WELCOME BACK HOME!

After residing in Australia for 13 years, I returned to my hometown on August 14. I should be glad and eager to get back home, but I'm eager to find out what has changed and how everyone else has changed. My memories of being in the home are vague and very few that I honestly remember little of.

My parents took care of everything before I got back. I got accepted to college, and they completed all the requirements to enroll me as a student in the last year of a bachelor's degree. Although completing the formalities wasn't simple, the relationships my parents developed during the process were very helpful. Since they are both professors at a post-graduate institution, my father and mother have got enough reputation and respect among their peers, and they might have asked for a favor for me.

Moving from one nation to another has been a really stressful procedure, and so I do not even really enjoy coming back here. I've had my life back in Australia, and returning home will simply make it more toxic and miserable for me. And joining a new college in your last year of college is no joke; I will undoubtedly attract a lot of attention.

My first day is making me somewhat anxious. Too many people will be gazing at me, whispering their doubts and questions to me, and asking them of me in front of me before they even validate my responses. To be completely honest, I don't give a damn about what they think. I only need my university degree, and I won't have to interact with new people again.

I attempted to go to sleep with all these things on my mind, but I couldn't because of anxiety. I struggled until after 1:00 in the morning in my bed. I made the decision to go for a walk around my neighborhood because I could not sleep and my heart was beating quicker with each passing minute. I recall nothing, so going for a walk would help me relax and bring back some memories. I put on my pajamas and hoodie and got my custom-made minion hat, headphones, and phone. I quietly slipped out of the house as my parents' bedroom was shut. My headphones were plugged in; "Until I found you," my all-time favorite song, was playing as I exited through the main door with my black and white slides on my feet, cap, and headphones were on as well. I soon walked out.

I left the home and turned to the left. As best as I can recall, the route that led to my former school. The streets were deserted (it's 1:45 in the morning, what did I expect?). The gentle, chilly breeze was comforting and reviving, and the solitude was relaxing. As I was able to move freely, I felt alive once more. Everything is different now. There won't be any sign of the change. At least somewhat, nothing in the vicinity appeared to be the same.

I was oblivious to the town's significant transformation. I was moving slowly and singing a little while humming along to the music while being in my trance.

"I would never fall in love again."

"La, La, La, La La, La, La… La, Laa…"

To the music, I did a little dancing, tapping my right foot and moving to the Right, tapping my left foot and going to the left, and doing so repeatedly for a few minutes. A stranger had taken my cap in a car that was travelling quite quickly before I even realized it. As soon as I noticed my cap in his hands as he drove past, I cried, "HEY!"

He crossed the street with my cap in his left hand, but he didn't stop. Instead, he waved at me. Even though I couldn't see the person's face, I knew he would be dead if I managed to locate him.

The things I've been worrying about negatively have already begun, even if college hasn't yet begun. Without barely having time to realize what was occurring, I already lost my favorite cap. I'm really anxious about what will happen next.

I left for home with anger and worry filling my mind. I gently made my way towards my bedroom as I unlocked the front door, but all of a sudden, the lights in the living room came on, and my mother was seated on the sofa in front of me. She had a fearful expression on her face. I'm certain I'll get a hard time, and perhaps even worse, I'll be grounded for a few days or a week.

"Hi, you are up?" I greeted, grinning awkwardly.

"Yes", mom replied, "and you are up too!" She added, after a little pause while moving her left eyebrow a little.

"Uh…" I stuttered and continued, "yea, I couldn't fall asleep, so I thought I would take a stroll around the locality."

"Oh, fantastic! How did it go?", mom asked.

"Not that great," I replied, with a disapproving face.

Mom replied, "Come here, let's talk about it."

"No, I'm tired, I better get some sleep it's my first day tomorrow", I replied.

"Alright, good night honey", mom said while I walked past her.

As I strode away from her, I waved my hand. Goodnight, I said in response.

Upon returning to my room, I changed into my shorts and t-shirt and collapsed onto the bed on my back. I remained curious about that person for a while, thinking how inconsiderate it was of him to steal someone else's belongings. I kept having images of him with an imaginary face in my head, and after a few minutes, I was asleep.

