MELINOE

Day one

chapter  18:

The entire room got filled with fragrance as I sprayed myself all around with my deodorant, mom loved the most. After checking out my gel-set hair thoroughly, I caught my pendant looking at it by the mirror and kissed it. I went down with a writing pad to find dad already waiting for me. Reading my super-anxious face, Dad asked, "You ready, Rayan?" "Yeahh!" I released a sigh. "Do you want me to come along to the University?" Dad asked. "Please Dad, I'm already embarrassed. I'm too old to be still dependent on my father." Dad came close to me and held my head gently,"There's nothing to be ashamed of wanting to start off with a new beginning. Effort is all that matters." I smiled back, and took out the pen from his pocket and put inside mine, and left home.

I walked and reached the J.J.University gate. As I went inside, I felt a nudge on my right upper arm, I turned to find Nikki in a black dress with a denim jacket over it, tightly tied long brown ponytail and her black specs. A cute little nerd. "Hey!" I smirked. We exchanged greetings and went inside. Thank God, we both were from the Literature section.

She helped me till our classroom. And then, as I started stepping in, the noisy classroom echoed an awkward silence and low audible whispers here and there, about my age and the history surrounding it. I felt claustrophobic. Nikki came from behind and held my left hand, "Relax! People are born to talk shit and demotivate. Be deaf to the demeaning." She sat down on a middle bench and made place for me. "Sit. Even I don't find anyone worthy of friendship here," Nikki said, with her voice low and head bent down. A stout gentleman in black blazer and pants walked in and everyone stood up to wish him.

Felt strange to sit in a classroom amidst so many people and listen to a lecture continuously for 3 whole hours. I tried to be attentive enough. "That's all for the day. We'll continue tomorrow," Professor Mr.Jones left. Nikki and me stood up and left the hall soon after. As we were walking in the corridor and Nikki was showing me the auditorium, the library, a gang of three boys with spikes and loose trousers and 2 girls with barely covered bodies and strange piercings all over the face started laughing out loud and shouting directly at me, "Hey old man! Where were you all these years? In jail? You murdered someone?" And they nagged on with their silly and irritating laughter! People around stared at me, few were clueless and curious, others were having fun. I thought of ignoring the halfwits at first. But they went on with their idiocy that annoyed me way beyond my tolerability. I dropped my bag and was ready to punch the taller jerk straight on his face, but Nikki held me back and didn't allow me to move. "LEAVE ME! LET ME GO!!" I bursted out. "SHUT UP YOU GUYS!" An unfamiliar voice broke the chaos as clatter of the boots against the floor came gradually closer. A tall girl with red curls and smooth shining skin in a dark blue high-neck sleeveless top and white shorts stopped by the morons, "Leave." Now she was the centre of attention of everyone in the corridor. "I said LEAVE !!" She repeated louder. I wonder how her presence transformed the corrupted atmosphere at once and everyone just left me alone straightaway, except for Nikki. Then, she turned towards me and walked up to me. I stood there looking at her dazzling blue eyes as they came closer to me. Her pink cheeks and lips curved into a smile, "Hi, I am Jennifer." She let her right hand out towards me.