"Samuel, I would like you to meet Lisa Martinez, your new classmate from South America. Well, before she came here, she lived in- "
"The Middle East…" I cut the principal's words.
"Uh… yeah," he said.
It can't be, can it? Destiny is intangible and constant. Then why is she here?
"Good morning," she spoke in English.
"Ahh… G-good morning," I replied.
"Well, Lisa, this is Samuel. He will show you the ropes in here if you don't mind," the principal said in English with an accent.
Lisa and I left the room, and I can feel my heart beating. Why is she here? And what are the chances?
Then suddenly, Lisa hugged me. "Samuel! It's been what, five years!?" she let go and held both of my hands. "Oh my god… look at you! All grown up," she said as she brushed my hair with her hand.
"Same for you, you've… grown," I said. "But it seems like the way you smile never change."
I showed her the school building—the cafeteria, library, classrooms, etc. And then we headed to our class.
"Samuel, have you finished giving our new friend the tour?" my homeroom teacher, Mrs. Jefferson, asked.
"Yeah, sorry I didn't come for the morning meeting,"
"It's okay. Alright, class! There's someone I would like to introduce to you today,"
I told her to wait outside so the teacher can give a grandiose introduction for her as usual. And then, I entered the classroom and sat in my seat.
"Psst… hey, is she pretty?" Rick whispered.
I didn't answer. The teacher then gave a cue for Lisa to enter the classroom. The students gasped in awe; a new foreign student has arrived at their school. Then she said, "Good morning, my name is Lisa Martinez, I lived in the Middle East, but now I moved here with my family because of my father's work. It's nice to meet you all,"
And then some of my friends in unison said, "Nice to meet you too," and giggled. It's a rare opportunity to have a foreigner as a friend in school.
"She's from abroad, so treat her well, okay. And teach her a bit about our language. And introduce her with our cuisines," Mrs. Jefferson said, "Okay, you can sit next to Samuel, where the seat is empty.
Oh god… is this what you call Fate? You would call this a godsend. First, she moved here, out of all places on Earth, out of all of the places in this country. She is put in this city and in this specific school. And now she sat next to me as the cherry on top; and is what you call a perfect cake.
I looked at her, and I can see her smiling at me. "We're going to be neighbors again, just like third grade," she said.
I blushed as memories from third grade appeared on my mind. It was the first week of school in an international school in the Middle East. I couldn't speak English well, and everybody was different. They come from other places and have different mother tongues, but all are united under the English language.
At first, I was sitting next to my friend from the same country as I am. And I could speak my mother tongue as much as I can with him, with a hint of English because he's already accustomed to the environment here.
And then we had to reshuffle our seats. Each table has four students in it. And it turns out that I was sitting next to Lisa. She was a very kind person and makes someone feel at home really quickly. She was a tomboy back then, doesn't wear the things girls usually wear, so I felt comfortable talking to her in a boyish manner.
But her behavior towards me was a new experience since I've never really had any friends who are a girl before in my life. And her interactions with me got my friends thinking that we liked each other. But I was so shy that I deny the accusations, when really in my heart, I wanted her smile to be mine.
But that was a long time ago, our memories together last for that year in third grade, and for the next three years, we weren't close. And on the last day of school, before I went back to my country, I decided to throw away my feelings and leave it all in that country. But as it turns out all this time, I've been dragging it all the way back here.
My heart beats every time, and my eyes always revert to her. I couldn't focus on class, and all my attention just goes to her.
The first period was trouble-free because it was English, but then next we have Civics, which focus more on this country's social ideologies, so it might be confusing for her since it is mostly in my country's language.
I decided to make my move and push my table to touch hers and sat close to her, just like we did in third grade.
"Next lesson might be tough for you, so I'm going to be here to explain as best as I can," I told her. She said okay, and the class began. And once again, we're closer than ever.
This time I'll change my destiny.