Still in my youth, at seventeen years old, I begin to know adulthood, attending the second year of high school. My name is Gabriella, better known as Gaby, everyone calls me that. I consider myself a quiet girl, however, always upbeat, with family and friends, something that was not happening in the last few days. Mainly after overhearing a conversation between my father and my stepmother, Soraya, I was extremely upset to hear that they were planning to move to a distant place. I can't deny that it was a shock to hear that conversation, sadness took over my days, not only because of the sudden move, but also because of the separation from my childhood friends. I passed by them in the living room like a hurricane going to cry in my room while I wondered to myself.

— How I wish I could have known you, mommy, I'm sure my life would be other if you were here with me. — I whispered as I listened to the crazy lady's ramblings.

— Damn it, Ronaldo! How long are we going to stay here in this pigsty? I can't stand it anymore! Any day now, I'll take my kids and go back to where I never should have left. I told you: I don't have to live in this damned place just because your little daughter doesn't want to leave her dead mother! — said Soraya, while my father was burning his neurons trying to find a solution for the situation, we were living in.

My dad is a good man, father and husband, however, butchered by fate, unfortunately due to my fault. He lost the great love of his life, away during my birth, and after spending six years alone, he decided to marry in an attempt to have a companion to help him. Soraya was a kind woman, until she married Dad and assumed the role of our mother, but with the birth of João Pedro and Maria Cecília, she became dry; entirely different with Marina and me, with Marina not so much, but with me, she was almost always very rude. I even understood my father's decision to move searching for a better life for the family because, otherwise, not only would we continue to have financial problems, but he would also lose his wife and, consequently, the children he had with her.

— And now what am I going to do, mommy? — she said anguished, in tears.

After all, for me, it was not easy at all, I was afraid thinking how hard would be to make new friends. Just to help, after the news of the sudden change, the days were passing very fast. So fast that soon came the dreaded moment of departure, even against my will, I had to say goodbye to all my life and face another reality. After that radical change, leaving a small country town to a big metropolis, it seemed to be living in a horror movie. Hours later, as soon as I arrived, I was feeling uncomfortable because, with a short time in that place, there was already too much information for my brain to absorb, even so, I kept observing everything and drawing my own conclusions. On my way to my new room, I thought:

— Damn it! What are we doing here? These people seem to be blind; strange people; nobody talks to anybody; they even look like zombies.

I hear my sister knocking on the door.

— Gaby, is everything all right? Tomorrow morning, I am going out with my new neighbor, she is the daughter of Mrs. Ophelia, the owner of the house; she is going to take me to register at the new school.

— What the hell, there's still more!

I, completely improper with all this change, fell back, realizing that what was bad could get even worse. The next day, Marina left very early and after a few hours came back with the news that I was registered and could go to school on the next class, to my despair, of course. The inevitable happened, my first day of school arrived, just at dawn I hear Soraya knocking on the bedroom door shouting.

— Gabriella, Gabriella, will you please wake up?! You have to leave early today!

— Uh, relax, Soraya, I'm coming, you don't have to make such a fuss.

— Yes, I do, since you don't know how to step in front of your nose, you don't even know how to go to the corner by yourself! Come quickly, your father is going with you today and from there he goes to his work, come soon, he said he can't be late, in the new job the bosses are sick, and they don't allow their employees to be late. We're waiting for you here in the kitchen, make sure you don't delay.

— OK, OK! — I answer, still half-asleep.

I jumped up and down rushing, after all I didn't know what was worse, facing the challenge of facing the new school or listening to Soraya so early full of her bad mood.

— I am ready, Dad, shall we go?

— Yes, my princess, let's go.

On the way to school, a thousand and one things went through my mind about my first day at school.

— Oh, mummy, what will the people be like in this school? Will I be able to talk to them? Or will they ignore me? What if they make fun of me? Oh my God!

Insecure with the new rhythm that my life was taking, I feared what was still to come, I approached the school with tears in my eyes, all I didn't want was to stay in this place, I just wanted my old life back. When we arrived, my father said:

— Daughter, to here I can go with you, now it is up to you.

— Ok, Dad, bye. — I replied with a downcast face.

He gives me a kiss on the forehead and goes to work, leaving me at the front door, staring awestruck at the immensity of that place, and then a young boy knocked me down.— Sorry, miss, I didn't mean to, are you ok, are you hurt? — asked the boy as he helped me up from the ground.

— It's alright! It was nothing, I was distracted and didn't realize that you were coming — I said, already leaving to look for the secretary. As I entered to ask for information, a kind lady answered me, realizing my discomfort.

— Good morning, my dear, how can I help you?

— Good morning, Madam, today is my first day here, and I don't know anything about this place, can you help me?

— Yes, my angel, what’s your name?

—  Gabriella. — I think I spoke with my voice so shaky and low that she almost didn't hear.

