No wonder Newmoon spent such a long time having sat there, relaxed and forget about the rest of the world's affairs, especially about the reasons why he came there in the first place too.
Within all those speechless moments, The only words that escaped from his lips were,
"So calming..!"
To be true, maybe it seemed or felt calming to him but the fact it was more than calming, relaxing.. it was quite windy and from the few days beforehand weather has always been like that, almost ended up looking like a storm was gonna take at any place and at any time.
But the entire university was surrounded by a flower garden. So, as the saying goes by whatever a beautiful flower touches always turns into gold, Here in this case it indeed was the truth.
For a moment he was experiencing fleeting feelings. A lifetime sort of. Other than tracing out to the department store and that bridge...he never had been out. The fact now he had no other way than to admit himself to the class gave him more sense of anxiety to a whole new level. He had imagined various sceneries and replayed in his head a hundrends..no probably thousands of times the never-happening possibilities created from his own overthinking, insecurities and fears, etc.
While he was having his life moments. Meantime a bunch of girls came crossing through the opposite side of the lane. From their first appearance, they seemed like they were quite familiar with the environment unlike him, all laughing over some cracking jokes and squirming over some probably gossiping, etc. Among three, two of them were preoccupied with a pile of paper files holding onto their hands. Newmoon couldn't care less about who, what, or where the girls were coming from? Just seated unaffectedly.
If not for that goddamn wind, then probably at least to a certain point they would walk into their parallel world.
As if God didn't want the girls to smile more., Not even letting them to finished their words, gossip, and laughter. With a 'Thud' sound a bunch of paper files got slipped down on the ground from one of the girl's hands.
"…??"
If it wasn't enough another flow of heavy breeze pushed the papers, made them fly all over the air, scattered into all fragmented directions. But from the position, the wind came from the left east side to the right side it eventually flew towards Newmoon's place.
In a split second, One of the scattered paper instantly flew directly at Newmoon, slapping right at his face.
"…?"
He didn't even have time to collect his thoughts in such mere few seconds that his entire body shut down. Just imagine you sitting at a silent, peaceful bench under the shadow of such a big tree, having a silent conversation with nature, relaxed and calm, and suddenly you got your face slapped by a lightweight that looks like mere paper? How does that feel?
For a moment, he seriously froze. And just when his thoughts began to take a trail he slowly took out the paper from his face in a puzzled expression.
He hadn't even got time to analyze the whole situation and then instantly a long hand extended right through his eyes.
As if it's a Koronavirus or some sort of new variant his instincts, quickly got activated at the speed of light and he immediately leaned backward thankfully slipping through such a thin gap.
"?"
"um..m! that..sorry..y!!"
Seeing him uncomfortable, the thin girl stumbles on her words.
At first, She was giving a hand to him to take out the paper stuck on his face. But his unexpected reaction made her feel misunderstood.
Immediately afterward a large number of footsteps became clearer all of sudden. The rest of the girls too joined them in an anticipated look.
One of the girls approached him on behalf of her and tried to apologize.
"Oh god, this wind..we're sorry..for the inconvenience Mr. stranger.!"
The middle girl shows her consideration.
What could Newmoon do in that sort of situation? HuH? it hasn't even been a while away from the chaos, hustle and bustle of the craze of students and now he was suddenly surrounded by three young and beautiful girls. His anxiety was already above head level even by not doing anything and now it had reached its peak.
Avoiding his gaze towards the down he shook his head twice as though he was referring to 'never mind'.
"Sorry for the trouble then..!"
Thankfully they returned to their path collecting their paper works. After walking a few miles away from the newmoon, a chattering could be heard once again.
"Hey, that boy was my type.!"
One short hair girl expressed her heart with a Joyous tone.
A blush overshadowed her cheek. It was non-other than the same first girl who reached out to him and got misunderstood.
"Cute, shy and reserved one. Hehe!"
"Oh, that's why you instantly ran up to him?"
The middle girl asked in wonder.
"..." Her silence said it all.
"You even bent in front of him, reached out your hand, and apologies too!! Aah!"
She raised her tone in amusement as she gets the point.
"Indeed I was wondering about your silence but now I know why!"
The short hair girl only replied with a great cunning smile.
"but guys,..,
The left girl questioned with judgmental eyes,
"- besides his look don't you find him a little bit-
She wriggled his hands in the mid-air.
As though she was at a loss for exact words and could only struggle to give them a hint as a gesture.
" Strang…e not a strange, a weird one, mental? or as if I misunderstood it?"
The short girl quickly defended her ideal type with the fact, "yaa, you mistook the term, it is called coolness. Don't you find such coolness flowing in every vein of his body?"
"Hahaha, I've to agree with that." The middle girl agreed with the short girl as well.
