One week passed by quickly. Mari barely saw her neighbor outside despite being next door neighbors.

It was the first day of school for Mari and she was feeling nervous.

How would her classmates welcome her? Can she make new friends? Will she be able to adapt quickly?

Tons of questions crossed her mind as she made preparations for the following days to come.

When the morning came, Mari rise up early to prepare despite her school being in close to their home.

“Good morning.” She greeted her mother when she saw her in the living room.

“Morning darling~” Her mother sang. “You’re early today.”

“Yes, mom. I’m feeling anxious about school so I woke up early to prepare.”

“I see. Good luck on your first day.” Her mother smiled warmly and gave her a soft tap on the head.

“Thanks, mom. Anyway, I’m going to take a bath now.” She told her mother and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After doing her morning routine, she changed into her newly ironed clothes and went towards the kitchen to prepare food for breakfast.

She took two slices of bread and cooked sunny side ups, slowly taking small bites of the bread while cooking. When she finished, she placed the food in the dining table and called for her parents to join her in eating.

When they finished eating, she bid goodbye to her mother who was doing laundry at the back. She then parted ways with her father who was going to work, all prim and smartly dressed.

“Take care, dad. See you later.” She bid goodbye to her father.

The walk to her school was short. She passed by some men carrying large boxes of goods on the way, vendors starting to open their shops as they prepare for the day and trucks filled with goods parked in front of some stores, their men bringing the goods it carry inside the store they belong.

The neighborhood was starting to get busier as the time goes, and Mari just enjoys the moment, greeting every one along the way a good morning while letting the cold breeze of air brush upon her face.

She knew she was getting closer to the institution when she saw people wearing the same uniforms either walking or sitting inside the buses that were passing by.

Shortly after a few more steps, she arrived at her new school and was impressed by how big the building inside is.

She have seen lots of them in the city — much bigger and much taller — but she did not expect to see a building of this size in their new place.

“Eastwood, huh?” Mari smiled as she entered the school premises.

Eastwood Academy is one of the most well-known institutions in the country. Being the largest institution in the province, it is famous for giving scholarships to people who belong to the underprivileged sector while housing students who belong to both the high class and middle class families.

Despite the fact that Mari was aware of the school’s disposition, the school still left an impact and gave her something that was beyond her expectations.

Mari stared at the building standing tall by the front of her new school. It was towering the entrance of the university, boasting elegance to everyone that sets their eye on it.

It serves as the center of the institution, attracting attention and leaving good impressions to the people both inside and outside the institution, being the one that were exposed to the eye of the public. However, it was just one of the two buildings inside the school premises, the second being located in the heart of the school. The second building serves as their stages for final performances and holds even the local concerts and competitions. Each building possesses unique architectural designs that was simple yet remarkable.

Once she entered the gates of the institution, she immediately went to the guards to ask for the direction of the building that she will be going.

“Hi, I’m looking for Emerald building. Would you mind telling me the way?” She asked politely.

“It’s the building facing us. Just go straight ahead and you’ll see the Emerald signage.”

“Thank you!”

Mari followed the guard’s instructions and sauntered towards the huge building in front of her. She entered the building and walked through the hallway, searching for the admin’s office.

When she found the office, she knocked three times before entering, bowing her head politely to the people inside.

There was a table near the doorway where the secretary was sitting, chatting with a guy who was sitting on the couch, holding some papers thats seems important paperworks.

“Excuse me,” she asked the secretary. “I’m the transferee from Evergreen Academy in Greenfield City. I’m looking for the person who would provide me the details of my schedule. They have advised me to come here and pick it up.”

“Oh, right! Let me check for a minute.”

Mari watched as the secretary pulled some files from the drawer.

“You’re Mari Park?” Asked the secretary.

“Yes, that’s right.” Mari smiled and nodded at the secretary.

“Here’s your schedule. If you have questions or if you need help with anything, you can always ask me.”

The secretary smiled and handed Mari the copy of her schedule.

“Thanks! I’ll do that.”

Mari bowed her head and went for the door. She exited the office and stood outside, looking at the paper on her hand.

She still has thirty minutes to spare before her first class but it is enough of an allowance for her to find her classroom.

“Need help?” Mari jumped when a voice suddenly spoke very close to her ears.

She turned around and found the guy from inside the office smiling sweetly at her.

“I’m sorry I overheard your conversation. Do you want me to help you look for you room?” The guy smiled, showcasing both of his dimples.

“Oh no, it’s okay. I can find it on my own.” She politely declined, offering him a small, apologetic smile.

“I insist.” The guy said, sneaking a peek at her schedule.

