Unknown City

Part 2

Wow, this school is really beautiful. But... inner beauty is more important, right? It doesn't matter how nice the school looks if the people and teachers here are awful. I've still got about 15 minutes before the first day of school officially starts. This is my final year, and to be honest, I really wish we hadn't moved until next year. Changing schools in your final year of high school sucks.

With my calming music playing in my ears, I sat down on one of the couches. I think this area is reserved for upperclassmen. My eyes subtly scanned the entire room. And there they were. Those two guys from the bus. What were their names again? Kerem? And... something with an A. Adem?
I shook myself out of my thoughts and checked the time on my phone. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this nervous. With each passing minute, my anxiety grew, not to mention all the stares from my new "classmates" that only made me more uncomfortable.

I opened WebUntis again to check my schedule. Where the hell are these classrooms?! I started to feel more and more lost. My eyes drifted back to the two guys from the bus—maybe I should ask them for help.

Gathering all my courage, I stood up and took a few steps toward them. They were sitting with a few other friends, deep in conversation.

"Uh, excuse me," I said, my voice sounding more uncertain than I wanted. Everyone turned to look at me, waiting for me to say more. Some had confused looks on their faces, while others gave me warm smiles. I locked eyes with the familiar faces of the two guys and smiled.
"Today's my first day at this school. I'm new here. I was wondering if you could help me..." I quickly pulled out my phone and opened my schedule. I stood between the two of them and leaned forward a little so they could see my screen better.
"Where are these rooms? I have no idea where I'm supposed to go," I said with a nervous chuckle.
"Okay, so... you've got... ah, you have chemistry in S+004," Adem replied kindly. "Don't you have chemistry now, Kenan?"
So, his name is Kenan, not Kerem.

"Yeah, I do," Kenan answered, sounding a little emotionless.
"Take her with you then," Adem suggested.
"Sure," Kenan said, standing up and looking down at me with a slight smile. "Come on, let's go," he said, winking at me. I smiled back, feeling my face flush red. I could feel it. As we walked away, the other guys called out, "Good luck!" I turned slightly and gave them a thumbs up.

Why is this guy walking so fast? I had to jog a little to catch up with Kenan. Feeling a bit awkward in the silence, I decided to break the ice with a question.
"So, your name's Kenan?"
"Yeah, Kenan. Kenan Yıldız," he replied kindly.

Ugh, how rude. Isn't he going to ask me my name?
"Thanks for asking, I'm Deniz," I said, pretending to be offended.
"Oh, right. Sorry about that. Nice to meet you, Deniz," he said, embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Luckily, I didn't have to struggle to come up with more small talk, because we had already arrived at the chemistry classroom. The teacher gave me a warm smile as I walked in. Kenan went straight to what I assumed was his usual seat.

Long story short, I had to introduce myself to the class. I repeated the sentences I had practiced at home:
"I'm Deniz, which means 'sea.' We just moved here recently, but I'm originally from Stuttgart. I'm excited to be here and can't wait to get to know you all."
Some of the students smiled at me, while others seemed lost in their own thoughts.
"We're happy to have you, Deniz. If you don't mind, you can sit next to Kenan since you came in together," the teacher said.

Kenan winked at me again, and I couldn't help but smile as I sat down next to him and started taking out my school supplies. After some general announcements about the 12th grade, we jumped right into the lesson. I'm not the best student, but I'm pretty good at chemistry. Kenan and I didn't talk much during class, but at one point, the teacher called on him to answer a question, and I could tell he didn't know the answer.

"Two. The oxidation number is two," I whispered to him.
"Two. The oxidation number is two," he repeated.
"Well done, Kenan. It seems like Deniz is already a good influence on you," the teacher laughed softly.
I raised my hand for a high five, but Kenan didn't immediately respond. Then, he slapped my hand, but instead of letting go, he held it for a moment. He leaned in close, his body brushing against mine, and whispered in my ear, "Thanks, new girl. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back for that." He grinned widely.