FALLING FOR MY MISTAKE

Episode3

I thought the first day was just an introduction, but I didn't know the second day was the real work.

The next day was our orientation.

The message had been in the group chat since last night. We were all told to wear our departmental uniform. I didn't even know we had a uniform. I had to ask Amy in the DM, and she said she didn't know either, but Ray said it was a white shirt and black skirt for girls. I quickly checked my bag. Thank God I packed a white shirt.

I woke up very early because I didn't want to be late. I wore the white shirt, black skirt, tied my hair back again, packed my bag and left.

When I got to the venue, I was shocked.

Everybody looked so good. The white shirt made everyone look like a serious student. The boys were in a white shirt and black trousers, the girls were in a white shirt and black skirt. For the first time, we all looked like one family.

I saw Amy from afar and waved at her. She looked so fine in her uniform. Ray too. We sat together.

Then the program started.

First, our senior executives came out — second year, third year, and final year executives. They were the ones in charge of the orientation. They were dressed more mature, more confident. They came out one after the other to introduce themselves.

"Good morning, I am the departmental president."

"Good morning, I am the vice president."

They were so bold. They spoke with so much confidence. I was just staring at them, wondering if I would ever be able to stand in front of 300 people and talk like that.

After they introduced themselves, they started explaining how the school works. They told us about our HOD, our course adviser, the important offices we should know. Then they started introducing different lecturers to us.

One by one, lecturers came in. Some were friendly, smiling at us. Some were very strict, their faces already telling us, "don't play with my course."

In the middle of all this, I was looking around. Everybody was talking to everybody. People were already forming groups, laughing, exchanging contacts. I wanted to do the same, but I couldn't. I couldn't just walk up to someone and say, "Hi, I'm Lena." My mouth would not open. That social anxiety came back again.

So I decided to do it another way.

I remembered the group chat. Everyone had dropped their pictures when they introduced themselves. So I thought, if I cannot walk up to them physically, I could just take their numbers from their pictures and text them privately.

Yes, that was easier for me.

So after the whole orientation and after the election, I sat down alone and started texting people. I took the girls first. I would click on their picture from the group chat, take their number, and send a message.

"Hi, I'm Lena from your department. We were in the same orientation today. I didn't get to introduce myself to you properly."

Most of them replied nicely.

Then I started texting the boys too. Same introduction.

But among all of them, one guy caught my attention.

He was different. He was very funny and engaging. Immediately, I texted him, he replied fast and started asking me questions. How has school been lately? How am I finding my first year, am I staying in a hostel or off-campus? He was so free, so easy to talk to.

I ended up telling him everything. I told him I would stay with my aunt in the staff quarters, not in the hostel. I told him I should stay around campus and I wouldn't really go out much. I told him about my first day's confusion. We talked for a very long time, just chatting and laughing over text.

He was the only one I talked to for that long that day. The rest I just said, "We will meet in school tomorrow," and that was it. But with him, we really chatted. And in the end, we promised to meet up in school the next day to finally see face to face.

That was how that friendship started.

The election itself was interesting too. When they said it was time to conduct an election for our own first year executives, some people stood up immediately, shouting their names, saying they wanted to contest.

They wrote the names on the board. Then we had to vote on a small sheet of paper. I voted for the girl I sat close to because she looked calm, and for the girl who helped me locate my lecture hall on the first day.

After counting the votes, they announced the winners. Our new class rep emerged, a very tall guy with glasses. He stood up and gave a short speech.

The orientation ended with a closing speech from the departmental president. He told us to be united, to help each other, and that first year is the foundation.

We all stood up, stretching our legs because we had sat for so long.

Amy, Ray and I walked out together, discussing the election, about who won, about which lecturer was strict and which one was nice.

I trekked back to the staff quarters that afternoon feeling different. Like I was now a real student. Not just a girl staying in staff quarters, but a proper first year student in uniform who now had people to text — and one special funny guy I couldn't wait to meet the next day.

When I got home, I removed the white shirt, changed to something free, ate, checked my phone again to see if he replied, and slept off.