Butterflies in my stomach.

Have you ever experienced butterflies in your stomach? That fluttery feeling of flapping wings inside your tummy. It comes from your body's sudden release of adrenaline and norepinephrine, which kicks in fight or flight. This occurs during times of stress, fear or intense excitement. It's a universal experience shared by many, usually when a crush walks in the room or maybe pre-exams. To some, the feeling seems uncomfortable and a bother. The lingering thought of nervousness racking the back of your mind constantly does not sound very pleasing. For others, the feeling symbolises falling in love. The jitters that come with having a crush on someone seem appealing, it makes you feel alive.

I experienced these pesky butterflies for the first time in the third grade. It was my third period of the day and time was dragging its' feet on and on. The lesson was never ending. That was, until, three sharp knocks echoed across the silent class and with a slow creak, the door opened. In stepped the headmistress, followed by a young girl, no older than me at the time. The headmistress briskly informed my teacher that this young girl would be joining our class for the remainder of the school year. The excited buzz of children who had just learned they had an opportunity to befriend the "new kid" floated around. There were whispers and glances being shared from table to table, friend to friend. The anticipation of who this girl would choose to be friends with was the only appropriate topic at the time, of course. My teacher smiled politely at her and gestured to the empty seat at the back of the class, next to me. I vaguely remember his lips moving as he waved his hand to the desk, however my mind refuses to replay what was said in that very moment. To this day, I do not believe it was a case of forgetting.

Time seemed to slow as she stepped to the back of the class, and that is when I felt it.

An odd, peculiar feeling indeed. It felt like someone had taken a delicate feather, and tickled my stomach with it. It felt like the climax of the rusty rollercoaster I rode with my cousins each summer at the annual fair. It felt like driving down a steep hill in a car, and feeling your stomach drop. It was not out of unease or discomfort, no. It was more a feeling of anticipation. This was the first time in my nine years of life where I could leave the ideals of my classmates behind  and finally make a friend. The butterflies in my stomach flapped their wings harder, and I sucked in a deep breath to calm them down.

The girls' chair scraped the floor as she pulled it from under the table and sat down. I dared to glace at her for just a millisecond, just to memorize her face. I did not expect that when my eyes met her face, she would be smiling wide, waving at me. I sat frozen, akin to a statue before my body caught up with my mind and I forced myself to give a small polite smile. If only that smile could convey all the deep feelings I was carrying at that very monumental moment.