Behind me

Chapter 2- A new beginning

I had always been a free-spirited person, passionate about nature and animals, even though I was somewhat absent-minded and clumsy. When it came time to choose an extracurricular activity, I faced a dilemma. On one hand, I wanted something that aligned with my personality and natural passions. On the other hand, I was determined to step out of my comfort zone and try something completely new. 

As we discussed which extracurricular activity to choose, my friend Emily shared her excitement about signing up for archery classes. It seemed like an intriguing and challenging idea, something entirely different from what I was used to. 

I decided that it would be a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and learn something new, so I signed up for archery classes with Emily. The idea of mastering this skill and improving my focus and coordination excited me. 

The first day of class finally arrived, and we were both excited and a little nervous. But seeing Emily in the hallway, dressed in her uniform, made my nervousness disappear. Knowing that my best friend was there with me made the transition to high school much smoother. 

We found our classrooms and sat down. I sat by the window, as I liked to look out at the street and the sky when I got bored during classes. Emily sat next to me, eager to share this new experience. 

Right behind me, there was a boy who looked somewhat intimidating. He was tall, with piercings and dark hair, dressed in clothes that hinted at a rebellious style. There was a bandage on his cheek, as if he had been in a recent fight, which only added to his "troublemaker" aura. 

However, a surprising moment occurred when I accidentally dropped my pencil on the floor, and he picked it up and handed it back to me with a friendly smile. That kind gesture shattered the intimidating image he initially projected, and I realized that first impressions didn't always reflect someone's true essence. 

At that moment, we decided to introduce ourselves. He smiled again and said, "Hey, I'm Lucas." I was surprised by the softness of his voice, which contrasted with his appearance. I replied, "Hello, I'm Alice." Emily, next to us, also introduced herself. 

I was determined to get to know Lucas better, as he had caught my attention. However, I noticed that he already had an established group of friends, which made it a bit challenging to connect immediately. 

Lunchtime came, and that's when Emily, noticed Daisy. She was sitting in front of Emily in class, a shy girl with glasses, long dark curly hair,  almond-colored eyes and freckles on her cheeks. Emily was naturally outgoing and loved making new friends, so she had the idea of inviting Daisy to have lunch with us. With her characteristic friendliness, Emily approached Daisy and extended the invitation gently: "Hey, Daisy, would you like to have lunch with us today? It would be great to get to know you better." Daisy, a bit surprised by the invitation, looked shyly at us and agreed with a nod of her head.

She seemed happy for the opportunity to make new friends, and she joined us at the cafeteria table. During lunch, we started talking and discovered that Daisy was an incredibly intelligent person with similar interests to ours. She was passionate about books and music, and we quickly found common topics to discuss. 

In the following days, we continued to have lunch together, and our friendship with Daisy grew gradually. 

It was time to participate in extracurricular activities. Emily and I chose the archery club, while Daisy decided to join the literature club. 

Upon arriving at the archery club with Emily, we were very excited. The club president, Mason, an older guy, tall, with light brown straight hair and green eyes, welcomed us and explained the club rules with a cold and distant expression. He didn't talk much, and his reputation as an excellent archer was widely known, having won several competitions. Mason began giving us instructions on how to use the bow and aim properly.

I was excited but, as expected, I was terrible at it. My aim was poor no matter how many times I tried, and Mason looked at me with disappointment in his eyes. I could sense his thoughts; his gaze seemed to convey that I was holding everyone back with my lack of skill.

I became disheartened, doubting my ability to keep up with the group, and the idea of quitting crossed my mind. Perhaps I just wasn't good at this, and I was worried about dragging everyone down with my lack of skill.

At the end of the day, I felt disheartened about my experience in the archery club, and Emily could see it. She had a brilliant idea to lift my spirits: she suggested that we go to a bookstore to see if we could find books on archery.

I thought it was an excellent idea because I was determined to improve my skills as quickly as possible, especially to show Mason, the club president, that I could also be skilled.

As we headed to the bookstore, we were approached by a drunken man who came up to us and slurred, "Hey, girls, how about you come with me to a more private place and have a drink? It'll be fun!" We declined the offer, explaining that we had other plans. This seemed to agitate and frustrate him. He became agitated and suddenly grabbed Daisy's arm tightly, leaving her frightened and uncomfortable.

The situation was getting uncomfortable, but at that moment, a young woman with short, wavy red hair, green eyes, and an athletic appearance, appeared and stared at the drunken man with determination. She firmly said, "Leave these girls alone right now. It's not appropriate to bother them." The man then walked away. We were relieved and grateful for her help.

The redhead introduced herself as Samantha, and we learned that she also attended our school and was in the same year as us. Furthermore, she was a member of the volleyball club. We quickly became friends and invited her to join us on our trip to the bookstore.

Daisy was particularly excited about making another friend, and during the walk, she began asking Samantha for advice. Daisy shared that she admired Samantha's strong and fair personality but felt too shy to act the same way. Samantha, with her kindness and confidence, started giving Daisy tips on developing her own strong personality and being more assertive when needed.

Over the next few days, we continued to spend a lot of time together. Samantha, in particular, encouraged me to train more in archery, and that motivated me to stay at the club after all the other members had left.

I practiced with determination late into the evening, and one day, to my surprise, the club president, Mason, noticed my effort and decided to stay as well. He offered me private lessons and began teaching me with more attention.

These private lessons made me realize that Mason might not be as cold as I initially thought. He was willing to invest time and effort to help me improve my skills, and I was grateful for that.

With his guidance, my archery skills and aim improved significantly. There was a special moment when, after a successful training session, President Mason looked at me and smiled. That warm and genuine expression made me realize that he was genuinely proud of my progress, filling me with happiness and determination to continue improving.

Some weeks had passed, and everything seemed to be going well. We were in the courtyard during lunch, enjoying a quiet afternoon when, to my surprise, I saw Alex. I couldn't believe my eyes. Emily gave me a look with an expression that suggested she had a secret to tell.

She then revealed to me that Alex had been expelled from his previous school and had joined ours a few days ago. Emily apologized for not telling me earlier, but she had been trying to avoid worrying me, knowing that the history between Alex and me wasn't the best. The news caught me off guard and brought up complicated feelings. I now had to deal with the presence of someone from my past who hadn't left the best memories. This revelation made me somewhat uncomfortable, and I was concerned about how this new dynamic would affect my life at school.