the strawberry note

Chapter 1:the strawberry note

My locker was completely stuck. It was the absolute worst morning for this to happen. Today was the very first day of 11th grade, and I had spent the last week praying that everything would go perfectly. I wanted a fresh start this year. The hallway of Oakridge High School was incredibly loud, crowded, and full of students running around to find their friends. Everyone seemed so happy and excited, laughing and sharing stories about their summer vacations. Meanwhile, I was standing completely alone, aggressively fighting with a heavy piece of junk metal door.

"Please open for me, just this once," I whispered desperately under my breath. I placed both of my hands on the cold metal handle and pulled it up with all my strength. Nothing happened. The locker did not even budge. I let out a heavy sigh and leaned my forehead against the locker door. I honestly felt like crying right there in the middle of the hallway. All of my important things, including my new notebooks, my pens, and my official class schedule, were locked tightly inside. If I could not get this door open, I would have to walk into my very first class completely empty-handed. The teacher would think I was irresponsible on day one. I closed my eyes tightly for a long moment just to breathe and calm my racing heart.

When I opened my eyes a few seconds later, I saw something very strange attached to the center of the locker dial. A small, bright pink sticky note was now stuck to the metal. I gasped softly. The note had not been there a moment ago. I looked closely at the handwriting. It was written in very clean, sharp, and beautiful print. The note said: Pull the handle up firmly, then turn the dial quickly to the left.

I immediately looked around the crowded hallway. Students were busy talking, slamming their own lockers, and walking past me in large groups. Absolutely no one was looking in my direction. It felt like I was totally invisible to the crowd. Who could have left this note? How did they notice I was struggling? Why did they help me without saying a word?

I decided to just try the trick. I gripped the rusty handle, pulled it up firmly, and turned the dial to the left just like the note said. Click. A loud, satisfying sound echoed from the latch, and the heavy metal door swung open smoothly. A huge wave of relief washed over me. But when I looked inside my locker, I found an even bigger surprise. Right there, resting on the top shelf on top of my books, was a cold bottle of my favorite strawberry juice. Condensation was dripping down the sides of the plastic bottle, meaning someone had placed it there just seconds ago. My heart began to beat fast against my chest. Someone knew my exact locker number, someone knew how to fix it, and someone knew my absolute favorite drink. I looked around the hallway one more time, but the mystery savior was nowhere to be seen.

Before I could think about it any longer, the loud school bell rang loudly through the speakers. The first period was starting. I quickly grabbed my notebook, my schedule, and the cold bottle of strawberry juice. I slammed my locker shut and hurried down the hallway to find my classroom.

When I arrived at homeroom, the room was already filled with students chatting loudly. I found an empty desk near the middle of the room and sat down. I placed the strawberry juice on my desk, staring at it with a million questions running through my mind. Who was watching over me?

Suddenly, the teacher walked in and tapped her wooden desk with a pen to get our attention. The entire classroom immediately went dead silent. "Good morning, class, and welcome to the eleventh grade," the teacher said with a warm smile. "Before we begin taking attendance today, we have a very special announcement. We have a new transfer student joining our class. He just moved here from another state. I expect all of you to be kind, welcoming, and help him adjust to our school."

The heavy classroom door opened slowly. A boy stepped inside the room. The moment I saw his face, my breath caught tightly in my throat. My heart completely stopped beating for a second, and the entire world around me seemed to freeze.

It was Rudra.

My childhood best friend was standing right there in front of the blackboard. I sat frozen in my seat, completely shocked and unable to move. Why was he here? It made absolutely no sense. Rudra was supposed to be living and studying in a completely different state across the country. He had big, ambitious goals there, and he had worked so hard to get into that special academy. Why would he leave everything behind? Why did he give up his big dreams just to come back to this ordinary town and attend this school?

The questions rushed through my head like a wild storm. I stared at him blankly, totally lost in my own deep thoughts, completely forgetting where I was.

"Shree?" a loud voice suddenly broke through my daydream.

I blinked quickly and snapped back to reality. The teacher was staring directly at me from the front of the room, holding the attendance clipboard. "Shree, I am calling your name for attendance. Where is your mind today?"

My face instantly turned bright red from embarrassment. I felt the eyes of every single student in the classroom turn to look at me. I hated being the center of attention, especially on the very first day of school.

"I am so sorry, ma'am," I stammered quickly, my voice shaking a little bit. "I was just distracted."

The teacher looked at me with a worried expression on her face. "You aren't feeling sick on your first day, right?"

"No, ma'am. I am completely alright," I said, trying my best to sound normal.

I slowly looked up toward the front of the room again. Rudra was still standing there next to the teacher's desk. He was looking right at me, and a small, knowing smirk played on his lips. He didn't look surprised to see me at all.

The teacher nodded and adjusted her glasses, looking around the classroom to find an empty spot. "Alright, Rudra. Let's find you a place to sit. Go ahead and take the empty desk right next to Shree. Shree, since you two are sitting together, please make sure to help him catch up with our current lessons and show him around the school later."

My heart did a massive flip inside my chest. Rudra nodded politely to the teacher, slung his black backpack over his shoulder, and started walking down the aisle straight toward my desk. Every step he took made my nerves grow worse. He finally reached my row and slid into the empty desk right beside me. He set his bag down, leaned over slightly into my space, and whispered in a low voice, "Long time no see, Shree. Did you miss me?"

I stared at him, my mouth slightly open. I wanted to yell at him, to hug him, and to ask him a thousand questions all at the same time. But before I could speak, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. On the edge of Rudra's desk, sticking out of his notebook, was a small pack of bright pink sticky notes.

My breath hitched. Could it be? Was Rudra the one who fixed my locker? Or was the secret protector someone else entirely, watching both of us from the back of the room? I looked around the classroom, realizing that this school year was going to be much more complicated than I ever imagined.

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