Friends.

I've had always hated goodbyes.

Maybe it was because I had experienced too many of them.

Or maybe it was because every goodbye seemed to come right when I had finally started feeling comfortable.

This time, though, I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye properly.

A new place.

A new house.

A new school.

A completely different life.

My amily had their reasons for moving, and I knew better than to ask too many questions. There were things happening at home that I didn't know how to explain to other people.

So I didn't.

Whenever someone asked, I would simply smile.

"I'm fine."

It

was

easier that way.

On my first morning at my new school, I stood outside the gates with my backpack hanging from one shoulder.

I stared at the building.

"Okay."

I took a deep breath.

"New school. New people. New opportunities to embarrass myself."

I laughed quietly at my own joke.

That was me.

Even when things were difficult, I somehow found a reason to smile.

I wasn't the loudest person in the room. In fact, I'm actually an introvert. I could spend hours by herself and be perfectly happy.

But somehow, people noticed me. I don't know why.

Maybe it was the way I smiled at strangers.

Maybe it was how quickly I offered to help someone who looked lost.

Maybe it was simply because I had a habit of making people feel comfortable without even realizing it.

Yes. This is me. Alex. Alexandra Mercer.

I walked through the school gates.

And within minutes, I got lost. "Of course." I mumbled to myself.

I looked at the hallway signs. "Why does every hallway look exactly the same?"

"Because you're going the wrong way." I turned around. A girl was standing behind me.

She looked older than me., probably a senior.

I awkwardly smiled at her. "Oh." The girl laughed.

"First day?" "Is it that obvious?" I responded.

"Very." I held out her hand. "I'm Alex."

The girl smiled and shook it. "Bailey."

She seems cool. And a bit scary.

Bailey pointed down the hallway. "You're looking for the administration office, right?" My eyes widened.

"How did you know?" "Because every new student gets lost there." Oh duh. I'm dumb. "That makes me feel slightly better." Bailey laughed and started walking. "Come on. I'll show you." I started to follow her.

They talked the entire way. It was strange.

I had expected her first day to be terrifying.

Instead, I already met someone. Someone who was kind enough to help me when I didn't know where anything was. I don't wanna lose her as my friend.

By the time we reached the office, I didn't want to leave. "Thanks, Bailey." "No problem." She smiled at me. I hesitated to leave. " So... I'll probably never see you again because you're a senior." Bailey raised an eyebrow. "That's dramatic." I laughed. "What?"

"You're acting like I'm graduating tomorrow." She rolled her eyes at me. "You basically are." I joked.

Bailey shook her head. "Trust me. You'll see me around." And she was right. I didn't know it yet, but Bailey would become one of the most important people in mynew life.

Not exactly a friend.

Something closer.

An older sister.

But that would come later.

For now, I have a classroom to find.

And somehow, I managed to get lost.....Again.

By lunchtime, I had already made three observations.

One: the school was enormous.

Two: I have absolutely no sense of direction.

Three: making friends was apparently happening whether I planned for it or not.

I was walking through the cafeteria when someone accidentally bumped into me. "Sorry!" I turned around. A girl stood there, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's okay!"

There was an awkward silence.

The girl smiled.

I smiled back.

Neither of us moved.

"...Hi?"

"Hi."

Another silence.

I mentally screamed

.

Why is this so awkward?

The girl laughed nervously.

"I'm Milly."

"Alex."

I know." I blinked. " You do?" "You're the new girl." She said awkwardly. "Oh." Milly smiled. "Do you want to sit with me?" I glanced toward the tables.

"Sure." And somehow, that simple decision changed everything. At first, we were awkward.

Painfully awkward. We didn't know what to say to each other.

We would sit together and occasionally stare at their food because neither knew how to continue a conversation.

But eventually, the awkwardness disappeared.

Then came the teasing.

Then the arguing.

Then the insults.

Then the laughter.

And before I've even realized it, Milly had become the person I looked for whenever I entered a room.

Milly is kind.

Sweet.

Patient.

And somehow able to tolerate my complete nonsense.

But more importantly, Milly was the first person I trusted enough to let a tiny piece of my real life show.

Not everything.

Not even close.

I wasn't ready for that

.

But sometimes, when things at home became too much, I would send Milly a message.

"Can I tell you something?"

And Milly would always answer.

"Always."

Alex didn't know it then, but that one word would mean more to me than Milly could ever understand.

Because I had spent a long time believing that I'm had to deal with everything alone.

Milly slowly taught me otherwise.

And she wouldn't be the only person I found.

There would be Lilly.

Sarah.

Julia.

Mimi.

Kelvin.

Jason.

And so many others.

Some would stay.

Some would leave.

Some would hurt me.

Some would save pieces of me without even knowing they were doing it.

But every single one of them would become part of the story.

I just didn't know how complicated that story was going to become.

Not yet.

But I will figure it out.

Somehow.

Someway.

I'm Alex after all.