Stars Collide

Chapter 3

A/N: Whenever I write a chapter in either Chiara or Julien's POV, I'll translate it to English from their native language.

"Chiara," Mama said slowly, giving me a hug. "We'll visit every week. I promise." After she was done, Aurélia stepped forward and wrapped me in an embrace. Aurélia was my nine year old sister and she was going to France this year to go to school. When my parents wanted me to improve on my English, they wanted her to improve on her French. She'd been going to an English school for as long as I could remember.

"Your cousin Lila was just sent down to France to collect someone to take to the American Schools," Papa said suddenly. "I'll ask her his name so you can find out who he is. He doesn't know English so you might want to help him."

"I don't know that much English either, Papa," I reminded him. "I can't help him."

"Chiara," he said. "Most of the people at that school are spoiled American brats. Can you please help him?"

I sighed. "You know I will, Papa." I had a problem. I could never say no to anything. Most people outgrew this issue when they were about eight but I still couldn't say no. Papa always said that this would kill me someday.

He smiled. "Good. Now I think it's time for us to leave."

I looked around my dorm before turning back to them. "Bye, ma famille."

"Bye," Aurélia said as she left with Mama to go back to the car. I was left with only Papa.

"Be good," he said before giving me a kiss on the head. And he was gone. I was lost. What was I going to do? Panic started to rise in me. Then I remembered Leah. All I needed to do was find her. She came here straight from the airport, right?

I remembered Papa telling me that if you went to the front office and asked for anyone's name, they would tell you their dorm number. It seemed a little sketchy to me but he said that this school was so safe that they could give out dorm numbers to anyone. I grabbed my keys and closed my door before locking it and going towards the office.

"Hello," I greeted the receptionist in shaky English. "I was looking for Leah Reynolds."

The woman smiled at me before looking Leah up. "Dorm 234 in the East Coast Building."

"May I have a map?"

"Certainly." She quickly produced a map and handed it to me. I squinted at it. The East Coast Building seemed to be all the way on the other side of campus. I sighed. At least I had a friend to go to after walking this long.

It turned out that I didn't even have to walk that much. I bumped into Leah and another woman who I assumed was a teacher before she turned around and I saw the face of my next-door neighbor.

"Mademoiselle Cohen!" I exclaimed. "Why are you with Leah?"

"English, please," she said. "And I'm guiding Leah to her dorm."

"Oh," I said. "Well, hi Leah."

"Hi, Chiara," she greeted with a smile. "Did you get your dorm yet?"

I nodded. "I was just going to yours. I guess I can go there with you."

"Yeah," she said. "That sounds great." She turned to Mademoiselle Cohen. "That's okay, right?"

Mademoiselle Cohen nodded. "Why not?" The three of us began to walk towards the East Coast dorm and I soon realized that that was where I came from. "Leah!" I exclaimed. "My dorm is in this building also!"

"Really?" she said excitedly. "What room?"

I tried to remember. "I think it is two thirty-six."

Leah's eyes glinted. "That means we're neighbors! At least I think so. That's how rooms work back in the states."

"They work the same over here," Mademoiselle Cohen confirmed. "Well, I'm glad that both of you have someone to partner up with. Leah, when you're done getting your stuff in your room, we have to go to get your schedule. I suppose Chiara can come with us too because I assume she doesn't have a schedule yet."

It took me a few moments to comprehend what she had just said. "No." I shook my head. "I did not get it yet."

We were now at Leah's room and she ran in to put her bags down. "Okay," Mademoiselle Cohen said. "Let's wait for Leah to settle first."

In a few seconds, Leah was back out from her room and ready to go to the office to get our schedules. Mademoiselle Cohen smiled at her punctuality and led us to the front office.

"Hello," the man at the front said. "How may I help you, Mademoiselle Cohen?"

"I need two schedules."

"Names?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Leah recited hers.

"Chiara Faber," I told him. He typed our names into two of the numerous computers sitting on his desk. He looked up at me.

"I have a schedule for Chiara. None for Leah."

"It's spelled L-E-A-H," Mademoiselle Cohen explained. The man raised his eyebrows but tried it and surely enough, something came up. He clicked a few things and reached over to the printer on his desk before handing us our schedules.

"Thank you," I said politely. Leah also thanked him before the three of us left the office. Mademoiselle Cohen turned to us.

"I guess I can leave you two on your own now. Go and unpack. And Leah, remember to stay away from the guys I told you about." Leah nodded as she left.

"What boys?" I asked once Mademoiselle Cohen was out of earshot.

Leah laughed. "Some boys she showed me when we first got on campus."

"Are they trouble?"

"I don't care," she said. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

I nodded along with her and for the first time, I felt like I could do something else, besides what everyone else expected of me.

"Let's unpack," I told her. "I can not wait to get started over here."

Leah nodded. "It's a clean slate."

I think I got what she meant.