A month had passed, yet today felt oddly familiar. It was a holiday from tuition, but somehow I found myself standing outside the building anyway. Normally, I would have gone home, or met my friends—Chase, who lived in my apartment, and his cousin Cedar—but both were out today. For once, I was completely alone.
The quiet was broken when my teacher called out, "You can leave, same as him."
I looked up and saw him—Nash, a boy around my age, noticeably taller than me with a mop of curly hair. My teacher had assumed I was waiting for him. The misunderstanding didn't bother me; instead, it felt like a chance.
"Hi," I said, trying to sound casual.
"Hi," he replied, hesitating for a moment, then smiling.
We started talking. At first, it was about the usual stuff—Idaten Jump, MTBs, Ben 10, and other cartoons we loved. We were barely eleven, yet the conversation flowed like we had known each other for years. I laughed more than I had in weeks, realizing how much we had in common.
By the end of that day, I knew something had shifted. Things were going to change between me, Nash, and my other friends—Chase and Cedar. I didn't know if it would be good or bad, but I could feel it coming.
The next day, Nash joined me, Chase, and Cedar. We spent the afternoon playing cricket in the open space near our building. Nash didn't know much about cricket, and we couldn't stop laughing at his awkward bowling and batting—but it was all in good fun, never offensive.
For a whole week, the same rhythm repeated: cricket, laughter, teasing, and playful competition. Each day, our bond grew stronger.
One evening, after a particularly fun game, Chase and Cedar left, leaving Nash and me behind. We sat down with snacks and cold drinks, just talking.
"How's life treating you?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"I have this feeling," I said, staring at the sky, "something big is coming… something that could change mine, yours, and everyone close to us. But it won't be bad. It'll be fun—a ride we'll never forget. Let's make memories for the future, so we can look back and know that the past we're living now was worth every second."
Nash nodded, a small, thoughtful smile on his face.
The very next day, a new family moved into A wing, on the same floor as mine. I was in B wing, but I could feel it in my gut—something was starting. Things were going to get interesting, and I knew it.
Something big was coming.