It Has Always Been You

Chapter – 4

Chapter – 4

Talking and Chattering

“So, you are the new girl everyone was talking about in the class, you are quite pretty, being honest. You are already quite famous in our department.” I was entering the hall when suddenly a girl came and said the words hugging me and then Gannon. Soon after Mia, the girl I met in my first lecture earlier today walked in there as well. She hugged the other girl and Gannon and then at last me. By the way the three of them look I can sense their closeness, they seemed to be pretty close to each other. The feeling so foreign for me to ever know. I somehow felt jealous seeing them that way, I always wished to have someone like that around me too. it was just a wish at the end of the day.

In no time I saw him coming to me, his hand brushed through his hair and he smiled as he got to me and said, “you get bored, didn’t you?”

“a little, I guess,” I replied raising my eyebrows and furrowing them.

“come let’s go.”

“So, I guess that you both have already met her?” Mia asked them both, looking at them. “maybe I’ve told a lot about her already.” She added.

“Hii, I am Elena Stephen.” I again introduced myself to them smiling an awkward toothy smile, a bit nervous but I can manage that much. I am good at hiding emotions well.

“Hii I am Beckett.” The girl said giving me a light smile and added, “and me, Gannon, and Mia are your seniors from the same department. And believe me, girl Gannon is a big flirt and a heartbreaker so be careful with him.” The girl said out winking at me getting a weird and confused expression back from me. She was friendly too just like Gannon and Mia, but she was more on the chic side. I lowkey checked her out and at the end felt inferior to the beauty she radiated from head to toe. She was wearing torn dark blue denim with black boots and a black jacket; I don’t know what was underneath them. But her looks were both intimidating and friendly as if she had multiple attitudes for different occasions.

But well, the awkward introduction with them ended. Finally!! And that was when I realized how many people were there in the department, it was a big space but still not enough to have a formal conversation with everyone there. It was like a house party filled with strangers, and you cannot even spot the ones you know because it was so damn packed. This felt the same, and I know I will be going to look for someone too.

“hey, freshers dean wants all of you to collect at the assembly hall.” I heard a voice coming from behind. I didn’t bother to look behind me as I knew I won’t be able to see the person in the crowd. Just his voice was enough to make everyone move.

“let’s go, guys, better to get a good spot,” Gannon said and I followed him and his friends to the assembly hall. Not followed, but rather they guided me. Many other students were also behind us and some were walking ahead of us too.

All the students took seats in the hall, it was enough to provide space to all the students from four-year batches. Soon I saw a man wearing a black business suit and shiny leather shoes came into the hall and walked up on the stage. He must be the Dean; he definitely looks different from the pictures I've seen of him on the college website maybe he was younger at the time the picture was taken. But by the reactions of everyone in the room, I was sure it has to be him.

Well, whatever. I got a spot for myself, not in a direct front but it had a good view of the stage. The Dean waited for the students to take their seats and then started with his orientation speech,

“I would like to extend a warm welcome to every person present over here. Also, I would like to extend warm gratitude to all for giving me this beautiful opportunity to welcome all the freshers to our small family. This is surely a special day for you all and a special party for you, as today you are going to start a new and fresh journey of your life, full of new challenges, milestones, and achievements. This day is a day of nostalgia for many; it is a day with many new mixed feelings of happiness, confusion, fear, and excitement. But don’t worry; we all are here for you, to make sure that this journey is memorable for you all……”

I was listening to him even though he was saying the most obvious thing in the world. But my focus on his boring word got lost when I heard someone talking behind my back.

“did you see her? All the seniors are talking about her, b***h I don’t know what she thinks of herself. Seducing everyone on the first day?”

The place I was seated had many first-year nervous wrecks just like me. So, I can tell with a little certainty that the one saying that will be the first year too.

I was listening to her bitching about some girl when suddenly I felt someone’s presence beside me. I looked to the right to see it was and it was Gannon, smiling and sitting on the chair making the girl sitting next to me exchange seats with him.

As he seated, he turned around to those bitching girls and said, “don’t you know how to keep your mouth shut, or are you that desperate for attention?” listening to his words, I saw the bitterness and insult of their faces, they had no choice but to shut their mouths. I actually felt bad for them, I don’t ever want to be in their situation. You know one thing, if a guy as handsome as him is saying something, it is very hard for girls like them to refuse. And to top it all he was a senior. They had no choice to shut themselves up.

He looked back at me and again said, “don’t worry about them they are just jealous of you.” I don’t know why he said that to me, it took me a minute to actually get the meaning of his words. I was just looking at him with furrowed eyebrows and confused expressions, which are very ugly to look at in my imagination. God how must I have been looking to him.

“wait did you mean that they were talking about me?” I asked and he nodded with a weird smiling smirk on his face, he looked cute though. “uh… that can’t be possible. Why would they?”

“because you are the only girl, all the second years are talking about.” He answered.

“But why would they do that? I haven’t met anyone from my batch yet and even more, I had just met only three from your batch. And they don’t even know me.”

“and still, you are the talk of the town. Well, whatever it is, don’t worry about them they are just jealous because you are beautiful.” His words were ringing in my years, usually, when handsome guys tell girls that they are pretty or beautiful, the girl blushed at those words, but for me, I don’t know if I trust his words or not. I know I am fine-looking, but to say that I am pretty can never be true. Especially when a boy as big of a flirt as himself said it sounded much less sincere to me.

After all the confusing conversation, when I looked back to the stage the dean was getting off, maybe his speech went by when I was busy with Gannon. I won’t say it is a bad thing though, it was kind of boring. I was just listening for the sake of it.

“He said the same speech last year too, it’s the same every year I guess. Nothing changes, just the dates.” I heard Gannon whispering in my ear. I laughed at his words.