— Calm down, my child, don't be so nervous, let's go to my office, so I can look at your number plate, then we'll know where your office is. — The little lady looked at my folder and then said — There, my pretty one, we have solved your problem, it is in block B1.

— But where is that? — I asked without having idea to where she was referring.

— I'll go with you there, my child, block B1 is on the second floor.

As we went up I was horrified with all the mess, I, who was nervous, became even more so when I found a class full of strangers, among them, some couples who seemed to be anywhere but in a school.

— Jesus, what kind of place is this? This doesn't look like a place to study, it looks like a place for dating, everywhere I look someone is almost devouring someone.

Between the troublemakers and the Don Juan's was the crazy boy who ran me over, accompanied by two girls who would certainly be his conquests. Eduardo is a mad 18-year-old boy, also in a second time of high school, one of the most popular boys in school, he didn't want anything to do with anything, he only cared about his hair falling down on his forehead, an only child, coming from a successful family, better known as Edu with his friends. I was passing by them, serious, I looked away when I heard someone talking.

— Is that the blind girl you almost killed, Edu?

— Yes, she is! — Eduardo answered, turning around and looking me in the eyes. — She's cute, I'll get her — Fabrício said, and everyone laughed, while the jerk followed me with his eyes until I turned in the corridor.

— We finally got to your class, this is it, my dear, come in.

Sheepish, I thanked the secretary and went inside, looking for the most private place to sit, so the bell rang, and the class back in the room so excited, a mess that ceased with a tremendous shout from the teacher:

— Silence! Good morning everybody, let's begin.

Presently, the boy enters with two of his giggling friends.

— Not without us, right, aunt?

— Not if you arrive on time, isn't it, Mr. Eduardo? Come on, you three get in and go to your seats.

And so, the class began, with him and his friends being emphasis all the time until the end. Bored, I looked at the clock. 'Thank God, the class is ending; I can't stand being here anymore.’ I took a deep breath as I packed up my gear to finally get out of that madhouse and leave.

FABRÍCIO 

— Hi, lass, how do you like our school? Re’you enjoying it? — says the same boy who made that joke, already with his hands on my desk.

— Hi, of course, it's not exactly what I'd like, but it's fine — I answered, without showing any signs of nervousness.

— What's your name, babe? Hold on, let's do it the right way. Nice to meet you, my name is Fabrício, what's yours?

At that moment, the bell rings to my relief.

— Gabriella, and I'm dying to go home, excuse me, please — I said, getting up and leaving, dying to get home. Unfortunately, when I got outside, I realized that I didn't know how to get back alone. — Oh God, what am I going to do now? Enlighten me, Mummy, I don't know how to go home. — I sat down on the curb with my hands on my face, completely lost.

ALICE

— Hey, are you alright? Do you want to call someone? — asked one of the students who went there and was the niece of the owner of the house where I lived.

— No, thanks, I'm fine, just a little confused because I don't know this place. — So, I raised my head to answer, she immediately recognized me.

— Wait… Aren't you the girl who moved in with my aunt Ophelia? — questioned the girl, curious when she realized that I was totally improper. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I answered, eased.

—  Yes, it's me! It was God who sent you, I'm lost, and I don't know how to get back there.

— Are you serious? Wow, you got lucky then, I'm going there now, do you want a ride?

— Absolutely, of course I do! Thank you very much, I’m Gabriella, nice to meet you.

— Pleasure, my friend, wait, pleasure only in bed, so… hello — she says, to relax Then she hands me a helmet. — I’m Alice, no need to thank me, this is my path, and if you want you can come and go with me, besides, I live near you, it doesn't cost me anything to help you, so let's go?

Meanwhile, Eduardo almost died laughing after having observed Fabrício's unsuccessful inversions.

— You've got it bad, man! The kitten doesn't seem to be very eager to meet you.

— This is a question of time, Edu, nobody can resist the charm of the father here — said Fabrício full of himself. — Leave it to me, and you will see how it is done, in two days she will be completely surrendered to her father's lap.

Arriving home, Alice stopped the motorbike near the pavement.

— I don't even know how to thank you, I was lost today! — I said as I got off the scooter.

— That's ok, don't thank me, I'll come by tomorrow at 6:30 to pick you up, ok? — Alice said, going home.

— I'm home! — I said, getting a big hug from João Pedro, my youngest brother, a sweet child, he doesn't even seem to have been born in Soraya's womb, so bitter.

— How was your first day, sis? Asked Marina while she finished preparing lunch.

— I don't know, strange, different, but it was good! — I answered, going to my room. — Whew, home at last! — I sighed, as I threw myself on the bed, leaving my backpack on the floor. — My God, it's too much information for my head! What crazy people, and at the same time so captivating. Yeah, I guess I was wrong, it wasn't as bad as I thought.