"Every morning we get a chance to be different. A chance to change our life, a chance to be better."

I am a colorful butterfly
From the delicate cocoon
Ready to change, being the special
Pushing hard to give the best
Choosing just what I deserve
Forgiving to guarantee the second chances
Grabbing it gracefully
As even blink of an eye
Could change everything
Apologies not to depend
But to mend my ways
by V. M Saraswathy Munuswamy

I woke up in the morning from the ringing of alarm. Oh, how I don't like this sound. Today is my first day in a new school, it's so exciting. What will my new classmates and teachers be like? Will they like me?

I stayed a little more in bed, thinking about what is waiting for me in the new school. I climb out of bed, lazily stretch and make my way to the bathroom to make myself look good.

Already 30 minutes I can't put my hair down in something suitable for school. I don't even know how girls dress in my new school.
I tried a bunch of variants of different hairstyles and stopped on a ponytail. Simple and neatly. I didn't bring much clothes from New York, so the choice of what to wear is not big.

I decide to put on a pale pink sweater, black jeans with a high waist and white sneakers. I take a last look at myself in the mirror and let's out a deep breath.

"You can do this, "I say to myself, " you'll survive, everything will be good." In fact, I'm so worried, I feel how fast my heart is beating. I need to learn how to cope with the excitement. I take my backpack and go downstairs.

In the kitchen my mother is already cooking a breakfast. By the smell, I can say that this is my favorite omelet with cheese. When she turns to me, I'm depicting something like a smile in my face.

"Good morning, sweetie," says my mom with a kind smile. She looks very good for her age: thick hair, of the chocolate colour, light curls fall on her fragile shoulders, a warm smile and cute dimples on the cheeks.

"Hello, mom," I come up and kiss her on the cheek.

"Do you want a breakfast?" mom always thinks that I'm hungry, regardless of whether I want to eat or not.

"No, mom. I'll buy a coffee on the way," I really don't want to eat, maybe it's because of excitement. "Where's dad?" I asked.

"He's already at work," she says and looks down at her slippers.

"So early?" I'm surprised, because it's only 7 a.m

"Yes. His new boss is a very strict man." I look at the screen of my phone, there is not much time left until school starts. It's time to go, if I don't want to be late on my first day.

"I need to go, mom."

"Have a good day, Canny." She smiles to me. I come up and kiss her on the cheek last time before I leave the house.

***

I walk through the streets of Evergreen and smiling. Everything is so beautiful here. Lovely little houses, lots of coffee shops and parks. Everything is different here, it seems like even the air is different here. I go to a small cafe and a lovely cashier sells me a cappuccino.

"Have a nice day!" I politely smile to her and go out into the street.

Along the way I meet a lot of boys and girls of my age. Some overtake me in the car, some walking.

It's good that we bought a house near the school and I don't need to ride a bus. I'm 17, I have a driver's license, but I prefer walking. It's useful and helps to clean your thoughts.
When I went to school, I was seized with a very strong excitement. High school is so serious. So I decided to look out.

The school is ancient, large windows, 3 buildings, a lot of trees around, a lawn in front of the entrance. Not at all like my past school. While I was considering the school I didn't notice, how I crashed into a girl.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't want to hurt you," I sit down and start to collect things, that fell out of my hands. Well done, Candys. The first day at school, you haven't even go into it, how you crashed into a girl.

"Oh, it's okay. Don't worry," she said, "let me help you." The girl is very cute. Light blue hair, slightly upturned nose, thin eyebrows, full lips, which she made up with beige lipstick and large blue eyes.

"That's will be good, thank you." I'm trying to pull a smile. Oh, God, why I'm so clumsy?

"You're new? Sorry, but I didn't see you here before," she asks.

"Yes, I recently moved here with my parents." We're finished collecting my stuff and got up.

"Forgot to introduce myself. I'm Laila." She smiles and holds out a hand to me.

"Candys. Nice to meet you." We shake hands as a sign of acquaintance.

"If you want, I can conduct you to the classroom," suggested Laila.

"I would like to." I think that's a good idea. I don't know anything here, so I will be very grateful if Laila doesn't leave me here alone.

When we go into the school Laila asks me, if I like the town and which places I have already visited here. She says, that every autumn and summer in the town are held fairs, and that I definitely should go to the one of them.

"Actually, I really like this school," I say and look around, when we go up to the second floor.

"Oh, you haven't seen much yet," Laila smiles to me. She seems like a good girl, I hope we will be friends. Laila showed me the whole school, but it's time for my first lesson here and I don't want to be late.

