Everything Changed That Year

Chapter 3: Welcome To Papal

I always thought moving to a new place would feel exciting. Like the movies. The kind where the main character steps out of the car, looks around, and suddenly feels like they belong. But standing in front of our new house in Papal, I felt something completely different. I felt like a visitor. I looked at the small house in front of me. It wasn't bad. Actually, it was beautiful in its own way. The walls were painted a soft cream color, there were flowers growing near the entrance, and a small tree stood beside the gate. It looked warm. It looked peaceful. It just didn't look like mine yet. My dad carried a box from the car. "Welcome home." I smiled a little. Home. That word felt strange. Could somewhere become home just because your bags were inside? I wasn't sure. My mom walked beside me, looking happier than she had in weeks. "Divia, look at this place. I think it's perfect." I watched her smile and felt a little better. If my mom could find happiness here, maybe I could too. "Come on," she said. "Let's see your room." I followed her upstairs. When she opened the door, I stopped. It was smaller than my old room, but the sunlight coming through the window made it feel comfortable. The walls were plain. The room was empty. But it had potential. "I know it's not exactly like your old room," my mom said carefully. I turned to her. "Mom, it's okay." She smiled. "Really?" "Really." I walked inside and placed my bag on the floor. "Maybe I can make it mine." "That's my girl." For the next few hours, we unpacked. My books went on the shelf. My clothes went into the closet. My pictures went on the wall. Slowly, the empty room started looking like me. It was strange. A few hours ago, I thought I was leaving everything behind. But maybe I wasn't. Maybe I was just creating something new. Later that afternoon, I decided to walk around the neighborhood. I needed fresh air. And honestly, I needed to prove to myself that I could survive here. Papal was different from my old town. People greeted each other on the streets. Children played outside. The little shops had people standing around talking like they had known each other forever. It was peaceful. Almost too peaceful. I stopped near a small café and watched people walking by. Everyone looked comfortable. Like they belonged. I wondered how long it would take before I felt the same way. As I walked back home, I noticed something. A boy around my age was standing across the street. He wasn't doing anything special. Just helping an older man carry some boxes. But something about him caught my attention. Not because he was trying to be noticed. Actually, it was the opposite. He looked calm. Quiet. Like someone who was comfortable being himself. Before I could look longer, he turned. Our eyes met for a second. I quickly looked away. Why did I feel embarrassed? I didn't even know him. I shook my head and continued walking. When I got home, my dad was in the living room looking through some old papers. I walked past him, but something caught my eye. A name. I stopped. "Dad?" He quickly closed the folder. "Yeah?" "What were you looking at?" "Nothing important." I frowned. "You said that yesterday too." He smiled slightly. "Curious, aren't you?" "Maybe." He laughed. "Some things are better left in the past, Divia." I wanted to ask more. But something in his voice stopped me. It wasn't anger. It was sadness. That night, I lay on my new bed staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow was another big day. I would visit my new school. Meet new people. Start a life I knew nothing about. I picked up my phone and looked at old pictures from my old school. For a moment, I missed everything. Then I put the phone down. Because I made a promise to myself. I was going to try. I was going to give Papal a chance. What I didn't know was that my new life had already started changing. And the people who would change it were closer than I thought. Across the street, the quiet boy I saw earlier looked out of his bedroom window. And for reasons I didn't understand yet… he was already curious about me