New Friend
I pushed the door open and stepped into Room 203.
The class was already buzzing with noise,students talking, laughing, moving around like they owned the place.
The moment I walked in, A few heads turned.Then more.
Yeah… new girl effect.
I ignored it and walked to an empty seat near the window, placing my bag down calmly. Simple. Quiet. Peaceful.
"Hey!"
I looked up.
A boy had suddenly appeared beside my desk.
Bright smile. Messy hair. Zero sense of personal space.
"You're new, right?" he said excitedly.
I blinked once.
"…No, I just enjoy walking into random classrooms."
He paused.
Then—
"Oh."
A second passed. Then his eye widened.
"WAIT... you're joking, right?!"
I nodded slightly.
"Finally."
He laughed. "Okay, good. I was about to question my intelligence."
I leaned back a little.
"You probably should anyway."
"WOW," he placed a hand on his chest dramatically, "first day and you're already attacking me?"
"Relax," I said calmly. "I'm being friendly."
He grinned.
"If this is your friendly, I'm scared to see your rude."
"Smart," I replied.
He pulled the chair in front of me and sat down like he had known me for years.
"I'm Liam Castillo," he said. "Officially your first friend in this class."
I looked at him.
"Who said you're my friend?"
He didn't even hesitate.
"I did."
I stared at him for a second.
Then—
"…Confident."
"Very," he nodded proudly.
Before I could reply, the teacher walked in.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, sir."
His eyes landed on me.
"You must be the new student."
I stood up.
"Yes, sir."
"Introduce yourself."
I looked around the class.
Curious faces everywhere.
"My name is Ruzelle Richelle Mendoza, you can call me Ruz . I just transferred."
And sat down.
Silence.
Then whispers—
"That's it?"
"So short?"
"She didn't say anything else!"
Beside me—
Liam leaned closer and whispered,
"You just gave the shortest introduction in history."
I replied without looking at him,
"I don't like long speeches."
"…I like you already," he said.
Class started.
A few minutes later—
Liam slid a piece of paper toward me.
Paper note:
"Important question: Do you always talk like this or am I special?"
I picked up a pen and wrote back.
"You're not special."
He read it. Looked at me.
Gasped.
"That hurts," he whispered dramatically.
I added another line.
"But you're entertaining."
He read again—
Then grinned like he just won something.
"I'll take that."
A few minutes later, a pen dropped loudly from the back.
The whole class flinched slightly.
Except me.
Liam noticed.
He stared at me for a second.
"…You didn't react."
I turned to him.
"Should I?"
"…Most people do."
I gave a small smile.
"I'm not most people."
He stared for a moment—
Then smiled.
"Yeah… I figured that out already."
The bell rang.
Class ended.
Students started packing up.
Liam stood up and stretched.
"So," he said, "as your officially self-declared best friend, I'll guide you around."
I picked up my bag.
"I don't remember agreeing to that."
"You didn't," he said proudly. "I agreed for you."
I walked past him.
"…You're annoying."
He followed beside me.
"And yet, you didn't say no."
I paused.
Looked at him.
"…I'm considering it."
He grinned.
"Too late. We're already friends."
I shook my head slightly.
A small smile forming without me noticing.
Maybe—
This place won't be that boring after all.
And for the first time since I arrived—
Something felt…
Normal.
But normal never lasts long.
In my old school, I was a very mischievous girl. I had a bad temper. But pleyfull girl bit only with my friends and family my tita, tito, kuya and Adrian. I didn't like being around strangers, so I always kept my distance. But my aunt told me to change—to get along with everyone and be more friendly. I'm not sure if I can, but I'll try. For my aunt or mom.