Back at Grade 8... I could still remember how I met her.
Our high school campus. It's very cool there. I mean, cool temperature not cool "swag". Anyways, it's on a mountain, so what did you expect? The school's gates were 2 giant, green metal doors. They were both located in one 18ft tall wall. One was for the exit, the other was for the entrance. From the outside, you can see the Lower Building - basically because that's where the location of the freshmens and sophomores at.
Trees surrounded the school, providing cool breezes 24/7 - One of the things that made me fall in love with the school. Well, maybe the ONLY thing, I don't really know.
In our school, each year, the students get jumbled up to make a new set of students per class. Well, this is a common procedure in our school. I wound up at Class A, but letters doesn't justify any rank whatsoever - order of arrangements of students are completely random.
June 17. The day before Grade 8 decides to take hold of me. I wasn't comfortable in switching sections because I was too comfortable in my section during my freshmen years.
Back then, I wasn't playing any sort of MMORPGs, so I didn't usually use Skrype. My only connection to social networking was Handpage. I started asking all of my classmates to know what classrooms they were assigned to for this school year.
In the end, I only came down to 3 classmates that was in the same section as me. My heart pounded, as I was going to meet 41 other people in a class. I couldn't sleep back then. The excitement of going back to school; nervousness from the upcomming new encounters. Put that in a blender, see what happens.
My alarm sets off. I reached for snooze to maybe just delay the-
"Mar, wake up! Don't hit the snooze button, it never ends well for ya!"
Our housekeeper shouts at my ear.
"C'mon, it's your first day of being a sophomore, at least be energetic!"
Housekeeper Claire. One loyal, hardworking adult "keeping the house" together. Whaddya think, huh? No? Okay, fine.
"Grr coming!", I said with a struggle. It's not easy to wake up knowing that you slept like 2 hours ago. The "blender of emotions" kept me more active than coffee.
It was just a typical day. I prepare myself for school, eat breakfast, then simply wait on the school service.
"My, my, you're a Sophomore now... I can still remember when you were still in Grade 4... You were such a crybaby!"
Claire exclaims, with her brightful smile; a smile never modified by her work.
"I kinda wanna not go today... I want my old classroom back!" I say, with a tone similar to a child being refused of candy, but less intense, if you know what I mean. Pretty sure you do.
"Nah, don't worry about it. New schoolyear means new classmates means new experiences!"
Claire says trying to cheer me up.
"Besides, it doesn-"
Her sentence was interrupted by a horm of a vehicle; my service.
"No time to chat now, you have to go."
Claire says, giving me a little push and handing me my food for the day.
"Thanks, I hope it does work out..."
I say with doubt.
"Hey, no worries.", was the last thing I remember.
The classroom. It's way more smaller than my previous classroom, but it's cooler since we're up on the second floor, and the school's built on a mountain..
I take a random seat like every single year I've spent in school since grade school.
I look around my surroundings; I don't see my old classmates, just fresh faces that I don't even know. Then, a voice silences and fills the whole classroom.
"Good morning, Classroom A. I am Miss Fryde, your adviser for this school year..."
Then, on and on went the day. The teacher says stuff about her, then students introduce themselves up front of everybody.
That includes me, too, as well.
Then, I get to know my classmates very well. I met a real deal of them: Charice, Keith, Sceleine, Helena, Zaielle and others...
Days passed, days came and went. A quarter ends alongside a new one starting. My days of being a sophomore wasn't half bad.
Practices, quizzes, debates, projects, programs, birthdays, competitions; events like this came round and round at ky sophomore years.
People cried or rejoiced in Valentines Day. Big preparations were made for the anniversary of the school. Mass by mass gone and passed. Then it came.
"You studied yet?", Helena said, Bowing towards me, leaning on my armchair.
She was probably 5"1 or 5"2 or somewhere in the middle. She had her hair always done in a ponytail. She had dark brown eyes, white skin, a cute chin with slightly chubby cheeks and skinny.
An orange watch by her wrist; a simple looking girl but definitely extraordinary. Logical, smart and would crush her opponents in a debate. Mm, some of the things I admire about her.
"Not yet, and the test is in like 2 hours?" I tell her, trying to imitate the sound of defeat.
"Haha, High Five!", she says, chuckling
"You haven't, too, didn't cha?", I say returning her high five.
Our classroom's size is at moderate. It can accomodate 45 students at max. Nothing special to it, a blackboard, windows, doors, an armchair for each participating student, you get the jist.
"You can say that." She crosses her arms, looking up with one eye; let's call it her "enlightened look".
"Sheesh, don't review. You know our brains think alike and it likes different methods in learning."
She says while placing her hand on my shoulder.
"At least I read something, right?"
"Ah, fine, that's your life anyway." She says, flicking her hand like it's not the final exams for the school year.
Someone slams me at my back, intentionally. Kind of a gentle slam.
"What's that?", a tiny voice says.
"Oh, jeez, calm yourself, Zaielle."
Helena points out to Zaielle, looking at her with one eyebrow raised.
Zaielle's voice was tiny. She was shorter than Helena. She does her hair at random, but today it was on pigtails. Pigtails. Yep.
Her eyes were small, had small but puffy cheeks, probably the result of everyone trying to pinch it all the time. White skin, delicate and tries to hug everyone. Well, only her targetted individuals
"Final exams, Zaielle. Can't you see those formulas?" I say, reminding her.
"Oh crap, tests start today?!" Zaielle says, in the state of disaster.
"Uh... yeah?" Helena says.
"Gimme those notes, I haven't studied!" She says, grabbing my notebook, making a hit and run for her seat.
"Hey, I ain't do- ah forget it."
"The formulas you were reviewing aren't part of the test, Marche." Helena says, arms crossed. I literally went to facepalm mode.
"You mind... telling me sooner?" I say, revealing one eye looking at her.
"Haha, cheer up! At least that lessens the burden, right?" Helena says, looking straight to my face, smiling.
"Ah, typical Helena."
"Argh, get off, Zai." I say, trying to break free from the hug. She immediately runs to Himiko, hugging her tightly.
"You bastard." Himiko says, patting Zaielle's head.
Emelyn raises her hand for a high five to Zaielle, while looking with peered eyes.
"You haven't changed in height, Zaielle..."
"Eh? What a nice thing to say, Emelyn." Returning the high five with force.
"Ow! I'm bored, okay...?" Emelyn says, then drinks from her Hill Dew bottle.
Zaielle places her bag on the bench, stretching. She wore a pink sweatshirt, with a heart in the middle. A pink bonnet, pink shoes, and slim-fit pants. The gal's a cosplayer, so that bag's probably full of clothes than notes... Eh, I don't know.
"Aww come on, are we going yet?" Zaielle says, watching the other passengers go on their separate journeys.
"Yeah, Himiko said we should be at school by 11 or 12..." I say looking to Himiko.
Himiko shrugs, and brushes her hair from her ear.
"Well... actually..." Himiko starts. Oh no, don't you dare, dear friend.
~To be continued~