Going To College

I wake up early by my alarm, luckily I remembered to set it. I quickly get out of bed, go to the bathroom for a quick shower, put on some nice clothes to give a good first impression on the first day, and I go downstairs to have breakfast with mom. I finish my breakfast, then I go back to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and I’m finally ready to go to school -- although I have to get my backpack sorted, because of course I forgot to do that.

Mom told me we were going together, so I have to wait for her at the couch. I start looking at social media, and I find a lot of students posting about going to their first day of school, and how excited they are -- I’m excited as well, but a little bit more nervous. After a few minutes, mom walks out of her bedroom, and comes to the living room. She seems to be ready, as she has done her hair, and put on a nice sweater that makes her look really cute.

“Sweetie, are you ready for your first day of school?” - mom asks me, and I don’t hesitate to nod at her. We then leave the house, but surprisingly she holds my hand as we walk to the bus stop. Apparently she enjoys taking the bus even though we have a car, but it gives us more time to talk - I’m not complaining, but it’s weird. We keep walking, and we are holding hands like we are a couple, so I get a little shy to have my mother walk me to school -- like I’m still some sort of child.

“I’m nervous mom, it’s weird to return to school so soon” - I tell my mom, but she doesn’t let me worry too much, because she turns to look at me, and pats my head nicely.

“Don’t be scared, it’s going to be fun… You are going to meet a lot of people and you’ll enjoy it, I’m sure” - she replies with a smile, and I’m calmed down by her reassuring response, but I still have the doubt of how I’m going to be at school - Hopefully I do make some friends in the first day, I remember how awkward it was when I’m the new guy at school… I better try not to be so shy.

We keep making our way to the bus stop, and when we arrive, I see a mom with her child. They are in the same positions as us, holding hands, and the boy looks very nervous -- probably to go to school as well, just like me. That reminds me I’m acting like a child, but mom looks at me, smiles again, and she makes me feel more confident. It’s a bit weird seeing her smile that often, but I’m sure she is doing it to make me feel safe -- which I definitely need to go to school, and it does work.

Without being so scared anymore, I hop on the bus with mom. The ride is fairly normal, and I spend the entirety of it just staring at the streets, the stores in the main avenue, the buildings in downtown, and the huge mall. I try to keep myself distracted, and since mom isn’t talking to me, I can only focus on my own imagination, and I imagine I will be very popular at this new school - I don’t know, I doubt that will happen but it’s always nice to keep a positive attitude, right?

We turn left after a couple of blocks from the mall. If we kept going straight, we would have reached the start of a hill, which has a bunch of fancy looking buildings on top. I think that’s like the rich part of the city, filled with fancy white neighbors, and all that stuff from the high class. But as the avenue we are on is still nice, I pay attention to this side of town, and it’s actually very pretty, and calm looking -- it’s like being in the suburbs again, but with a few big buildings in the distance, and right next to the coast.

We finally make it to our destination. We hop off the bus, and I look around this new area of the city. There are a couple of trees, and normal looking houses behind me. I can also see the mall from here, and it is fairly close, so we are not that far away from downtown -- or maybe it’s just a perspective thing, since the mall is so huge. In front of me there is a small parking lot, but I notice that it belongs to the school, as there is a huge building right next to it.

I just stare at the building for a while, and I notice that mom is also staring at it. She is probably even more impressed than me, but we both just contemplate the huge building on top of a small hill -- actually there are a couple of big buildings, but they all seem part of the same facility, so it’s a group of large buildings. I look at the entrance gate a couple of meters next to me on my right, and I know that this is the place.

This is it… I have made it to college, holy shit I’m so scared… Why am I so scared?... It’s simple, I just have to go through the entrance and that’s it… it shouldn’t be a problem - I tell myself in my head, already hesitating stepping into the school. I look at mom for some reassurance, and she is still admiring the size of the buildings, so I have to call for her attention -- and hopefully she is able to encourage me a little to go to college.

“Well mom, I guess this is the place…” - I comment rather awkwardly, as I’m just trying to get her attention, but it’s just enough for mom to tell me exactly what I need to hear.

“Good lucky sweetheart, remember to be safe and… try making some friends, okay?... Just enjoy our time there and have fun, that’s all that matters... apart from the actual education of course…” - mom says in a sweet, but playful tone, which causes both of us to laugh a little. I feel like she knows I will focus on socializing more than learning, but I do think I should pay attention in class, and hopefully study hard -- but I can’t promise anything, I’m probably going to get distracted with the friends I make.

I smile at mom, since she made me feel so safe now, and I’m more excited to go to school. But before I could, I notice that as we are talking, a couple of girls pass by. They look at me, and kind of laugh at the sight of my mom leaning in to wish good luck to her 18 year old son. I’m not too embarrassed by this, but I think that it might not be the best to talk with my mother outside of school so much, so I take a few steps away.

“Alright mom, I have to go… I don’t want to be late on my first day” - I say, and she leans in for a kiss on the forehead, but after that, she backs off, and seems ready to leave.

“I understand, I’ll see you later at home… Love you!!” - she replies, but I’m scared of saying it back. I doubt anyone is going to hear me, but I hesitate saying anything for a long time, and mom seems to be already gone. Sadly, it is too late to talk more with her, and I’m getting a bit nervous again. But since I’m already at the main entrance gate, I decide to just step inside the school -- and thankfully I didn’t say anything, because the girls from early kept staring at me, so I would have embarrassed myself I did.

I make my way to the facility, and after a couple of seconds, I enter the main building in front of me. As I walk into the building, I look around to see some students going to different parts of the school, but they are all being greeted by a man in a suit. He is greeting everyone, so he will probably greet me. But before I get to interact with him, I take a second to hype myself up, and gather some courage to do this - Alright man, you got this… This is the start of your college life… Remember that we have to go through 4 years of this so you better make a good impression here… If they don’t like you then-... No, they will like you, just go for it!