I go into the classroom and sit down at the empty desk in the 3rd row, near the window. I close my eyes and try to calm. But is it possible?

"Can I seat next to you?" a boy is standing by the desk and waiting for my answer. Apparently, while I tried to calm down I didn't notice how he approached.

"Of course," I give him a smile and take my backpack from a nearby chair . The guy sits down and loudly exhales. It seems he was late and had to run. The teacher comes into the class and lesson begins. I feel, how fast my heart beats, how my legs tremble. I need to distract myself. But because of the excitement, I accidentally break a pencil.

"I think you're too nervous," says my new neighbor.

"Oh, I... I..." I tried to say something intelligible, but couldn't.

"If you're new, just relax," he says it so calmly, as if it's so simple to calm down. But how? How can I relax?

"I know, but ... but  I can't. You don't understand me, it's ..." I mumble.

"This is my fifth school," he interrupts me, "of course I don't understand," he dryly responds.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I say it under my breath and look down at my trembling hands.

"I'm Nolan Westers," he smiles to me.

"Candys Batler," I introduced back, "nice to meet you," I give him a friendly smile in response.

Nolan is a pretty nice boy. His hair is the color of wheat, which he ruffled, while writing something in his notebook, brown eyes and a kind smile.

The next half hour I tried to listen to the lesson. The teacher Mrs Wills is quite strict, but moderately.

"Kids, open the page 30 and do exercise number 12," she look at us with a stern gaze, "I'll check how you do it," Mrs Wills wrote the assignment on the blackboard and sit down at her desk.

Well, I promised to myself to study well, so I need to try my best to do this exercise.

"Sorry for being late." I stop writing in notebook and my eyes shift to the boy, which just entered the classroom.

For a second, there was just a complete silence in the classroom. Everyone stopped writing in their notebooks and looked at the boy, then at the teacher.

"Again, Christian?!" Mrs Wills put her glasses on the table and get up from the chair.

"You will be expelled!" she practically screams at him.

"I know," he shrugs.

Mrs Wills is very angry, but it seems like the boy doesn't care. Why is he so calm? Isn't afraid of being expelled? He walks to the end of the classroom and sit down at the desk next to the ginger-haired boy, apparently they are friends.

"Candys, what's your answer in the exercise?" ask me Nolan. I was distracted and completely forgot about it.

"I almost done, wait a bit please."

***

The lesson is over and I'm standing with Nolan in the corridor. We're decided to stick together, because he's also new here.

"So, why did you move to Evergreen?" I ask and put unnecessary books in my new locker.

"Because of mom's work," he said, "she's a journalist." I'm glad I met Nolan. Thanks to him, I feel much better here. Cause I thought I'd go crazy because of the excitement. You know, it's good when you have someone, who understands your feelings.
Nolan was born in Stockholm, but he had to move many times. It's so hard, I think. He's a strong person.

"What about you? Where did you live before?" he leaned his shoulder against the nearby locker.

"In New York," I say barely audible. Memories of the past surfaced in my head. My mind is whirling and eyes fill with tears. Please, Nolan, don't ask anything else. I pretend that I'm looking for something in my backpack.

"Do you miss home?" enquired Nolan. I'm on the verge of crying and don't know what to say.

"Candys?" he stepped back from the locker and come closer to me. I shook my head a little for cover my face with hair. I don't want him to see my tears.

"Canny!" I heard a joyful squeak behind me. It's Laila. You don't know how I'm glad to hear her. "Aand..?" she glanced at Nolan.

"Nolan Westers," he bows to her.

"Laila Lous," she gives him a kind smile, "you're so funny, Nolan," said Laila and we both laugh.

"Guys, do you want to hang out tomorrow after school?" proposed Lous, "I can show
and tell you everything about Evergreen."

"That's will be very good," I happily say. I'm really very interested to know everything about this town.

Laila and Nolan starts discussing our plans for tomorrow, but I'm distracting by the passing boy. This is the same guy which was late for the first lesson. It seems his name is Christian. He approaches to his friends and they're begin to tell him something, gesturing with their hands. Among them there is the same ginger-haired guy and tall brunette, with a red strand in her hair. Christian listens to them and laughs. Who is he? And most importantly, why do I care?

"Candys!" Laila snaps her fingers in front of my eyes and Nolan laughs.

"That's not funny," I cross my arms and frown.

"Sorry, but you zoned out, girl" says Laila and giggles again.

"So, where are we make our way tomorrow?" I ask and they starts to talk, interrupting each other.

Thanks to my new friends, this day went better, then I through. The excitement is gone and now I feel calm here. I hope everything will be as good as now.