Chapter 30
AKASH'S P. O. V.
The shrill sound of the alarm clock ringing woke me, and for a few minutes after disabling the alarm I lay back down on my bed, trying to recall the dream I had been having. I knew it had been a pleasant one, because I was feeling extremely refreshed and relaxed despite driving four hours yesterday. After some fruitless attempts at unlocking my memory, I gave up and hopped out of bed.
Today was going to be a big day, not only for me but for Sid as well. Obviously it was far more important for him, as this would be the first time he was going to Byerlin as a student. I knew that he was looking forward to it, but I was worried about him; when I was in my final year there, my parents and teachers had told me multiple times that they were expecting Sid to do extremely well, and achieve the same level of grades and recognition that I had. And while I had complete faith in my brother's abilities to succeed, a small nagging worry lingered about whether he would be able to handle the pressure. I hadn't said anything to anyone about it, because there was always a chance that nobody would openly voice their expectations and place this burden on his shoulders, which would make my fears unfounded. I sincerely hoped this would be the case.
At quarter past eight or so, we left the house and I drove in the direction of my former high school, eagerly looking forward to what I hoped would be a fun day. Mom and Dad were slightly displeased as they didn't understand why we were leaving forty-five minutes early, but once I had reminded them that I had a leading role to play today they stopped arguing. As I drove I was furiously trying to work out if there was going to be any way to talk to Carrie during the day; there were now only four days left until I had to leave for university, and time was running very short. But by the time I had parked and we were all walking towards the front doors of the school, I still hadn't worked anything out, and I decided to leave it to fate. If it was going to happen today, I was sure that a situation would arise.
No sooner had we entered the front doors than I noticed a throng of students already gathered in the front lobby, fully decked in the colours of the school (red and blue) to show their spirit. I saw Carrie almost immediately, chatting to a few others in a little group, while Tracy was a few feet away from her, also in a group but not taking part in the conversation at the moment. Sid and my parents left to get seats in the auditorium, and I went over to Tracy and poked her lightly on the shoulder.
"Hey there!" she beamed as she gave me a hug. "Been a while, what's new?" We chatted for a while, as I simply told her about work and soccer. I was more interested in hearing what was new with her; after all, she had been the one who had gone to camp for a week, and volunteered at the hospital. I was sure that that would be a lot more fun to talk about, but by the time I had finished talking about my past couple of weeks, it was time for us to welcome the grade nines and their families, and start doing the final preparations for leading the new students around. I said a quick hi to Carrie too, before Kadie attracted our attention and we all fell silent.
"Hey guys," she said cheerfully. "So it's almost time for school again, and you all know the groups you're gonna be taking around. We'll go into the auditorium in a few minutes so that the kids there can find us, and then we'll meet in the courtyard at around noon for lunch. Cool?" There was a general murmur of assent and movement towards the auditorium. I walked alongside Tracy, unsure of which group I would be leading as no one had told me yet. Kadie popped up beside me and answered my unasked question. "You can come with me and Tracy," she grinned. "Thanks for coming." I shook my head.
"Thanks for asking me to come," I smiled. "It's good to be able to visit and see you all once more before I go back." We entered the auditorium silently as the principal was currently addressing the crowd of students and parents. I noticed that a lot of the kids were looking a little worried, which I guessed was because the principal was currently talking about exams; for most of these students, high school would be the first time they had ever experienced an exam, and I could understand their worry. Sid, however, looked quite calm, which I was glad to see.
