My Sunshine, The Fox and I

Starting High School

January 2007

There was nothing as exciting as starting High School at least for me. It was saying bye to baby life and welcoming teenage life. At that time, I did not know that I would look back at those years and wish I could go back to live stress and drama free life again.

I am someone who lived in the moment, either as a participant or as an observer. Despite all this, now in my adulthood, I miss the period of insouciance. Long gone and never to return.

In Mauritius, January is the start of classes, new school uniforms, new shoes with expectation of parents for it to at least last the first semester, new school bags, stationeries and chances of making new friends. In my case, I had my best friend, Manella, who joined the same High school as me.

We were not that close in primary but we used to have lunch together and we clicked that last summer. Silly was I, already thinking of us going to college together and being roommates in the start of adulthood. Yet, the road to such future was still in the dark for all of us.

The first day of school was slow consisting of introduction from teachers and students repeating their own introduction throughout the day. I did not consider myself a social butterfly but I was a ray of sunshine to people. My happiness then was using my new stationaries. Don't judge me! I looooooove pens. Nothing fascinate me more than ink on paper.

Eventually, the first day went by and routine took its place. Manella and I had started to get to know other people. We still had classes together, at times would lunch together and go to after school tuition together. We would spend less and less time together until it became once a week to text message once in a month or two.

I did notice the difference and felt it too. But, she had settle for those with pristine school image and quiet personality while I went for the loud and popular. Two different people with two different circles. Things had changed. We had changed.