Prologue 2: First Encounter.
719 Words
While waiting for the teacher to arrive, Maya noticed that some boys were looking at her. She tried to ignore them, but the feeling of being watched made her even more nervous. She was trying to find something interesting in her notebook to keep her occupied, when a girl approached her.
"Hi, you must be the new student. I'm Emma," said the girl, with a friendly smile.
"Hi, I'm Maya Yuni," she replied, relieved that someone had finally spoken to her and that it was a girl.
"Welcome to Roosevelt High! If you need help with anything, you can call me." Emma smiled and returned to her seat.
The English teacher, Mrs. Jenkins, entered the room and started the class with an introduction to the new book they were going to read. Maya tried to concentrate, but her mind was full of thoughts about how the rest of the day would be. At the end of the lesson, Mrs. Jenkins introduced Yuni to the class. Yuni felt like sinking into the floor, but unfortunately, she couldn't.
"Class, this is Maya Yuni. She's new here, so let's all be friendly and help her adjust."
Yuni gave a small wave and a timid smile to the class, feeling her face flush. She received a hello from a boy but froze and didn't respond, only offering a shy smile.
During the break, Maya went to the cafeteria. She picked up her lunch tray and looked for a place to sit. The cafeteria was crowded, and she didn't want to feel even more intimidated. Suddenly, Emma appeared again.
"Maya, over here!" Emma called, waving to her from a table in the corner.
Yuni smiled, feeling a wave of relief as she went to sit with Emma. They talked about classes, teachers, and school events. Yuni began to feel more at ease; Emma was cheerful and didn't seem like a troublemaker.
A boy passed by them and looked at Maya, who looked away.
"That's Horus Anésio Constantino Kobayashi. He's a troublemaker, a different kind of troublemaker," Emma said.
"Different?"
"Yeah, he doesn't bother anyone unless they bother him. He beat up a boy who pushed me... but didn't even wait for me to thank him. I tried to talk to him, but I was ignored."
Maya was curious, and the look she received was different too. After that, they returned to the classroom.
The afternoon classes went by quickly. Maya Yuni had Mathematics, Science, and History. In Science, Mrs. Rodriguez conducted a fun experiment that involved mixing different substances to see how they reacted. Yuni loved the practical class.The last class of the day was Physical Education. Maya felt nervous again because she didn't know what the activities would be like. Coach Miller divided them into teams to play volleyball. Maya was never very good at sports, but she tried hard to participate. During the game, she made some good passes and even scored a few points, which made one of the boys let out a whistle.
She pretended not to hear, wishing to remain unnoticed.
After class, while changing in the locker room, one of the girls from the team approached her.
"You played well today, Maya. My name is Sisi. Do you want to join our volleyball team?" Sisi asked.
"Oh, thank you! I'll think about it. I've never played in a team before, but it sounds fun." She replied, but she knew she wouldn't accept; teams, crowds, and leaders were her nightmare.
The final bell rang, signaling the end of the first day of school. Maya gathered her things and left the building. She found her mother waiting for her in the car. She had survived day one.
"So, how was your day?" her mother asked.
"It was good, mom. I think it is better than I expected. And my brother?"
"At daycare; he's sleeping there tonight."
"But he hasn't slept at home for two days."
"I know, Maya, but I need to work some extra hours."
Her mother worked hard because she was raising her and her brother alone. Cícera was afraid her daughter might get pregnant and follow in her footsteps, which meant she had to work tirelessly to pay all the bills.
On the way home, Yuni reflected on the day. She felt grateful for having met Emma.
- Writer
