"Be sure to not be late for your first day of high school!"(???)
"Don't worry mom! I won't be late!" (Antonio)
I'm currently a freshman in high schools. I moved to the United States this summer. I received some English Classes as a kid and just last year I was confirmed, along with my mom and dad, for my visa. I leave my house and walk to the bus stop. I get to the bus stop and wait for the bus, I look around. I'm kind of nervous, this is my first time going to an American school.
The bus gets here and I get on it, there are already people inside. Should I try to strike a conversation? If a person sits next to me, I guess I will.
The bus keeps going stop by stop and arrives at school. I sigh, I guess it won't be easy to make friends. I won't give up though! I look at my schedule... Global History, room 230. How exactly do I get there? I start wandering around the halls trying to find my room. The bell rings, shit, didn't find my classroom.
"Why are you outside of class?" (???)
I turn around and see a teacher.
"I..uuhhh... couldn't find classroom." (Antonio)
"I see, what room number are you suppose to be in?"
"230"
"OK, I'll take you there."
"Thank you very much."
"No problem."
The teacher leads me to my classroom. The first day of schools and I already messed up. Shit! There's nothing I can do though, I'll just let it be. I arrive at the first classroom. The teacher in the hall looks at the teacher in the classroom.
"He didn't know where the room number was." (Teacher 1)
"It happens. Sit down now." (Teacher 2)
"Ok."
I scan the room for a place to seat. Most of the empty seats are towards the front row. I guess that is to be expected almost no one seats in the front row. Now that all the seats are taken. I scan the first row. There's a girl next to my right. She has long hair and brown eyes, kinda hot... Let's not get distracted for now.
On my left there's a guy, he's white, has dark hair and blue eyes. First time I've seen a combination like that. He might be easier to talk to than a girl.
"Hello, nice to meet you." (Antonio)
"? Hello?." (Student)
"Settle down everyone, class is starting." (Teacher 1)
The teacher starts the lesson interrupting my little introduction. He speaks about what is expected of us and what the class entails. The bell rings meaning that first period is done. I try approaching the guy again and try to get along with him
"Ummm... my name is Antonio."
"Oh, my name is Michael. Is there any reason why you called me out?" (Michael)
"I'm new here... I uhhhhh, wanted to ask you if... uhhhh, you know the way to next classroom." (Antonio)
Damn it, it's so hard to speak in English when I actually have to.
"Ok! Where are you going?"
"Umm..." I pull out my schedule and see, room 113," Room 113."
"I am going there too, would you like to go together?"
"Yes!"
"Can I go too?" The girl that was sitting to my right.
"Okay," I say in a panicked voice and immediately.
Damn it, didn't even think about it, I must've sound a bit desperate there.
"What is your name? (Michael)
"I'm Emily."
"Well then Emily, let's go!" (Michael)
This guy is a natural! I'm so glad I reached out to you before I reached out to Emily. And like that my first friends in high schools were born.
The rest of my high school years were some of the best I've ever had. We joked around, we played around and we had fun. We made other friends but it was mainly us three doing stuff together.
Things were always fun until the end of our Junior year. Emily called us over this weekend to "discuss something." She sounded pretty serious to me.
"Why do you think she called us over this time, she looked serious." (Antonio)
"Maybe she is already choosing one of us." (Michael)
I give a surprised look. "Ummm..."
"Come on, we agreed that whoever wins there would be hard feelings. So make sure to not get envious after I get chosen!"
"Sh-shut up! I... I won't give up!"
We can see Emily in the distance.
"What are you shouting about?!" (Emily)
"Nothing!" (Both)
I look at Michael.
"Despite acting so full of it looks like you also get embarrassed to talk about it with her" I whisper to him.
"Shut up,'' he whispers back.
It's because we are both this shy that we haven't made any progress whatsoever with Emily. We both start laughing after we realize it.
"What is so funny?"
"Nothing." (Both)
"You guys."
"More importantly, didn't you have something to discuss with us?"
"Umm.. that is," she looks around, " Follow me."
We follow her to a park near her house we play in constantly. There's no one in sight, she turns around.
"Umm, this is very hard to say. You see... I..." (Emily)
Wait, is this actually! This is very nerve-wracking. I look at Michael, he's freaking out too. What if what we have right now is ruined!
"I... I'm moving to New York City this year."
We both sigh, so that's what it was.
"Why are you both sighing, that's rude!"
We start laughing.
"We are sorry, it was just that we had the wrong idea about something." (Michael)
"What?" she says mad.
"Umm... it's fine if you don't know." (Antonio)
"Then if it's a relief that I'm leaving?! In that case, I'll be heading back home!" She says angrily.
"No wait, our bad, we didn't mean to upset you." (Michael)
"Yeah, sorry about that." (Antonio)
"You are moving to New York though, that's a surprise."(Michael)
"Yes, my sister will be arriving after we graduate. As you know, there aren't many Hispanics here. So my parents wanted to live in a place comfortable for her and I was for it so we'll be moving."
"Why move this year though?" (Antonio)
"Well my parents wanted me to also get adjusted to the place I will be going and there's more opportunity for off the books employment for me in New York so I probably would have ended up moving there anyway." (Emily)
Off the books employment huh. Well, that's just how it is. Emily isn't a legal resident unlike her dad so she can't go to college and has to search for jobs that won't get picked up. I'm sure her little sister will be brought the same way but I don't want to bring it up.
"So then you are telling us, that you'll be moving this summer?" (Antonio)
"In about two months." (Emily)
"That's too quick!"(Michael)
"Yes, so... I wanted us to make some fun memories for the last time... this summer. " She says with a sad tone.
I don't want her to leave! Is there a way for us to stay together...
"Who says this will be our last summer!" (Antonio)
"What do you mean?!" (Emily)
"If you can't stay here, then we'll just have to go to you." Shit, as soon as that left my mouth I felt embarrassed.
I look around, well I'm not the only one that's embarrassed.
"...Come to me?" (Emily)
"...Yes, we can apply to a college in the city and go live there! We all have pretty good grades so it won't be that hard to get scholarships and since we are decently poor we would get some good financial aid!" (Antonio)
"Antonio is right, we can!" (Michael)
"Thank you." She says with tears in her eyes while laughing
"Awwww, she's crying." (Michael)
"Shut up," Emily says playfully
"Way to ruin the moment Michael." (Antonio)
"It's my specialty." (Michael)
With that after hanging out for a while after we both left.
"Looks like you won this round, Antonio" (Michael)
"And I'll win the last one too." (Antonio)
"Don't be too sure about that one." (Michael)
With that, we hung out for the rest of the summer and had to say goodbye to Emily for the time being. Once school started we put our all into studying. Our hang out days slowly became study sessions and our senior year passed in a flash. With that, we got accepted to a college in New York City.
We moved to New York and that following summer and met up with Emily once again. She had bags under eyes almost as if she lacked sleep and was worried about something. She didn't look okay.
" It's been a long time!" (Michael)
"I guess it has." (Emily)
"Come here, Emily!" I say as I extend my arms.
"What?!" (Emily)
"You know you want a group hug!" (Antonio)
"Idiot..." She starts heading this way, "Of course I do."
With that short exchange, our first small meeting ended.