Helena Arlo Lopez was thrilled. It was her first day of college! She said goodbye to her parents and hurried to her dorm room. When she saw it, her heart sank. Her mom had gotten her a VIP room—a single. Helena didn't want a VIP room. To her, it meant loneliness.
"Ugh, Mom," she muttered, putting her stuff away. Then, she went to explore the college.
Everything was so new and exciting! Helena practically skipped around the campus. It was huge and nothing like her old school. A wave of pride washed over her. "I did it," she thought. "I'm finally here." She remembered how she'd doubted she'd even make it to ninth grade. Now, she was in college! Lost in her thoughts, she headed to the college office to find her classroom.
Helena needed to find her classroom.
> "Excuse me," she asked a nearby student, "could you tell me where the first-year B.Tech classroom is?"
> A booming voice replied, "G Wing 302!"
> "Uh, where's G Wing?" Helena asked, a little startled by the loudness.
> "Next to the cafeteria!" the voice boomed again.
> "And where's the cafeteria?" Helena asked, starting to feel a little overwhelmed.
> The voice got even louder. "Go towards the playground! You'll see a sign for the Songbird Heights cafeteria. Turn right, and you'll see G Wing!"
> Helena jumped back, a little scared. Muttering to herself, she walked away. "I don't know why they're so angry," she thought. "I'm just trying to find my class. I'm not trying to annoy anyone."
Helena finally found her classroom. Stepping inside, she noticed it was already pretty full. "Wow, this room is huge," she whispered to herself, comparing it to her old school. She noticed something strange: everyone was sitting in the back, leaving the front benches empty. "If this were my old school," she thought, "the front row would be packed." She decided to take advantage of the empty seats and sat down in the very front row.
She waited for someone to join her, but everyone who came in headed straight to the back. Helena started to feel a little awkward. She even considered moving to the back herself, but just then, the professor walked in, and she was stuck.
> "Good morning, students," the professor said. "I'm your professor. Instead of a regular class today, we'll start with introductions. Who wants to go first?"
Silence.
No one moved.
The professor looked at Helena, sitting all alone in the front row. "Okay," he said, "let's start with you. Come on, introduce yourself to everyone.
Helena suddenly understood why everyone was sitting in the back. Nervously, she stood up.
The classroom felt enormous to Helena. They must have known about this, she thought, that's why they're all in the back. Her hands and feet went numb, her mind blank. Her heart pounded. Why are you beating so fast? she thought. It's just an introduction. Calm down. She was sure everyone could hear her heart thumping. She tried to say "Hello," but her voice barely came out. She tried again, a little louder, but it was still a whisper.
> "Speak up, dear," the professor said kindly.
> Helena nodded, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Hello! My name is Helena Arlo Lopez. I'm new to this city." She paused, unsure what to say next. Then, remembering all the tips she'd learned in school about introductions, she rattled them off. Finally, she finished. "Thank you," she said, and quickly sat down.
Helena kept her head down, trying to calm her racing heart. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when everyone else finished their introductions.
It seemed like her introduction had taken forever. How did everyone else finish so quickly? she wondered. By the time she realized, the lecture was over, and everyone had gone to lunch. Feeling lonely, Helena went to the cafeteria and bought a burger and a ton of chocolate. She sat alone in a corner, eating slowly, looking as sad as a little kid.
I thought I'd make so many friends today, she thought. But I sat alone through the whole lecture. No one even talked to me. It's like everyone else already knows each other. It feels like it's my first day, not theirs. Everyone else has friends, and I'm all alone. Ugh!
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To be continued......