My father came to my door at eight in the morning and asked me to get up and eat breakfast. I don't want to be late on the first day of college or draw attention to myself. As soon as Dad knocked, I got out of bed, washed my teeth, had a bath, and put on the most comfortable clothing: a pair of Black pants and a hoodie printed with cartoons of Luffy. My hair covers my face and obstructs my side view, so I decided to leave it open. As I finished dressing, I grabbed one of my backpacks, and headed to the dining area. My mother was rushing breakfast from the kitchen to the dining table while my father was already seated at the table reading the newspaper.

I sat down in front of my dad and began tapping my right foot uncomfortably.

My father looked at the top of the paper and said, "Don't be nervous, it's going to be alright."

"Yes," I said, despite the fact that I was screaming within.

My mother rushed from the kitchen and sat beside my father, saying, "Here, have them quick, we're running out of time," pointing to the toast and eggs.

We didn't talk much during breakfast, and my mother insisted on me eating quickly so I wouldn't be late for college, even though I had plenty of time.

I finished eating my eggs and had a glass of orange juice in ten minutes. As I completed eating, my mother rushed me out and said, "Shray's going to drop you off. He's outside. Bye sweetie, have a great day."

Wait, what? "MOM!" I screamed.

"Aren't you guys coming with me? "It's my first day!!" I exclaimed, puzzled. "Please," I added.

"No, we'll be late, and it's literally two ends of the city." "You'll be alright, honey," said my father.

"No!! And who is Shray? I have never met him!" I yelled indignantly.

"He's, our neighbor; he's a good fella and is in your college; it's okay, make him your first friend," the mother said with a smile.

"Seriously?" "Nooo," I yelled in protest.

"Go," rushing me from the back, my mother got me to the entrance and opened the door of the car waiting outside the house and made me sit in it and said, "Take care of her Shray and bye girl, don't sulk."

Shray kept nodding his head with a smile and yelled, "Love you aunt," while she was going in.

Mom waved back at him.

As my mother headed in, I closed the car door and said, "Don't even ask me a single question, just drop me off near college and don't look back at me".

"Whoa, go easy, girl, alright," he replied.

Except for the honking of the cars around us, the following thirty minutes were spent in perfect silence. Shray seemed attractive enough to become my crush, even though I wasn't having the right look from the angle I had. When we got to the college, Shray didn't stop where I requested him to, instead continuing on onto the campus. He then stopped in the parking lot, so I had to exit his car in front of a number of students.

When others started gawking at me, I realized how well-known he was on the campus as a whole. I did not want this. Shray is solely to blame for me because this is exactly the last thing I wanted to be experiencing. It is a sizable campus. I wasted some time searching for the classroom. On my first day, I'm running behind. At 9:45 am, when I had my first class, I arrived in the classroom.

I slowed down my knock so that only the instructor could hear me as I entered the classroom. His short stature is complemented by his blue shirt and cream-colored jeans. " Oh, you're the new student, right?" he remarked, casting a glance to his left.

The entire class turned to look at me after hearing just one of his sentences. Over a hundred students were watching me and waiting for my response. Even though I was anxious and my heart was racing, I was able to smile and say, "Yes."

The lecturer answered, "Great, come in and sit wherever you like."

Everyone's eyes were on me as I hurriedly said "thank you" and proceeded across the middle of the ten rows of benches to the final bench, leaving one empty.

I avoided seeing people in the eyes because I didn't want to talk to them. For another hour and a half, the class was in session. The teacher walked out of the room. I avoided making eye contact with anyone and simply chose to sit quiet while scanning the classroom. My eyes met his as I made a quick spin around. As I turned to face him, he was gazing at me and smiling.

My heart was beating incredibly quickly and was almost about to burst. He piqued my interest right away, and I knew I would develop a crush on him in the future. I experienced magic at that precise moment. At the same moment, my heart was screaming and whistling. Right then, my mind urged me to kiss him.

However, all I did was turn around and ignore his smile while maintaining a poker face. After seeing his smile and eye contact, I melted as quickly as ice on a hot pan. I didn't need any more of him. I decided to ignore him, even though my internal adrenaline was running as quickly as racing vehicles, and then I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. My heart briefly stopped when I felt the tap two more times.

From behind, a strong, husky voice called out, "Hey."