The moment my uncle's car stopped in front of the school, I couldn't control myself.
The door opened and I jumped out.
"Ahhhh!!"
Yes… I literally screamed. With my mouth stretched so wide I probably looked like a hungry hippo. But I couldn't help it—new school year, new start, new hopes!
I grabbed my bag and leaned back into the car window.
"Thanks for the ride, Uncle!"
He waved, and I closed the door, ready to face the world.
Or so I thought.
As I walked, I felt eyes on me. Lots of eyes.
People staring. Judging. Whispering.
But whatever. I already knew the truth:
Messy curly hair? Check.
Uniform oversized like a bedsheet? Check.
Looking like a confused mushroom? Absolutely check.
I marched toward the school gates, telling myself to act normal.
Then I saw it.
A bunch of students were already being punished on the first day.
The teacher was yelling at them like it was the Olympics of scolding.
I instinctively touched my chest.
Name pin… okay.
But then I felt the empty space around my neck.
…
My tie. MY. TIE. I forgot my tie.
"Okay… don't panic… don't panic…" I whispered to myself as I tilted my head left and tried to quietly sneak past the disaster scene.
Almost there.
Almost free.
Just three more steps and— Poke.
Something tapped my back.
I froze. No.
No, no, no, no, NO—
Slowly… very slowly… I turned around.
The teacher was there.
Smiling.
But it was the kind of smile that meant I'm going to kill you politely.
I also smiled. A very awkward, very stupid smile.
We stared, smiling like two idiots pretending everything was fine.
Then the teacher's smile vanished like a ghost.
"Where is your tie?"
I swear my soul left my body for a moment.
"I… forgot…" I whispered.
And just like that, she grabbed my arm and started dragging me away.
"Teacher??" I squeaked as my feet skidded on the ground. "Teacher, wait—please my arm!!"
Before I could continue my suffering—
"TEACHER!!"
Someone shouted.
I looked over, He pointed at himself with a dramatic face.
He also didn't have a tie.
The teacher's eyes widened.
And before she could even lift her stick,
That guy ran.
Ran like he trained for the 100-meter sprint.
"HEY! GET BACK HERE!!" the teacher roared.
My mouth fell open. He's fast… So fast…
So…
WAIT.
I CAN RUN TOO!
My brain clicked.
My body moved.
And I RAN.
"YOU TWO!! STOP RIGHT THERE!!!" the teacher's voice echoed behind us.
So that's how my first day of school began
Me.
Running.
For my life.
Tie-less.
With a stranger boy who started it all.
What a start.
Just great.
..
After surviving my dramatic escape from the angry teacher, I finally made it into the main building of the school.
I was sweating.
My hair was messier than before.
And my lungs felt like they were burning.
Great first impression, Avelina. Amazing.
I followed the hallway until I reached the long registration table where student officers were supposed to help us.
Supposed to.
One guy was scrolling on his phone like his life depended on it.
Another girl was laughing loudly at something her friend whispered.
Two others were literally arguing over snacks.
I cleared my throat. "Excuse me…"
The guy on his phone looked up lazily.
"Name?"
"Avelina Rostova," I said, trying to sound confident despite looking like a runaway chicken.
He scanned a stack of papers, completely unfazed.
Then he jabbed his finger at one line.
"Section F." My heart dropped to my shoes.
"...Section F?" I repeated.
"Yep," he said, already looking back at his phone. I blinked. New school. New hope.
New uniform. And… Section F.
Out of ALL letters… Why F?!
F for FAILED.
F for FORGOTTEN.
F for FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
I stood there for a moment, trying to process my tragic destiny, before dragging myself toward the classroom area.
Eventually, I found it.
SECTION F
The giant label on the door screamed at me like it was mocking me.
I sighed so deeply I swear my soul left for a moment.
"Okay… it's fine… It's just a letter. A stupid letter…" I whispered to myself.
I pushed the door open. Chaos. Pure chaos.
Some boys were playing basketball using a crumpled piece of paper as a ball.
One guy was lying on a desk, sleeping aggressively.
Three girls were studying seriously, completely unaffected by the madness around them.
Another group of boys was throwing rolled paper at each other like an unofficial war zone.
"What… is this…" I whispered, staring in horror.
Before I could even finish judging them, the bell rang—LOUDLY.
Instant transformation.
The boys playing paper-basketball threw the ball away and rushed to their seats.
The sleeper sat up like he was resurrected.
Everyone returned to their desks, pretending they were the picture of discipline.
