I once read a quote by an anonymous person that said, "No one believes in love at first sight until that special person comes along and steals your heart." I began to think that maybe, that quote was for me and the stranger I just saw was the special person.

How could it be possible? With just one look, you can feel a million things inside you. Hearts racing, chests burning, smiles magically appearing? It was a strange yet beautiful feeling.

"Hello? Earth to Celene?" Cheska was waving her hand in front of me, and I could tell that she was talking to me but I was too caught up with Mr. Stranger. "What happened to you?"

I shook my head and sighed. "Nothing."

Mr. Stranger was heading to the left side of RH, the side where I was exactly sitting. "You zoned out real bad, Cel. I kept talking to you but you were clearly not listening." He was walking closer, and closer, and closer. Maybe he'll sit just in front of me, that way I can hear his voice and smell him (I know I'm weird). He looked like one of those guys who smell good even after running a mile. "I mean, it's not you, Cel. You're always attentive. You always listen to me." He was closer. His head turned to my direction, and for a moment my heart jumped up to the sky. But then he looked away, and I knew that he didn't see me at all. "I may be talkative, but you always listen to me." The he sat down, about ten persons to my right. "Hello?" Cheska waved her hand again.

I looked at her, finally. "Sorry. I got distracted."

"By what?" She asked. I still looked at Mr. Stranger with amazement. Cheska followed my sight and when she saw who I got distracted to, she grinned like a maniac. "Ooh. I think someone fell in love at first sight," she teased.

"What? Hell no!" I denied. Cheska kept talking about things like she knew it, and stuff like that. But I wasn't listening and just kept on stealing glances at him. I couldn't help not to. There was like a magnet that was pulling me to him, and unfortunately, I had no idea how to repel.

The whole program, I couldn't focus on a word that the emcee was saying because all my focus went to Mr. Stranger. I think I stole glances at him ten times per minute. Cheska even gave up talking to me because I was as airy as a balloon, she said. Natalie, Prince and Jared were still sleepy zombies, so she ended up talking to a girl from the school a block from ours, Castrollie University. The girl's school was Ridge High.

When the program ended, we had to line up at the front of the RH for our group color. The groups will do the activities assigned together until the camp ends. Inside me, I wished for Mr. Stranger to be in the same color as me.

When we were heading out of the RH, I tried my best to get near Mr. Stranger. But, it was too crowded that after just twenty seconds of being stuck in the middle of sweaty backs and shoulders, I lost him. I sighed, but tried not to get a lot of air in my lungs considering of the amount of body odor around me.

When my bandana was handed out to me, it was red. My group color. Jared and Natalie got yellow while Cheska and Prince got blue.

After the group assignments, it was lunch time. Together with Mr. Smith, who was mysteriously absent during the program, we headed to the cafeteria to get ourselves our meal.

And oh my, when we got there, Mr. Stranger was right there sitting and eating his meal. I had to stop walking because of surprise, and Natalie ended up bumping my back and knocking my tray on the floor. Luckily it was empty so we didn't waste any food. "I'm sorry, Celene," Natalie said as she picked up the tray for me.

"It's not your fault," I told her. It wasn't her fault I was too distracted with an angel that fell from heaven.

I looked at him, and wondered if he saw my clumsiness. But he was talking to his friends, and for a moment, I was hopeful he didn't see any of it.

Unfortunately, before we went for lunch, we already decided that we would eat our meals inside our cabin. I couldn't possibly tell them that we had to eat at the cafeteria all because a stranger was there. So, I kept my mouth shut, but not my eyes. I still stole glances at him while my meal was being handed over to me. And with every glance, he becomes more and more perfect. Was that even possible?

When we got back to our cabin, Cheska didn't tease me so it meant that she didn't see him at the cafeteria. I could already picture her telling everyone that I had a crush on a stranger. Of course, I planned on telling them, but not just yet. Maybe at night, but definitely not at lunch where I could still think of him without them teasing me to death.

"It feels so good to be energized!" Jared praised when he finally finished his meal. "It felt awful during the program. I felt like a zombie." I laughed. After the meal, the three of them finally looked like normal human beings.

"Well, you are sure one ugly zombie," Cheska teased, and the rest of us laughed and agreed with her.

Jared scrunched his nose. "Oh yeah? Then it must be Plants Vs. Zombies 2 because you're Cheskard Guard. It suits you because all your tanning got your skin orange. We should dye your hair green so it will really be you."

