NEW PEOPLE. NEW SCHOOL.

New school. New beginning. New people. New everything.

These were certainly not what she had needed.

She knew it would take her a million years to adapt to this new environment. Shy to the point of being stupid, she knew she would not be able to gather up enough courage to walk up to people and just talk. And she knew that whatever came out of her mouth would sound silly. How, then, will she be able to make new friends? She didn’t want to be lonely. She had had enough of that already.

But when she looked at the other side of the coin, she felt that changing schools would benefit her tremendously. It would, at least, save her from the sharks who would have torn her into pieces had she shown her face even once. After all, what could be better than saving your own life, huh?

Her problems had started when she developed a crush on one of her classmates. Very teenage-like in nature, was that crush. For it was based solely on the looks, and not what was inside that top storey.

And so there she was, fawning all over him; him, who basked in the glory of attention.

- Who wouldn’t, you say? True, true. These things do happen during that god-forsaken phase, right? But that does not make teenage-hood any simpler.

He had asked her out after knowing her for a couple of months. And she, like a crazed person, had accepted the proposal at the first go. Thus started a long chain of events which eventually led to their break up, with her realizing that he was not worth her time. It took her only a month to figure that out. She found him immature and annoying, one who just didn’t get it at all.

Some from within her known circle were glad about the break up; some took it to their hearts and considered it a betrayal to their personal selves. What happened afterwards was something she had not expected. Those who were close to him, turned their noses in the air whenever they saw her. And those who were close to her, stuck to her like glue. But what affected her the most was the consequent fight with her best-friend.

The reason for the outburst will forever be unknown to her. The fight brewed up between them because of him. He had always been against their friendship. But she wore it like a badge. For her best-friend was the only one who knew her like the back of his hand. They were so close to each other, right from the very beginning of their friendship. He knew her so well, that it would take only seconds for him to know the bone of contention, or if not that, then the issue that must be going on in her head. Who, tell me, would not love and stick to a person like that?

And so they fought, fought for the first time in the span of their beautiful friendship. For her, it seemed like the end. She was not ready to break it off with him. She thought he wanted only that. She knew she would be able to make up for the lost things. She knew she would be able to invest more time on him, now that he, the creep was gone. But she didn’t get a second chance.

Looking back to that event, she knew it was time to get over them all.  And she knew she would be able to do it with the others. She knew, however, that she would never, ever, be able to part with her best-friend. She knew not what went on in his head, but she hoped with all her will, that he would give their friendship another chance. She thought it unfair on his part, for she knew that best friends fought. Other best friends fought like crazy; and she had had only one, with him. So what went wrong? she used to wonder. And she used to curse her luck for giving her the chance to date him. For he was becoming and more like a stone in the shoe.

Oh, how she hated him for ruining things for her! How she hated him for playing his part so well! And how well he played his part, pretending to be the heartbroken boyfriend! As if what she had gone through was not traumatic enough! As if her parents coming to know about this was not harrowing enough!

But, deep down, she knew the new school would bring in new opportunities. It would be the protective wall between her and those who wished bad luck on her. And so, ignoring the churning in her stomach and the dreadful feeling that was building up in her heart, she straightened up her shoulders like a soldier preparing for the battlefield, and launched herself headlong into the land of the unknown.