Within a few moments, their environment got lively again. While Newmoon seemed as if he had lost some dear one or Got verbally bullied by that previous girl almost about to cry. Again, his little finger was shaking like crazy.
He hides it by overtaking the other arm of his.
With an unfocused gaze, random hand gestures resurfaced in his mind.
He squeezed his eyes tightly as the picture flashed out in his eyes.
Along with it, his entire expression twisted!
"Why did I just shake my head..?? like a dumb person! Am I though?"
He finally uttered the words that he has been holding up ever since earlier.
The fingers that has been unstoppably shaking, he clenched into fists.
"SHIT"
That morning he couldn't find any curse words more than that.
"I made myself look like a fool! It hasn't even been my first day and yet I have already been introduced as a….-!"
As if he couldn't find any perfect words to keep on describing his exact thoughts.., He tirelessly exhaled a long sigh!
"…"
Whenever there seems to be some sort of situation where he couldn't figure out what the hell should he do, he would exhale each time. The more extreme situation the more deep sigh.
For him, it's a natural habit. Unknowingly or knowingly.
"This is me. This is so me! it always happens to me.!"
"Every time!"
There his overthinking starts to pour down outside with guilt too.
Oh, and one of his particular worst behavior was regretting almost everything that he either say or do.
So, that was the time when the maximum amount of his anxiety gets the best out of him.
Now, his irritation made the entire atmosphere goofy. Earlier when the same breeze helped him to relax and lost in a serene imagination now it fuels his agitation with each breeze.
Although he could feel emotion running through his veins, he still couldn't figure out actually what's the main roots. Instantly, as though the wind wants to comfort him by swaying his negative energy away, A forceful, impactful breeze came.
"…"
To think of it was only a moment ago when he got slapped by a mere piece of paper. It still feels surreal for him. However, What's done is done. There was no use in crying over spilled milk.
Thinking all sorts of positive and comforting thoughts making an excuse to rebuild his confidence, he leaned slightly backward and laid, and just when he was about to hang his neck on the edge of the bench…,
"!!!"
With a 'THUD' sound.., something happened.
But nobody knew what happened in that blink of eye moments.
"Oh, My Oh MY!!"
Immediately afterward, a couple of voices were heard from far away.
To talk about surprise, Newmoon got hit again!!
But this time way bigger, way solid, and way stronger than the earlier paper. So powerful that successfully punched Newmoon in an uppercut motion. He didn't even have time to say 'ouch'. To be honest it was funnier the way it hit him. Who knew his head would be bounced back twice not once. But lucky for him, the environment was way more peaceful than the rest of the university area otherwise surely made him famous.
It was a basketball!
Comparing it to that paper? It would humiliate the entire ancestor or the origins of that object called 'basketball'.
Soon, the multiple whispering now became clearer as the dim, blurred figure appeared right in front of the lying Newmoon. His consciousness got blurred away and swiftly a long buzz overcovered his senses.
Surely, Today wasn't the day for him. Every time he got a chance to inhale and exhaled a long breath.. there'll be still something that will block him to get it, the peace. No to be more precise, he got a hit either by paper or by solid basketball.
~~~
"UG..Gh..!"
"Wh..y my lowe..r part is hur..t..??"
Slowly and steadily his eyelashes frizzle a bit. His eyelids wanted to be opened.
A blurred, dimmed white simple colored ceiling appeared above him. Besides, a thin white soft visible curtain was flapping and flipping through the windows outside, dancing hysterically. If only he could move his head a little bit then he could get a chance to..!
He tried to focus his vision as he squinted his eyes deeply.
"Where a..m I- AH-?"
His consciousness hasn't yet returned and he was already muttering in a painful tone "-Why my nose feels..hurt?"
"I feel like something-"
"-You were hit hard by a basketball!!"
"…?"
Newmoon tried to tilt his head to see where or whose voice he was hearing from?
"-Earlier!
A young lady in her 30s approached him in a relaxed manner. Judging from her appearance and white outfit she looked like a doctor?
"-..In a park."
Yes! That was it. A triggering point for him. He has been there for a couple of hours and already prepared some haunting and triggering points for himself for the rest of the years.
As soon as he heard the last sentences, His expression twisted at once as he suddenly Jumped upright.
"Par..K? Hit? Basketball?"
He questioned in total disbelief.
"Yes!" She nodded.
"and one of the students bought you here.!"
"…?"
With a short pause, Newmoon whispered to himself, "Probably the one who hit me!"
"CORRECT!"
Out of blue, the nurse commented on his excellent sixth sense in a super excited tone in a way as if her time had been saved from being wasted in vain.
And why wouldn't she too? After all, she was the one to blame, doesn't she?
Hearing her, Newmoon stepped out of his bed and carefully walked toward the glass, mirror glass cause no matter what he was feeling hella discomfort.
"…"
What he sees there froze him in an instant.
