Of course, I lose my way to my first period class and have absolutely no idea where I am supposed to be. Typical Hana move. I find myself lost in a maze of school corridors and a few wandering late students. I plead myself to find my way to class. I'm on the verge of frustration tears and my mind spins in a blur. I blink rapidly and hastily glimpse at my timetable for what feels like the thousandth time, my hands shaking. Classroom 5A, does it even exist? I look around and notice that I'm in an art corridor, one of the walls is completely covered with paintings, portraits and drawings, while the other is lined with long, grey lockers. I have no idea where to go. My breathing is uneven and I start to panic. I never usually get so upset but today was supposed to be my day, a day for a fresh start and a clean page. And now I've made it a complete mess. My eyes glisten and I just wish I could go home. I lightly lean against the wall and close my eyes, shifting my head to the ground, sobbing quietly.
"Um, are you okay?" a male voice says hesitantly but softly from a few meters away from me.
I jump a little and widen my eyes, swiftly wiping my face from the tears framing my face. I gaze up at the boy, examining his kind dark eyes and smooth blonde hair. His nose is elegant and childlike, lightly glistening under the corridor lights. His skin is sun-kissed with a tiny bit of acne and his figure is slender. His height suits him, tall and towering over me a little bit. I realise I'm staring at him, I quickly look back down at the floor.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay thank you," I say quickly. "I'm just a little lost. I'm new here and I can't seem to find my classroom and it's just really stressing me out, sorry," I reply quietly, not keeping eye contact with him, my pupils still quite red.
He chuckles a little and I shift my head up to look at him, an adorable pair of dimples is revealed on his face and his lips form a thin line as he smiles. My cheeks flush a light pink as I feel a slight wave of embarrassment. I begin to walk away from the boy.
"Hey! Wait up! I wasn't laughing at you, I just thought that was quite cute, but don't worry, I know your teacher will understand why you're late. I could help you if you like, would I be able to see your timetable?" he says genuinely with a slightly troubled expression.
"Oh okay, sure, sorry that was stupid," I hand him the piece of paper, feeling like a complete loser. Why did I think he was making fun of me? Oh Hana, why are you like this? He examines it and grins at me.
"I have chemistry with Mrs Jang too! I can walk you right to the class and don't stress, Mrs Jang is really understanding, although I think she does have a slight obsession with giving out homework!" He says jokingly. I reply to the comment with a smile. We start to walk down the hallway, up a flight of steps and back along a wide corridor and then up some more stairs and finally we reach the science department. I try really hard to memorise the route but it honestly feels like a labyrinth. The corridors all look so similar, I'm dreading getting here tomorrow.
The boy chats to me a little, asking about my other classes, while I attempt to be friendly and act normal too. I really appreciate his kindness, he makes me feel like I already have friends here. "I'm Kim Namjoon, by the way," he adds as I follow his footsteps. He turns to me and reaches out his hand for me to shake. I take it and my lips form a gentle smile.
"My name is Lee Hana, nice to meet you. Honestly, thank you so much for helping me out, I really appreciate it," I confess awkwardly but somehow I feel like he won't judge me.
"It's okay, don't worry, I bet you'll love it here," he says and I believe it. "That's our stop, over there to the left." He points at the door labelled Science 5A and I breathe a quiet sigh of relief. This is it, this is the first class of my new and improved life. I follow Namjoon through the door and step into the huge classroom. It is decorated with Bunsen burners, test tubes, beakers, Petri dishes and many more pieces of equipment. The students look up from their textbooks and stare at Namjoon and myself. I feel like the centre of attention and it makes me slightly uncomfortable, I shift my gaze away from the students and search for the teacher. I see a plump, short woman with a friendly expression and I apologise for being late.
"Sorry we're late, I got a little lost on my way here and Namjoon helped me find my way," I explain to her shyly, aware of the eyes on me. "I'm Lee Hana."
Mrs Jang beams, tells me not to worry about it and welcomes me to the school. Wow, she's lovely. This is a great start. "You can sit beside Namjoon at the back of the class, seeing as his chemistry partner just moved to take biology instead. You can now replace him. I heard many positive things about you Miss Lee, I hope you work just as well in my class as you did in your other schools. Welcome once again," she shows me to my new seat and flashes her teeth at me genuinely. I smile at Namjoon. I like him already and I have a good feeling about this class. And Mrs Jang. And this place. And this boy.
