The Equation Of Us

~new beginnings

Kiara

7 am.First day at school.

You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
I told myself.

Thoughts of fear curled up in my throat, the fear of not being accepted, being judged as i walked towards the school.

As I approached the school gates, a swarm of butterflies fluttered in my stomach. My palms felt clammy, and my heart raced like a horse galloping at full speed.

As I reached the cinnamon brown colours doors were opened and welcoming students. The guard at the gate checked my Id card and I went inside.

The school was beautiful.The school featured a lovely central garden. A circular arrangement of flowers and shrubs bordered the pathway to the main building. It was a colorful and welcoming spot, offering a peaceful retreat.

The school bell chimed, resonating through the corridors, signaling the start of the day. As I hastened my steps, the surrounding chatter of students grew louder. Some were huddled in groups, whispering, while others fiddled with their phones.The wintry air greeted me as I ventured further into the school grounds, carrying with it the crispness of the season.

Amidst the bustling sounds of morning activity, the sound of chirping birds floated through the air, adding a touch of nature's melody to the school's environment.

As I entered the building, I felt the weight of stares. Students stared at me and whispered, one of them said ''She is a new student'' and I became the attention.I felt like a lone star amid a galaxy of unfamiliar faces.
Social anxiety is going to be the death of me.

I walked into the principal's office to collect my roll number and locker keys. I greeted the principal with a good morning and introduced myself.

"Oh right right. Kiara you are joining from today right?'' The principal asked me.

"Yes sir, can I get my roll number and locker keys?'' I replied with a curt nod.

"Yes there you go''. He handed me the keys and my details.

Then he called his assistant and asked her to call someone named Alisha. She arrived in the office.

"Meet Kiara.She's new here and is joining from today. It would be great if you give her a tour of campus and help her with lectures. I see you both have almost the same lectures. I hope you make her feel comfortable and help her adjust with the surroundings.'' The principal asked Alisha.

Alisha replied with a respective nod ''Sure sir.''

We both exited the office and walked into the campus.
"Myself Alisha. Student in literature. New student? How are you feeling? " Alisha spoke abruptly without waiting for a reply "Anyways you will adapt soon. Let me show you the campus. So Lincoln High isn't like any other school in India, where students need to sit in a class for straight 7 hours without any freedom of subjects. Instead we can select our own lectures and change classes as per lecture. '' She used her hands while explaining things.

"Yes and that's what I like about it the most. By the way, Kiara." I finally spoke up.

She took me to the cafeteria first. " This is our school cafeteria. Burgers, fries, pizza, meals, beverages, coffee you get them all! They are so delicious especially the burger OMG!!'' She said with excitement.

"Oh, I see." I replied in a neutral way.

She showed me the classrooms, then the music room, and then the dance room and so on.

Then she took me to the library. My mouth fell open.

My home. The scent of books and coffee spread in every corner of the library. The room was so large covered with pastel paints and windows which directly showed the mountains of Dehradun. It was so cosy. The whole library was velvety and enchanting.

My eyes sparkled at the sight of romance novels. They're my favorite. The shelves filled with stories of love and emotion felt like a treasure trove waiting to be explored. The smell of books mixed with coffee made me feel cozy, like I belonged there.

Romance stories always made my heart flutter, and being surrounded by them in that peaceful space made me feel at ease, excited for the adventures each book held.I would imagine a library like this in my dreams and it was finally coming true. Reading books in this library sitting near the window while it is raining sent me shivers in my body.

I got distracted from my thoughts when Alisha said something.

"So you really like it huh?" She asked curiously.

" Yes. I love libraries especially this one." I replied and she gave me a smile.

After the library she took me to the football court where a match was going on. A few girls were watching the match from benches near the football court while some were cheerleaders.

But I noticed something they were not cheering for the team but for someone named 'Ryan' and not only cheerleaders but all the girls watching the match. He hit a goal and everyone jumped on their benches.

Why are they so excited for him? He was literally the centre of attention. No doubt he was handsome but the rest of the team were doing efforts too. They weren't getting enough credits.

I was staring at him too long. He must have felt the weight of stare and he looked towards me. I immediately drifted my eyes away when Alisha brought me back.

"What are you thinking?" She asked me.

"Oh, nothing much. I was just wondering why is that boy getting the centre of attention while the rest of the team is playing well too?" I asked Alisha confusingly.

Alisha replied with a small laugh "Oh he is Ryan. Ryan Singhania. The son of the principal, the spoiled rich brat. Rules are made to be broken by him. He looks quite handsome too and is the captain of the football team. His money, fame, good looks makes him get all the attention, but let me tell you he's worse when it comes to grades. Barely passes. But it doesn't matter as he practically owns the school ''

"Oh i see."

The match finished. Ryan's team won the match. Girls were cheering for him again like they were dying to get his attention, like he was the water to their thirst. As soon Ryan exited the ground one of them handed her napkins the other one gave her water. Amidst the scene's melodrama, I found myself a little perplexed. Perhaps it was time to head elsewhere. I faced Alisha again.

"It's already 8, we should head into our class'' I told her as I didn't want to be late in the first class.

We both went as our first lectures were not the same. I opened my locker and set things up.

The bell chimed in for the first class, urging me to rush to my class. But amidst the hustle, the riddle of Ryan's popularity lingered in my mind but anyways I pushed it away. Leaving the commotion behind i walked towards my class as I had many things to figure out more essential than Ryan.

I reached before the teacher entered and sat in middle row. The teacher entered and we greeted her.

10 minutes later. A face I saw a while ago somewhere entered into classroom. Tall. Atheletic. Confident. Chiseled and structured face. Oh, it's Ryan.

We are in same class now. It doesn't matter anyways.

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Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. It introduced many characters. I have to work and think a lot for these so please give me some motivation to write further and comment hehe! I would be very grateful to you all! Thank you for reading this chapter!

Word count:- 1303 words

yours,
~author.