Before he could gather his overall thoughts and open his mouth for further interrogation or questions.., the Lady nurse clarified on his behalf.
"You got hit directly at your nose, luckily there weren't any internal damages, just quite a handful of blood and swelling though. I've put some appointment on the wound and I patched with a bandage."
"you can take that off after a few days!"
Indeed a slight tint of reddish color still left a stink on the middle part of the bandages and the amount of swelling he had on his face seemed hilarious too.
He stretched his hands to carefully examined the area, but the fact he would inject it with an infection he could only pretend to touch it in mid-air and eventually lowered his hands down.
When he circled his fingers around, once again his little fingers were shaking vigorously. A voice whispered in his head,
"In an instant, my nose got crippled out of blue. Getting slapped by the paper was already humiliating as fuck and now this- Seriously, What a welcoming gift for me!!"
Simply, he turned around to check and collect his belongings.
"This is the indication that my college year would gonna be doomed or total rollercoaster. I have feelings."
Bowing to her, he left just like that.
When he reached some corridor on the down floor, He let out a large sigh touching his heart so dearly as if it was triggering his social anxiety. It has been a long while since he had talked with somebody else so his body was shaking nonstop.
The more he ran away the more he finds himself running from other students.
"Haa-Thankfully one thing is cleared now! The purpose of attending today's orientation class has finished. and for the rest of the days, I have found a realistic excuse!"
And obviously, that would be his nose.
For Newmoon who was on the way to dismissing the orientation class anyway, thinking or trying to come up with several outcomes and excuses, getting hit by a real basketball put him in a win-win situation.
Of course, he had to pay a huge price for it though. But after all, it all turned out to work in his favor.
In one side of his brain, he thought there wasn't anything to worried about such small things, as the facts that his mother always used to tell him.
"Boys look great when there are certain scars over their face and body!"
He had no idea why he recalled that.
"It makes them appear rough and attractive and taken as a pride too.!!"
Now it's been ringing in his head for a while. Not until the other side of the brain got itself into a debate,
"Before the hit, his nose bridge seems to appear somehow from the side look. But now, even that small hint of nose bridge got hammered deep down that it could no longer be seen from side look anymore."
Although his nose was wrapped up with bandages and swelled up like a potato, he couldn't help himself but feel it.
However, it wasn't his problem. Anyway certainly for not some time though. Right now he was consumed by different feelings but when finally the clouds of his illusion slowly faded and his senses come back to their original state then it would be the time to re-consider the thoughts once again.
Till then, he could worry less about the possibilities of problems arising from overthinking.
Keeping his thoughts stored in one part of his brain, he gently patted his own heart,
"Everything will be alright."
He stepped forward and started to move along. Just when he had taken a few more steps around the narrow passage hall, A quick shadow of some unknown person passed through him.
A long flattered hair flew right through his face, A quick shadow of that unknown person left in split seconds evaporated a sense of familiarity into the air.
"?"
However, Newmoon was too occupied to have one more thought to intrigue his mind.
Moreover, he didn't even see that perfectly.
So, In the way, both of them intercrossed each other paths.
~~~
With a 'Thud' high piercing sound, that unknown long hair girl banged the doctor's room.
Looking around in an instant gaze, she questioned in a worried tone,
"Where is he?"
"Oh. About that young boy, He just left a few moments ago."
Lady doctor said formally.
"Ha-ha, he doesn't even know who or what hit him!"
She laughed.
~Beep~Beep
There he went home directly. Nothing more and nothing less.
Amidst the crunching sound that itself was going on, he managed to throw himself into the bed.
"What a day to look forward to?"
"What a day to start college life?"
Indeed it was true. Imagine doing nothing, a whirlwind in your world daydreaming and suddenly got slapped by a mere piece of paper and then as if he mocked that small objects that in the next moments he got himself knocked down by the massive basketball which almost made him lose his teeth and dysfunction the structure of his nose. No matter how much he thinks so, it never goes away from his mind. He was thinking from college to home.
He slowly lifted his right hand and again tries to touch it when only he had reached its surface he feel a deep throbbed, chilling sensation starting from the tip of his nose to the backdown spine.
~Electricity~
Ah, the muscles wrenching sensation was nonother than 'electricity.'
Thanks to that sudden quick short circuit, he threw his hand right away. A good example is to listen to the doctor's words.
This was the reason why the doctor usually refrained from touching it or having any sort of physical contact with the wounded part.
~Tring~Tring
A phone rang. He squirmed and tried to check out his phone in his pants pocket. Only did his heart skip on its own when he didn't find it. He instantly jumped out. In a panic, he once again goes out for the second round to search his own whole body.
He roamed around here and there. Following the sound direction.
If only the phone hasn't rung then his heart would have already skipped to death.
Finally, at the end of the day, he found. It was non-other than in his bag.
"??"