I slowly stepped inside, clutching my bag.
A hundred eyes didn't look at me, but the room still felt loud.
I quietly walked to the back corner and sat down, hoping nobody noticed how awkwardly I breathed.
New school.
New class.
New chaos.
And me, stuck in Section Freaking F.
Perfect.
....
I sat quietly in the back corner, praying nobody would notice me. After everything that happened this morning, all I wanted was peace. But this was Section F—peace didn't exist here. Chairs were being kicked, boys were arguing over who had the bigger head, and someone was already asleep on his desk. I hugged my bag tighter, wishing I could disappear into my seat.
Then the door suddenly slammed open, making me flinch so hard I almost fell. A boy stumbled inside, panting heavily with his uniform messy and hair sticking everywhere. My eyes widened. It was him—the boy who ran earlier. He looked around until his gaze locked onto me, and then he pointed dramatically. "That's her! The girl who ran with me!"
My mouth fell open. Why was he announcing that like we were war heroes?! Everyone in the classroom turned to stare at me. "I—I wasn't running with you! I was running for my life!" I protested. He just grinned and walked closer. "Well, we escaped together. That makes us teammates." "No it doesn't!" I hissed.
Before I could die from embarrassment, three more boys entered the room, laughing and being loud. One of them nudged the running-boy. "Truno, why are you sweating like that?" So that was his name—Truno. And of course, he pointed at me AGAIN. "Because I found a partner in crime." I almost threw my bag at him. "STOP SAYING THAT!"
The other boys leaned in, examining me like I was some rare animal. One snorted. "She looks like she's about to cry." "I'm NOT," I immediately snapped. Then one boy stepped forward. Taller. Quieter. But his presence felt heavy, intimidating. His eyes locked onto mine. "Who are you?" he asked in a low tone that didn't sound like a question at all. My throat tightened. "A… A-Avelina…"
He stared for a few seconds before a small smirk formed on his lips. "Section F just got interesting," he said. And something about the way he said it made my stomach twist. Why did that feel like trouble? And why did I get the feeling I'd be dealing with him again… whether I wanted to or not?
...
The room settled into its usual loud whispering as more students arrived, but I could still feel the four boys' eyes occasionally drifting toward me. Every time I glanced up, at least one of them was staring. I kept pretending I didn't notice. I focused on my desk, my bag, the window—anything.
A few minutes later, the teacher finally walked in, slamming a stack of books onto the table. Everyone instantly straightened, like they hadn't just been throwing paper balls at each other a minute ago. I sat perfectly still, trying to look invisible. But Section F was anything but calm.
The teacher began roll call, reading each name sharply. The boys answered loudly, like they were trying to show off. The girls answered politely. My turn came, and I raised my hand quietly when my name was called. The teacher just nodded and continued reading. Thank goodness.
But of course, the universe didn't want me to relax. As the teacher started explaining the class rules, Truno turned slightly in his seat and whispered loudly enough for half the room to hear. "Hey, teammate."
I stared at my notebook, pretending I didn't hear him.
He tried again. "Teammate."
Still ignoring.
"Teammate!"
The tall intimidating boy beside him suddenly elbowed him. "Stop being annoying." His voice was calm, but his stare was sharp enough to cut glass.
Truno winced. "Okay, okay—fine…"
There was a small quiet moment where I actually felt relieved. But then that same intimidating boy glanced at me. Not a long stare, just a brief one but enough to make my heart jump. He looked away just as quickly, like I wasn't interesting… or like he didn't want anyone to notice he was looking.
The teacher droned on, explaining schedules, rules, upcoming activities. Students were half-listening, half-daydreaming. I tried to focus, writing down everything. Maybe if I worked hard, I could survive this class. Maybe even stand out. Maybe—
Something tapped my desk.
I froze and looked to the side. A small folded piece of paper sat near my elbow. I blinked and glanced around. The boys were pretending to look innocent. Very badly. One was biting his lip to hold in a laugh. Another was staring forward but smiling.
I slowly unfolded the paper under my desk.
"Since we're teammates now, what's your favorite snack?"
I almost choked. These idiots.
I folded the paper and hid it inside my notebook before the teacher noticed, refusing to reply. I wasn't doing this. Not on the first day. Not ever.
But deep inside… I already had a bad feeling.
Section F wasn't just going to be another class. It was going to be the start of something chaotic. Something loud. Something that would pull me into trouble I didn't ask for.
And judging from the way those four boys acted—especially the quiet one—
this year was going to be… interesting.
Whether I liked it or not.