-okay, Fumika," I observed her and my mind drifted to the past. My heart starts to ache a little. Physically, they looked different but she does remind me of 'her' so much. Friendly, hyperactive and happy-go-lucky. They even like sweets. The resemblance is uncanny but deep down, I know no one can replace 'her', no matter what.

As my heart starts to clench again, I was distracted by a voice sounded in the gym through the loudspeaker. "Everyone, please settle down. We will be starting the entrance ceremony now."

The auditorium became quiet and everyone's attention was on the stage. The speaker walked off the stage and another man took over the microphone. "Welcome to Ryonan High School."

That is how my first day of school started off.