The rest of us kept quiet and just listened. Cheska looked like she had flames blowing under her nose. It was quite a scene to watch. "Only I have to do some makeover? So you do agree that you are an ugly zombie then."

Jared blushed, and we all laughed. Then, he grabbed his empty cup and placed it on top of his head. He suddenly looked like the cone-head zombie. "Ready, set,"

"Wait, what?" Cheska stood dumbfounded.

"Plant!" Jared screamed and tackled Cheska to the floor. "Braaaaiiiiins," he said like a zombie.

"Prepare to die again, zombie!" Cheska grabbed the pillow behind her and smacked Jared's face.

The rest of us still watched, amused. I wanted to tell Cheska that Chard Guards can't kill zombies, but decided to shut my mouth because the two of them were having so much fun.

¤ ¤ ¤

The bell rung indicating that the group activities will start. Since I was the only one in our cabin who didn't have anyone in the same group, they all teased me about not scaring people off and wished me luck on the games. Everybody at my school, CU, knew how I was the worst when it came to sports. I was one of those kids who always gets picked last on team activities. So sometimes, I fake that I'm sick just to get out of Gym class and save myself from embarrassment.

It then occured to me that maybe Mr. Stranger and I weren't in the same group for a reason. Maybe fate didn't want me to humiliate myself. Maybe fate had something planned for us.

I was beginning to think that I hope too much, and they say that hoping too much can only lead to disappointments.

The first activity was volleyball, unfortunately. There were about fifty of us in the red group, which we called ourselves the Red Alert Group, so we had to use four volleyball courts and have one substitution on each court. I was the substitution at court number three, and I thanked God.

Our team won the first and second set thanks to Glenn McWright, who was unsurprisingly the team captain of the greatest High School volleyball team in  Indiana. She was not only sporty, but smart and beautiful as well. With her long, wavy blond hair and striking brown eyes, she could be the perfect model for those sports energy drink advertisements on television.

When only five points were left until we win the game, Glenn asked for a substitution. "What?!" I shrieked in surprise, and so did our teammates. "You have got be kidding. We're close to winning!"

"And I want you to win the game for us. You still haven't played." Beads of sweat were trickling down her face, and for a moment I wondered if I would look as hot as her if I had beads of sweat on my face too. But then a homeless and starving ferret replaced with my sweaty face flashed on my mind.

Our teammates were encouraging me, saying how I'll miss the fun and stuff like that. Maybe they were saying it because they didn't know how I sucked at sports. But then it occured to me that nobody in the court knew me. Not one of my schoolmates were there. If I suck, they'll forget about me in a week. "Okay," I said and they all cheered. It was the first time people cheered for me that wasn't about the math competition.

Glenn walked out of the court and gave me two thumbs up as she passed by me. I was a bit nervous, maybe very nervous, my hands were shaking, and my legs felt wobbly, like it couldn't handle my weight anymore.

I was the one to serve the ball. Outside the line, I took a deep breath. I served before, coutnless of times, but unfortunately none of them got in, so I was pretty sure doubtful that I'll get the ball pass over the net and onto the other team's court.

"Go..." Glenn cheered, but she didn't know my name, so she just clapped her hands. But her effort of trying to cheer for me touched me, so I gained more confidence. So what if I don't get it in? At least someone thought I could do it.

I took a heavy breath. The referee whistled, and I threw the ball up into the air, jumped, and slapped my palm onto it. It felt good, how the ball touched my palm, and how I went back to the ground.

Unbelievably the ball got in. Glenn cheered, and I froze. I got it in. For the first time in my non-athletic life, I served a volleyball ball. I immediately thought of how my friends would be proud of me. How I won't be the girl who can't serve a volleyball ball anymore, though I would still be the last to get picked on team activities. But it was okay with me. At least I did something I never thought I could do in my life.

"Look out!" Someone yelled, and my head got back to reality. I was still in the game, and the other team got my serve.

I looked up, and in front of the sun was a ball heading to my nose. I even though it was Apollo coming for me congratulating me for not being a nimwit.

And the next thing? Everything went black.

¤ ¤ ¤

Hey! How was the chapter?

So, on Monday is my first day of school in a new school. It's my first time to experience being the new kid, and I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I've already met some of my classmates, and they were so nice and crazy just like me, so I have high hopes that my new school will be great for me. 😊

Have you ever experienced being the new kid? How was your first day?

Book suggestion of the chapter: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. Definitely made my mind blow like a bomb. I didn't expect what happened, at all. You'll definitely like this, and I'm certain that you will feel emotional while reading this. ❤

See you in three days!

Z