The gates of Empire High University loomed larger than Ellie had imagined. She had seen pictures online, heard stories from her seniors back home, and even dreamed about this moment, but nothing prepared her for the reality of standing there with her suitcase, the weight of her future pressing down on her.
She took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the handle of her bag. This was it. No more waking up to her mother's soft knock on the bedroom door. No more familiar smells of her father's morning tea drifting through the house. No more laughing with her younger siblings over silly fights at the dining table. She was no longer "the first daughter who helped with everything." Here, she was just another name on the admission list , a fresher.
The campus buzzed with noise and movement. Seniors barked directions, vendors hawked snacks near the gates, and students in groups walked with the confidence of people who already belonged. Ellie felt the opposite. She felt small, uncertain, invisible. She adjusted her scarf nervously and started dragging her suitcase toward the female hostel, her heart thudding with every step.
Her assigned room was on the third floor. By the time she got there, her arms ached and her back felt as though it would snap in two. She pushed the door open to find three other girls already arranging their corners. They looked up briefly, offered polite smiles, then went back to their tasks. Ellie forced a smile back, dragged her suitcase to the empty space by the window, and began to unpack.
That night, after the noise of the hostel had died down and her roommates were fast asleep, Ellie laid in her narrow bed staring at the ceiling. The bulb above flickered faintly, casting shadows that seemed to mock her silence. Her chest felt heavy. She thought about her family; her mother, who had hugged her tightly at the gate of the house and whispered, be strong, my daughter; her father, who had slipped some cash into her hand when no one was looking; her siblings, who had waved and shouted her name until she disappeared from sight.
The tears came suddenly, hot and relentless. She buried her face in her pillow to muffle the sound. This was the first time she was far from home, the first time the familiar warmth of family was replaced by cold walls and strangers' breathing in the dark. She hated how much she wanted to run back, but beneath the fear and loneliness, there was something else too: excitement. This was a new chapter. A chance to build something of her own.
The next morning, she woke up with swollen eyes but forced a smile at her reflection. "You'll be fine," she whispered to herself as she tied her hair and prepared for lectures.
****************
The days that followed were overwhelming. Lecture halls were crowded and confusing, lecturers spoke too quickly, and the trek between classes felt endless. Ellie found herself panting more often than not, hurrying across campus with her books clutched to her chest. She wanted to do well, to make her family proud, but adjusting was harder than she had imagined.
One afternoon, as she rushed across campus from one lecture to another, her phone buzzed in her hand. The number was unfamiliar. She hesitated, then answered.
"Hello?" she said, her breath uneven from running. "Good afternoon," a male voice said, smooth and steady. "Am I speaking with Ellie?"
"Yes," she replied cautiously, still walking fast. "Who's this?"
"This is Adrian from GEGX Tutorial Center. You joined our WhatsApp group recently."
Ellie frowned slightly, trying to remember. Then it clicked! the group chat her class rep had added her to. She had skimmed it without much thought.
"Oh, hi," she replied, trying to sound polite though she was still panting.
Adrian chuckled softly on the other end. "You sound like you're being chased. Why are you panting so much?"
"I'm late for a class," she admitted, switching her books from one arm to the other. "The lecture hall is so far away."
"Relax," he said, his voice calm, almost teasing. "Take your time. Lecturers aren't going anywhere."
Ellie almost laughed, though her legs didn't slow down. "You clearly don't know the man teaching Thermodynamics," she muttered.
"Fair point," Adrian said, amusement lacing his tone. "Still, don't kill yourself over it. Anyway, I noticed you haven't started tutorials this session. Why's that?"
She pressed her lips together. She didn't have the energy for a lecture on the benefits of tutorials. "I'll come this weekend," she promised quickly, just to end the call.
"You promise?"
"Yes, I promise," she said, more firmly this time.
There was a short pause, then he laughed softly, as though he could hear the impatience in her voice. "Alright then. I'll hold you to it."
The line went dead.
Ellie slipped her phone into her pocket, shaking her head. Who calls a fresher out of the blue like that? Still, she couldn't deny there was something in his voice. A steadiness, a confidence that lingered in her mind long after she entered the lecture hall.
******************
That night, lying on her hostel bed, she thought of home again. The ache of missing her family was still there, but it didn't sting as sharply as before. Maybe because, for the first time since arriving, she felt like someone on this vast campus had noticed her.
She didn't know yet, but that single call was the beginning of something that would change everything.