Mileven
Everyone told her it's okay to feel nervous. She didn't really understand what nervous meant, but she guessed it had something to do with how her stomach fluttered and her hands shook. She felt fear, too, and these emotions were so much like the ones she felt in the presence of Papa, that it made her even more scared.
But then he was there, holding her hand and smiling brightly at her. She pushed aside her feelings and smiled as well, finding that it was in his company that she found relief. He spoke to her, asked her how she was feeling for her first day at school.
She smiled, a shy one that showed how nervous she felt. "I'm... happy and," she furrowed her eyebrows, recalling the word Joyce had used to describe how she'd feel. "And nervous."
She felt Mike's hand squeeze her's a little as he offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "You'll do great, El."
And she believed him, because he had told her friends don't lie.
And especially boyfriends. They can't lie.