The Hanging Shoe

New School, New Me

"Yes Mom! I heard you. I won't forget to eat my breakfast, take my meds and call you every week. I'll make sure I won't stress out on the small stuff. I will try, I promise and I love you, Mom. Bye!"

Zia grabbed her jacket and a pair of sneakers as she hurriedly went out of her room. Her new school was just two blocks away from her dormitory. As she carefully crossed the street, she felt the gush of wind brush through her hair. "This school definitely knows how to greet me well," she smiled as she stepped inside the campus gates.

She passed by the school guard and greeted him with a smile. "Good morning. Would it be possible to take a short tour inside the campus? I'm relatively new here and I just want to take a look first," Zia pleaded with her big brown eyes.

"No problem, Miss. You can explore the campus today. It's open until 5:30 PM. There is an enrolment going on. Feel free to roam around," the school guard delightedly answered as he slowly opened the small metal gate where students line up to get in. "That's so nice of you. Thank you," Zia replied.

She went inside the campus and couldn't describe the feeling. The school itself was gigantic, thrice the size of her previous schools. "Oh my... If my class is in that building (pointing to the one in front of her) and my next class is in the other building (pointing to the one on her right side), will I make it on time? Gosh... I don't want to be running down the stairs all the time," her face then looked worried.

"Oh well, you better start exercising now Zia so you can easily jump off from one building to another. Surely, you won't need stairs for that. You'll be the amazing Spiderwoman," Zia looking like a lunatic while talking to herself.

Realizing that people might see her talking to no one, she hurriedly walked towards another building. She tucked her hands inside her jeans and bowed her head while walking. "I wonder if anyone saw me talk to myself. They might think I'm crazy. Good thing you know!"

While words keep on running insider her head, Zia suddenly came to a stop. Her eyes lavished on the beautiful and intricate carvings on the halls of the buildings. She gently touched them with her fingers, rolled them through the edges and into the corners. "I wonder how long it took to build this," she murmured to herself.

Zia was flabbergasted and amazed to see how huge her new school was. It was a new life for her, a new beginning and a new Zia. "I hope college life will be gentle to me," she told herself. "I know it will be. Be positive Zia. Don't be scared. Take things one step at a time." She then took a deep breath and sighed.

She continued checking the school halls, the cafeteria, the library, and the classrooms inside the campus. "This is it! My new life officially begins now, June 18, 2015. This stage in my life will definitely be great! I will be the master of my own ship. My past shall not define my future."