Waiting for You

Chapter 3 (History Repeating)

Maya's Pov:

As I pushed open the classroom door, my heart fluttered with the kind of hope usually reserved for lottery winners and reality TV stars. Maybe today would be the day—I'd finally find that extroverted friend everyone says I need. After all, isn't it a match made in heaven? Extroverts are all about talking, and I've been told I'm a pretty good listener. Or at least, that's what I tell myself when I'm alone.

Reality, however, had other plans. The room was already a sea of animated conversations, with clusters of students chatting like they had known each other forever. It was like the "let's make friends" party had happened without me, and I was the uninvited guest awkwardly standing in the corner.

People who had met five minutes ago were already exchanging phone numbers and making lunch plans. Maya? She was still trying to figure out if anyone even noticed she existed.

I swear I could almost hear a voice in my head screaming, "Can I just turn around and bolt?" But instead, I shuffled in, trying to appear as if I belonged there, despite my inner turmoil.

Strike one.

The instant I crossed the threshold, it felt like I'd walked into a live version of 'The Hunger Games'. Every student's eyes turned towards me, as if they were checking off a mental checklist of who to engage with and who to ignore. 

Result: ignored.

I made a beeline for the last row, gripping her bag as if it held the meaning of life. It was the ultimate camouflage for my introverted self—no one would notice me if I blended into the background. There's a small part of me that wishes I could sit up front, but let's be real. One, I'm tall enough to block anyone's view, and two, I'm not aiming to become the teacher's pet. That's a special kind of spotlight I'd rather avoid.

The campus buzzed around her like a chaotic beehive of easy-going people, each student already gravitating toward groups as if they had been best friends since birth. She looked around, her eyes wide with both wonder and horror. This was college, where she was supposed to blossom socially. Except... nothing was blossoming. Not even a leaf.

I had barely settled in when I heard it—my name. It was like a whisper in the wind, tentative and uncertain, as if the person calling me wasn't even sure they had the right Maya. "Maya?"

Panic mode: activated. I ducked my head, pretending to be absorbed in a book that, honestly, I wasn't even reading. Why do I always default to this? It's like I have a built-in "hide from social interactions" feature.

Divya, practically bouncing with excitement, spots Maya and bounds over, her voice at full volume, "Oh my god, Maya? Is that you?!"

Maya, on the other hand, feels her soul leave her body. Not today. Not here. Anywhere but here. Please. She manages to muster a feeble, "Uh... hey, Divya," while her internal monologue screams for divine intervention.

Divya flops into the seat next to her, completely unaware of personal space. "I can't believe we're in the same class! This is fate. Like, seriously, what are the odds?" Divya grins, as if the universe had orchestrated this to fulfill some rom-com subplot.

Maya's brain: Pretty high, actually. Since we both signed up for this class and all... Out loud, she forces a smile. "Yeah... wild."

Divya, oblivious to Maya's ever-growing desire to crawl under the desk, continues, "This is perfect! Now we can be study buddies! I've always wanted one who can actually focus." She squints at Maya, like she's analyzing her for potential buddy material. "You can focus, right?"

Focus? I'm trying to focus on teleporting out of this situation, Maya thinks. But she shrugs, "Yeah, focusing's... kinda my thing."

Divya beams, her enthusiasm unshaken. "Perfect! So, what's up? How's life? Met anyone special? Found the love of your life yet?"