Ivy's Diary

A New Beginning

Westbridge College was no longer just a name on my admission letter.

It was real.

Ooh I forget to add……my mother accompanied me, and together, we entered through the gates of Westbridge for the first time.

I pressed my face slightly against the car window, looking around.

Students were everywhere.

Boys. Girls. Groups of friends laughing as they walked. People carrying bags, books, boxes, and everything that came with starting a new life.

I was excited.

Nervous too.

But mostly, I was curious.

We had already sorted out many things before coming, but there were still some things that had to be done physically. So my mother and I headed straight to the administrative unit.

Thankfully, everything went smoothly, it didn't take as long as I expected.

When they were done, we were directed to the porter section so I could be assigned a hostel.

At the porter’s office, a woman checked my details and looked up at me.

“You’re a new student, right?”

“Yes, ma.”

She handed me the information for my hostel.

“You’ll be staying here. For now, you’re the first person assigned to the room. Your roommate will be given to you later.”

I nodded.

“Okay, no problem.”

No roommate?

Honestly, I didn't mind.

As my mother and I walked toward the hostel, I started noticing the girls around me.

And, wow.

People are fine.

Like… really fine.

Back where I came from, I had always felt beautiful. In my city, I was that girl. Guys crushed on me. I got attention without even trying, and somewhere in my head, I had convinced myself that I was probably one of the prettiest girls around.

But Westbridge?

Westbridge humbled me a little.

Everywhere I looked, there was another beautiful girl.

Beautiful hair.

Beautiful skin.

Beautiful clothes.

Beautiful faces.

I quietly looked at myself.

Am I actually that fine?

For the first time in a while, I began questioning it.

Maybe I'm not as pretty as I thought.

It wasn't a huge blow to my confidence, but I definitely felt a little… smaller.

I kept walking beside my mother, pretending everything was normal.

She didn't notice.

Or maybe she did.

When we finally got to my room, my mother helped me settle my things.

Clothes went into their places. Toiletries were arranged. My bed was made.

For a while, she just watched me.

Then she sighed.

“Ivy.”

“Ma?”

“Be careful here, okay?”

I smiled.

“I will.”

“I'm serious. Don't trust everybody just because they're friendly. Don't tell people everything about yourself. You came here to study, so remember why you're here.”

I nodded.

“Yes, ma.”

“And take care of yourself.”

“I will.”

She pulled me into a hug.

“Make me proud.”

“I'll try.”

She smiled, hugged me again, and eventually left.

I stood at the doorway and watched her walk away until she disappeared.

Then I closed the door.

For the first time, I was completely alone.

Well…

Not completely.

I had Westbridge.

And apparently, I was about to meet people.

A few minutes later, there was a knock.

Knock. Knock.

I opened the door.

A girl stood there smiling.

“Hi!”

“Hi,” I replied.

“My name is Kendra. I just came to welcome you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

She smiled warmly.

“I stay in this hostel too. I'm not your roommate, though. My room is just around here.”

“Oh, okay.”

“If you ever get bored, you can come to my room. Especially since you're alone for now.”

I laughed softly.

“Okay. I will.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

She smiled.

“Alright, welcome to Westbridge!”

“Thank you.”

She waved and walked away.

I closed my door.

And almost immediately, my mind went somewhere else.

Back to high school.

Back to the girls I once called my sisters.

I had grown up with four brothers, so having female friends had always felt special to me. I treated my close girlfriends like sisters. We shared clothes, food, secrets, and practically everything.

Until they betrayed me.

There had been a boy in school whom almost every girl liked. He was cute, dark-skinned, and his mother owned the school. Somehow, he liked me more than he liked them.

My friends became jealous.

Around the same time, the school was investigating an act of vandalism. I had participated in it just for fun, and stupidly, I told one of my friends because I trusted her.

She reported me and of course the other two accompanied her.

Suddenly, I was facing expulsion.

Thankfully, a teacher who knew me pleaded on my behalf, and I escaped.

But the trust I had in female friendships didn't escape with me.

Another experience was during a church teenagers vacation, I made two female friends at church. When some things went missing, one of them blamed me even though she knew I wasn't responsible. The other sided with her because they were closer.

They apologized eventually.

I forgave them.

But I had already made up my mind.

So, standing behind my door after Kendra left, I whispered to myself,

“No, Ivy. We don't do female friendships anymore.”

Kendra could smile.

Kendra could be nice.

But she wasn't my friend.

She was simply a girl who lived in my hostel.

That was all.

Later that evening, I called Noah.

“So, how's Westbridge?” he asked.

I smiled.

“It’s actually nice.”

“Already?”

“Yes. But let me tell you something.”

“What?”

“There are fine girls everywhere!”

He laughed.

“Fine girls?”

“Yes! I'm serious. You need to see these girls.”

I laughed with him.

What I didn't tell him was that some of those girls had made me question my own beauty.

I wasn't going to tell him that.

Days passed, and I kept seeing more beautiful faces around campus.

Likee …..people are fineeeeeee

Eventually, I started getting bored.

Noah was busy, and usually, whenever I was bored, I would call him. But that day, he wasn't available.

Then I remembered Kendra.

Well… she did say I could come over.

So I went.

When she saw me at her door, her face lit up.

“Ah! Ivy!”

I laughed.

“You're happy to see me?”

“Of course! I was beginning to think you wouldn't come.”

“I was bored.”

“I knew it!”

We spent time talking, getting to know each other, and playing games. For the first time, I began to relax around her.

Maybe she wasn't so bad.

Eventually, I got tired.

“I think I should go back to my room.”

“Already?”

“Yes. I'm tired.”

“Okay, go and rest.”

I waved goodbye and headed back.

When I opened my door, I stopped.

Boxes.

There were boxes everywhere.

I stared at them.

Ah.

“My roommate has arrived.”

But there was no sign of the person who owned them.

I shrugged and went about my business.

Later, there was another knock.

Knock. Knock.

I opened the door.

A girl stood there.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I think I'm your roommate.”

I looked at her, then at the boxes.

“Oh! You're Isabella?”

She smiled.

“Yes. Isabella.”

“I'm Ivy.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

She stepped inside and began arranging her things.

She seemed calm. Friendly.

And, thankfully, she didn't look like a troublemaker.

I helped her with a few things.

“So, you've been here long?” she asked.

“About a week.”

“Then you're my senior.”

I laughed.

“Please don't call me senior.”

She laughed too.

Later, she mentioned that she hadn't really figured out where to get food.

“I can show you,” I offered.

“You know the place?”

“Enough to survive.”

She laughed.

We headed to the cafeteria together.

I showed her where to get food, and although I was still new myself, being there one week earlier suddenly made me feel like I knew the whole school.

On our way back, I looked at her and smiled.

“You're actually nice.”

“So are you.”

And just like that, my room no longer felt empty.

I had a roommate.

I had Kendra somewhere nearby.

I had Noah on the phone.

And I had a whole new life waiting for me.

I didn't know it then, but moving into Westbridge wasn't just the beginning of my college life.

It was the beginning of stories I would remember for years.

Some would make me laugh.

Some would break my heart.

And some…

I would wish I could forget.