Her first 'friend'

Seraphina's Pov

 Monday had arrived, and with it came what I'd been dreading since I set foot in Elysium. 

 Today, I would have to face one of my worst fears, which was stepping into a new classroom filled with new faces and having to introduce myself. 

 The mere thought of standing in front of all those girls who would all have their eyes fixed on me made my stomach churn.

 Back home in Aldoria, I always managed to avoid introductions since the teachers knew who my father was, and they never forced me to stand up in front of the class. I had been granted the privilege of slipping into a seat unnoticed, with no one asking questions and no one looking my way. 

But here, at Elysium, I knew there would be no such privilege since I was just another girl in a school of elite students who wasn't going to get any special treatments. 

 Taking a deep breath, I looked up at the main building that housed the classrooms, and exhaling slowly, I told myself that I could do this. I had to since it wasn't like I had any other choice.

 With hesitant steps, I walked through the double doors into the building, and on entering, I noticed that the hall was already packed with girls standing by their lockers, laughing, chatting, and getting ready for the day.

 I immediately started to feel uncomfortable as I passed through the crowd, and I kept my head down, trying to make myself as small as possible so no one would notice me. 

 Pulling the handout from my bag, I unfolded it and glanced at the details written across the paper.

 My locker number was there, along with the hall assignment: Hall One, and my eyes scanned the endless rows of lockers around me. I had no idea where Hall One even was, let alone how to find my locker with this many students loitering around.

 I bit my lip, my palms growing sweaty as I clutched the paper tighter. This was the kind of situation I dreaded—being lost in a crowded space with no clear direction and no one to turn to for help. 

 I wished I could go back to Mrs. Hawthorne and ask her to show me the way, but I knew better than to even try. Just earlier, when I had expressed my concern, she had barely looked up from her desk. 

 "Deal with it," was what she said in her curt, no-nonsense tone before practically shooing me out of her office.

 Now here I was, trying to "deal with it," even though I had no idea where to start.

 I was still looking around when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. Startled, I turned around slowly, expecting to see one of the girls I had already met—Ashleigh, Jolene, or maybe even worse, Electra. 

 Instead, I was met with the face of a girl who was about my height, with dark brown hair that looked like they hadn't seen a comb in days. 

 She wore glasses that were slightly too big for her face, and her clothes were a bit wrinkled, like she had thrown them on without a second thought. 

She also had a pair of pens poking out of her front pocket, her shoelaces were barely tied, and she looked like the embodiment of a girl who had a million things on her mind and none of them involved fashion or neatness. 

 Her eyes lit up when I turned to face her, and she gave me a lopsided smile. "Oh! Did I scare you?" she asked quickly, sounding slightly breathless. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. You just looked kind of lost... like a puppy, y'know? Wandering around with no clue where to go. So I thought, 'Hey, maybe she needs help!' And here I am." 

 She finished her sentence with a cheerful grin, and her words tumbled out so quickly that I almost didn't catch all of them.

 I blinked, taken aback by how fast she spoke, and for a second, I didn't know what to say. 

"Is... is there a problem?" I asked shyly, feeling embarrassed by how awkward I sounded.

 The girl smiled again and shook her head. "No problem at all! Just thought I'd check in since you looked like you could use some help. I hope I didn't freak you out."

 I shook my head slowly, still feeling a little disoriented. "No, you didn't freak me out," I managed to say, even though I wasn't sure if that was entirely true. "I just... wasn't expecting anyone."

 Her smile widened even more, if that was possible, and she extended her hand toward me in a cheerful gesture. "I'm Yuna, by the way, and you are?"

 I stared at her hand for a few long seconds, unsure of what to do. I wasn't used to people introducing themselves so eagerly, and her energy was so different from the girls I'd come across so far. 

 Eventually, I reached out, but instead of giving her a proper handshake, I awkwardly held on to the end of her palm, unsure how else to react.

Yuna didn't seem to mind as she laughed lightly, clearly amused by my hesitant response. "Well, nice to meet you, uh..." She trailed off, waiting for me to say my name.

"Seraphina," I said, my voice barely audible again.

"Seraphina, huh? Cool name," she replied brightly, still grinning. "So, what's going on? You look a bit lost—well, actually, more than a bit lost. Like, majorly lost."

 Her words had come out so fast again, and it took me a second to process the question.

"I... I was actually looking for my locker in Hall One, and after that, I'll need to find my class," I explained.

Her smile didn't falter, and with a nod, she asked, "Can I see your handout?" 

 She held out her hand expectantly, her fingers wiggling a little in excitement, and I hesitated for a moment but eventually handed it over.

 She studied it for only a few seconds before looking up, her face lighting up even more, if that was even possible. "No way!" she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "We're in the same class!"

 I blinked in surprise, not sure how to respond. A part of me was relieved, though, because at least I wouldn't have to face the horror of walking into class alone.

 "Oh, that's... nice," I said awkwardly, trying to force a smile.

I shifted again. "Um, what about my locker?" I asked.

"Oh!" She said, snapping her fingers like she had just remembered. "This is Hall One, and your locker's at the end of the hall, according to this." 

 She tapped the handout lightly before handing it back to me.

 I let out a small sigh of relief, happy that I was in the right place. "Thank you," I mumbled, feeling a bit more comfortable now that Yuna had helped me.

 She tilted her head, her bright eyes locking with mine, and I could see the wheels turning in her mind. "Tell you what, how about I show you to your locker and the class, so you don't wander around on your own?"

"Do you... do you mind?" I asked, unsure if she was really serious or just being polite.

 Her grin grew even wider, and she shook her head vigorously. "Not at all! But," she added, "there's one condition."

I blinked, taken aback. "Condition?"

 She leaned in slightly, still smiling. "Yep. Since we're in the same class, we might as well be friends, right? So the condition is—you have to be my friend!"

I froze, staring at her and wondering how to process her request.

 Slowly, awkwardly, I nodded. "Okay… I guess we can be friends," I replied, and her reaction was immediate. 

 Before I could even comprehend what was happening, she let out an excited squeal and threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug that caused me to freeze as I tried to process what in the world was happening.

Did I just make a friend for the first time in my life?