When the metro arrived at the station, we climbed the stairs and stepped onto the sidewalk right by the school. The train was delayed by two or three minutes due to a glitch this time, but Mert and Seren were already waiting for us at the edge of the pavement. Seeing them filled me with peace. I immediately ran towards them, hugged Seren, and smiled at Mert—as if I hadn't just called him 'Arda's Princess' half an hour ago. He took it well, though. 'We’re going to be late, let’s walk,' I said. We reached the school in four or five minutes and headed up to the classroom. Seren sat next to me, while Mert and Arda sat in the row right in front of us. School had been open for about six or seven months; we were 9th graders, but between the prep year and our daily commute routine, I had long since adjusted. The fact that our school, Izmir Kız Lisesi, is such a beautiful place definitely helped, but mostly it was thanks to these three people by my side. I sit by the window, and luckily, our classroom faces the sea. Even though a building partially blocks the view, I’m grateful—at least I can see the sea in general. I sat at my desk and looked at the class schedule posted on the bulletin board, as I hadn't fully memorized it yet. Good, the lesson is Physics. I grabbed my physics book and sat back down. Five or six minutes later, our physics teacher, Ms. Nilgün, arrived and we started the lesson.
I generally study by taking notes; I find it much more effective. A few more classes passed, mostly science and math. Despite how sleepy I felt while taking notes, I was following the lessons easily. The bell rang. It was lunch break. Seren, Arda, Mert, and I always ate together. We did it during prep year, and back in middle school too. We went down to the garden, pushed two side-by-side benches together, and sat down. 'Is the next class P.E.?' Seren asked. I partially remembered the schedule and thought it was P.E., though I wasn't entirely sure. But of course, Mert’s answer—'Yeah, we have P.E. after the break'—confirmed it. 'Will we play a match?' I asked, just to keep the conversation going. Both Mert and Arda nodded 'yes.' Mert, Arda, and I are on the school football team. Seren, on the other hand, started a cheerleading squad at the beginning of the year and is now the captain. Don’t even ask how I got onto the football team. The team was missing a goalkeeper, and I’ve been playing in goal since middle school because people said I was good at it, and I actually enjoyed being a goalie. Since no one else wanted the spot, and there wasn't enough demand to form a girls' team, I applied for the boys' team. No matter how much they warned me about how hard the boys could kick, I didn't listen and became the team's goalkeeper. Sometimes we have practice after school and all four of us stay. Seren schedules her squad's practice at the same time as ours, so we still manage to leave school together.
The March cold in Izmir is worse than the winter frost, you know. When you encounter that March chill at this hour of the morning, you wake up instantly without even needing to wash your face. There was exactly that kind of morning coolness in the air. As our conversation flowed, I realized I was shivering. 'