I crave to be your lightness,

In the world of your darkness,

To wet your dryness,

To fill your emptiness.

~ Akanksha Jaiswal.

• • • • •

My annoying but helpful alarm wakes me up as its usual time kicks in. I struggle to not sleep again. Though I'm an organized freak but that doesn't mean I'm a morning person, in fact quite opposite. Maybe that's why I always wait for weekend, almost desperately. After some self motivational quote, I get up from my bed and shape it back to normal. Slowly and lazily I ease my way toward washroom, to prepare myself for a new start.

Suddenly I'm excited as the thought of new life crosses my mind, reminding me it's first day of my dream college and first step toward my ultimate dream.

After a quick hot shower, I wrap a towel around me and make my way back to the room. I open my wardrobe as I look through my choices of clothes. I pick out a blue top with full sleeves. I like full sleeves so most of my tops and shirt are of that type. I do a little debate on jeans and skirt but like I knew I go for jeans anyway. After putting my clothes on, I stand in front of dressing mirror as I analyze my appearance. It looks good on me. I don't use any makeup. At some occasions, yes but not on daily basis. Nada. I apply a bit of lip gloss and pick my hairs up in a pony tail.

I'm ready.

I drawl in living room or big room and wait for Sydney. She is going to show my locker and my first art class.

It doesn't take long before she comes out of her room looking beautiful like a model. She looks pretty. I'm not very short, but I'm surely shorter than her. My five point three feet length is not that short but it is short nonetheless. She glances at me and smiles immediately, a radiant smile, "Good morning, were you waiting for long?"

I shake my head, "No, just few minutes. Are you ready?"

She nods, "Yeah, just let me pick my keys." She goes back inside her room and returns as quickly.

We pad our way together on the busy hallway. Almost everyone seems busy in their own world. It's first day of new semester, some are new students like me some are old one.

"What's your locker number?"

I open my schedule paper that is on my hand. It says 786b.

"Its 786b." I show her my paper pointing on the number.

She nods pointing at other giant glass door, "Its in second hallway. Come on."

After few minutes of searching I finally find my locker. Opening, I stuff it with half my things in hurry, making a mental note to clean it after class ends.

I turn toward Sydney, who is who is waiting patiently for me. "Thank you. You don't have to show me the class, I will find it myself."

She playfully glares me, tugging my arm, "Hey now, don't be silly. I will show it to you. We have plenty of time before classes start."

I sigh in defeat and follow her. "This your second year right?"

"Yeah. Me, Luke and Lucas are sophomore. Adam is junior. King and Slade are in Senior."

Oh okay.

"Tell me about you and Luke, if you don't mind." I try to make conversation and I'm terrible at it. I always end up creating an awkward situation.

She laughs lightly, "There is nothing interesting here. We have been friends for our whole life, you know as our parents are friends so are we. When we were matured enough, we felt mutual attraction so we kissed and he asked me out hence here we are. We are dating for four years now."

She has this dreamy look in her eyes when I look at her, like she is in her memory lane. Its too beautiful to see someone in love. It gives me a giddy feeling whenever I think about love or about me being in love. Would everything be perfect for me too? Would it give me butterflies and all that stuff, I read in novels.

I hope so.

"Now tell me about your love life." Out of nowhere Sydney asks.

Me?

I don't think there is anything interesting in me. Sure few of them flirt but that's all it always is and that's all I have ever wanted them to be.

I look at her, "Nope. I'm not lucky at it, nor do I want to. Actually I have never really been interested in relationships. Few crushes here and there in high school who never liked me back, that's it. I guess I have been so focused on my GPA that I didn't have any social life apart from my best friends." I shake my head to get rid of these thoughts. Even if I was really interested in someone, grandma would have never allowed it.

Sydney stops me from moving and looks at me, I mean really look at me from up to down and then snorts, "Are you for real? Who wouldn't like you? You are gorgeous girl and your eyes, fuck I would kill for them. You just don't see how many guys give you once-over because you are so engrossed in your mind. Open your eyes and you will see line of boys waiting for you."

I don't really believe everything but some part of what she said is not completely wrong because I've always minded my own business. My focus has always been my dream, my family. I know that I'm not ugly or anything but I'm not very beautiful either, so her last part doesn't even make sense. I am simply plain. I sometimes feel like I have no interesting bone in my body, but I like myself this way. I am comfortable this way only. I don't want to change myself if given a chance.

I don't deal well with adaption.

I never have.

"Anyway this is your class." Her voice breaks the train of my thoughts, diverting my sight at the class on front of me.

I turn to her, smiling, "Thank you for help. I will meet you in room."

She waves her hand in dismissal, "Oh just skip with your formalities, and yes, see you in room. Now go it's almost time." Pushing me inside, she makes a run for her first class.

As I enter my class, everything inside me clenches in anticipation, pushing me forward. Reminding me my goal, making promises of upcoming and untold future. I take a good look around the room, it's in oval shape and very big, almost every seats are filled. I see a two seat at the left side near window. Taking that seat, I pull out my pencil, Craft book and start sketching something just to calm my ever wandering mind and also relax my nerves.

I am really here!

It still feels like a dream.

Christ, Just don't let it be a dream and if it is then don't let me wake up from it.

Amen

I feel someone's presence beside, I look up and find a boy standing by the empty chair looking nervously at me. I raise my brow in silent question, he clears his throat, "Uhm, is this seat taken?"

I want to laugh at his nervousness but not because he is weird or anything but because I'm more nervous than him so I just shake my head in answer.

He exhales a relaxing sigh as he sits, before smiling "Hey, I'm Davis."

I too smile, "I'm Akira."

"Are you too new here?"

I nod, "Yeah, I'm new and on scholarship." I tell him about it before he could ask and avoid that unwanted question.

He chuckles at my answer, "I'm glad you are. I also am an scholarship student. At least it will end the awkwardness, don't you think?"

I reckon he is right, talking to same kind of person would be far more comfortable than other one. "I guess you're right. My major is decided as art. What about you?" I ask quietly as I see more students filled in the room.

"Mine too. Your eyes are real pretty." He blurts out, gazing my eyes in awe.

My eyes widen a wee, "Huh?"

He blushes, lowering his head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I just.. I don't know but you have beautiful eyes."

I have been told that before but they are always flirting when they say it, like a pick up line. No boy has ever told me this without any intention of flirting, and not to mention sincerely. I finally notice him, he is definitely good looking, not hot and sexy type but cute type. He has short brown hairs and his eyers are honey brown. He has worn simple stripped T-shirt and trousers. There is not a single dangerous vibe through him, he seems like an open book that could be read without any restriction from his side.

And he is nothing like Romero.

No one is!

I raise my eyes to his and find him already looking at me. Crap! He caught me checking him out. I quickly look away, finding my voice, "Thank you. You don't look bad yourself."

Knock it out!

He just smiles, taking out his hand, "Friends?" It's cute to ask as if we were in elementary school.

I shake his hand, smiling widely, "Friends. Call me Ira, my friends call me that."

"And you can call me Dev." He grins like a kid.

Finally!

I have a new friend of my type. Now some of my my nervousness seem to flew away. I'm feeling more relax. I am comfortable with him, stable. Sydney is cool but I don't feel this comfortable with her. We are from different world, her world is more social and mine is limited. She is rich, modern minded well I'm me, poor and stereotype. We just don't exactly fit in.

But I like her though.

We talk little bit more before teacher comes. He tells me about his school, family and I about mine. He has a little sister who is six years old and his mom works as nurse in a clinic. He also works in a garage as part time job. His dad is dead so his family moved in with him as he got in this college, from New Jersey.

"It must have been a hell lot of work to change a place, wasn't it?" I question, after he told me about him.

He shrugs,"Yeah it was difficult but not impossible. That's why we came here about a month ago. Now its all settled and comfortable."

Just as I'm about to ask his sister's name, a loud smooth but firm voice breaks in startling us all, "Hello, class. Hope you all had great time on you holidays, but for now forget all those adventures and focus here."

The teacher has finally arrived.

One more step forward.