LIFE OF A SIMPLE GIRL

THE BEGGING OF A NEW ERA.

At 17, inexperienced but determined, I stepped into a new beginning. It was the high school of my dreams. For the first time in my education journey, I stood up to my parents and chose a school I had longed for since ordinary level. It wasn’t just a decision but it was a declaration. I arrived at the knowing only one person: Dora, my former classmate. But within weeks, new faces became familiar. Reign and Aura also they where former school mates like me and Dora. Due to the same background they become our friends. At first, we had each other’s backs, bonded by shared roots and the quiet comfort of familiarity.

Hey, quick question "what is friendship?" every person it in their but for me . Back in my former school, I had one close friend. Just one. Friendship then meant sharing every meal breakfast, lunch, dinner. Waking up early to study together. Sending memos when life felt unfair. Even sneaking in little things we weren’t supposed to have, just to smell nice and feel good. It was simple. It was just one person. So when I found myself in a new school, surrounded by four people instead of one, I didn’t know what to call it. Was this still friendship? Or something else entirely?

After a few weeks, we all settled into the same class. We went to the same church, and we slept in the same dorm. Reign and Aura shared one portion of the dorm. Dora and I shared another same portion but we slept in different parts of that . So now you’ve met my bed-mates. My neighbors. My night-time laughing partners. We’d stay up late, laughing until our stomachs hurt, and wake up late because sleep had surrendered to joy. We had a joke for everything i mean every moment, every mess, every miracle. And I couldn’t help but wonder…Did these people sign up to be my day makers?

A boarding school isn’t boarding school without night preparations. I had signed up for business classes and that’s where I met my people. My desk-mate and I called each other “deco.” We were both ambitious, curious, and full of dreams. Behind us sat the “back-decos” our partners in laughter, chaos, and classroom wisdom. As teenagers with big views and even bigger questions, our Friday night preps became a space of entertainment and imagination. We shared ideas, fantasized about university life, talked about boyfriends, and played truth or dare. That’s what glued us together not just as classmates, but as a certain kind of tribe. Whatever happened in class, stayed in class. It was my first time in a government school. But somehow, I felt like I belonged.

Like any other school, we had chores. If you knew someone, you’d get a good chore. I didn’t know anyone but somehow, I got the best chore. For those with the “normal” chores, some days were just ugly. I was talkative, so I made friends with seniors who helped me navigate the chore system. In my circle, I was the only one with the best chore. I never bragged about it. But somehow, Aura, Reign, and Dora started talking behind my back saying I acted like I was on top because I didn’t work as hard as they did. Yet when they needed help even with my own chore I offered it, with a and without any hesitation. And that’s when I asked myself: "Since when did we become jealous of our own friends?"

It was a normal day of fulfilling my responsibilities. One Saturday night, I chose not to attend class preparations. Instead, I prepared the church for Sunday mass. It wasn’t my church but I just felt called to do it. That’s when I met someone who wouldn’t let me mop the Altar. She said it was her sacred duty something she did every day with devotion. I had wanted to clean the Altar too. But instead, I helped her arrange things. In my own church, I was a decorator. So this felt familiar but just in a different way. A few stories later, we discovered we both knew the same person. And just like that, we vibed. Now you’ve met Grace. Someone outside my class and dorm but with many interests like mine.

Because of the everyday jealousy from my friends, I found myself growing closer to Grace. She reminded me to study the terminal exams were near. People started noticing I wasn’t showing up for night preps anymore. I wasn’t hiding. I was just choosing different spaces to study mostly dining hall and the library. With Grace, it was all about studies, finances, ambition and new stories from her school and mine. I felt so happy around her. She never envied me. One Wednesday night, Reign left preps earlier than usual. She found me and Grace outside the dining hall, deep in conversation. She smiled and said, “Wow, can I join you guys? I love what you’re doing.” I didn’t reply to her but I just felt my moment away. So I smarked and packed my books and went straight to our dorm with her.