Mari unconsciously tried to move her schedule away but the guy has already seen its contents.

“You’re from 1-A? Let me lead you the way.” The guy smiled warmly and motioned her to move forward.

Finding herself left with no choice, she followed the guy who went ahead of her, checking for her every now and then.

They walked passed hallways and classrooms, the guy asking some questions every now and then. Their walk seemed endless; the similarity of the room’s appearances almost getting Mari into thinking that they were getting lost in the hallways.

When they finally arrived at the room, Mari thanked they guy who motioned for her to get in.

“Thank you.” Mari bowed her head before going in.

She carefully observed the room as she search for an empty seat. The classroom was wide enough to accommodate the number of students it have. There are two doors on the front and the back and windows on the other side of the room. The teacher’s table was situated in front along with the boards, and other students already took most of the front seats.

As she surveyed the room, her eyes landed on a familiar figure of a guy, short and lean and pale as white. His eyes were casted downwards and his lips were formed into a frown.

Mari felt a tug on her chest and she shook her head, afraid that others might notice.

She didn’t notice during the first time she has seen him, but the guy has something that she finds attractive.

Looking away quickly, she walked towards the nearest chair in front of her and brushed off the feeling that was forming inside her.

“Excuse me,” a newly arrived girl student told Mari. “That’s my seat.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Mari said and stood up from the chair.

“I’m new here so I have no idea which seats are taken.”

“That seat is the only seat that’s not taken.” The student said and pointed at the seat near the back.

Mari’s eyes followed the direction that her hand was pointing at and landed at the guy with the pale skin.

“Oh,” she said blankly. “Thank you.” She smiled at the girl and walked towards the seat beside the guy.

“Hello, I’ll be your seat mate from now on. I hope you’ll treat me well.” Mari tried to start up a conversation but the guy remained silent.

“Ahh ha-ha, I guess you’re a little bit shy.” Mari laughed awkwardly, turning her head to the front out of embarrassment.

“Didn’t he know that I’m his neighbor?” Mari thought.

“Don’t worry. He’s like that to everybody.” Her other seatmate whispered to her.

“Ohh.” Mari shifted her attention to her other seatmate who was leaning on her a little bit too close.

“I’m Ella by the way,” she smiled brightly at Mari. “And you are?”

“Mari,” Mari smiled back at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. You’re probably the transferee that our teacher is talking about, right?”

“Hm, I guess so.”

“We’ve been looking forward to meet you. If you’re having a hard time adjusting, you can talk to anyone of us.”

“Thanks, Ella.”

“No problem. We’re a family here in this school and families help each other.” She smiled.

“Oh?” Mari pointed at the guy in front with wide eyes. Standing there was the guy with the cute dimples who have assisted her in finding her classroom.

“You’re from here?” Mari asked.

“You know Christian?” Ella asked Mari.

“Sort of. I kinda bumped into him earlier and he helped me look for this classroom.” Mari explained. Christian smiled at her, once again showing his dimples that Mari find quite adorable.

“Yep, I’m from here. Nice to meet you classmate!” He grinned.

“You didn't tell me!” Mari exclaimed.

“Well, it’s a surprise!” Christian chuckled.

“Wow, this is amazing.” Mari laughed. “I didn’t think I’ll have friends as soon as I step in the classroom.”

Christian and Ella smiled at her and they chatted until their teacher arrived. When the teacher noticed her presence, he asked her to step in front and introduce herself to the class.

“Hello, my name is Mari Park. I hope we can get along well.” She smiled and bowed at the class, her eyes looking at her neighbor who was staring outside the window, lost in his own world.

“I hope I can get to know you...” she said, her eyes locked into the guy with the pale skin.

The guy seemed to have felt the pair of eyes that was looking at him because he looked away from the window and met Mari’s.

Mari felt her heart beat faster when their eyes met, the world around them seeming to have stopped, and Mari can only see the two of them looking at each other. Her neighbor’s stare was different from when they first met — it was not intimidating; not judging.

What Mari sees was just curiosity, no coldness, but if he’s experiencing the same sensation as Mari, Mari will never know.

Mari was brought back to reality when she heard a whistle, her teacher clearing his throat on the side and she saw the whole class looking curiously at them.

She felt her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

“I mean, I hope to get to know all of you.” She quickly exclaimed, waving her hands madly.

She heard some of her classmates chuckle, adding more to her embarrassment. She looked at her teacher who cleared his throat then looked at the class.

“Okay, quiet, class. Thank you Miss Park. You may take your seat now. We’ll start with the discussion.”

Mari went back to her seat with her head hung low, trying to avoid the teasing looks that her classmates were giving her.