# Chapter 1 – The New School
"Everyone has a year that changes their life. Mine was 2022."
When I started high school, I thought it would be just another phase of my life.
A new school.
New teachers.
New classmates.
New challenges.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
At that time, I had chosen the Mechanics, Machines, and Engines course. It wasn't exactly my dream course, but it wasn't something I disliked either. I liked cars, engines, and everything that made noise when it worked.
I remember the first day as if it had happened yesterday.
The school gate was crowded with students.
Some arrived accompanied by their parents.
Others pretended to be confident while discreetly observing the environment around them.
And I was right in the middle of them.
Neither nervous.
Nor confident.
Just curious.
As I walked across the schoolyard, I saw a familiar face.
I was sure I wouldn't find anyone I knew at that school.
But I was wrong.
It was an old classmate from seventh grade.
When our eyes met, he smiled.
"Delcio?"
"I can't believe it... is that really you?"
From that moment on, I felt more comfortable.
At least I wasn't completely alone anymore.
During the first few months, the routine became predictable.
Classes.
Assignments.
Jokes.
Tests.
Complaints about teachers.
Meaningless conversations during breaks.
The truth is that the first year was peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
There were only a few girls.
And none of them truly caught my attention.
At that time, my focus was divided between surviving the most difficult subjects and enjoying fun moments with my classmates.
The days passed quickly.
Weeks turned into months.
And before I realized it, the year was over.
I had adapted.
I had made friends.
I had found my place.
Everything seemed to be under control.
But life has a strange way of deceiving us.
Just when we think we understand the direction of our story, it changes course completely.
That was exactly what happened in 2023.
New classes arrived at the school.
New students started filling the hallways.
And among hundreds of unfamiliar faces, there were people I had never met before.
People who would end up changing my life completely.
At that time, I had no idea.
But I was about to enter the most intense chapter of those years.
A chapter filled with wrong choices.
Confusing feelings.
Impossible loves.
And regrets.
It was also around that time that I started noticing a girl who studied in the morning shift.
A girl who, at that moment, meant absolutely nothing to me.
But who would later occupy my thoughts for years.
Her name was Lara.
And that was where it all began.
End of Chapter 1
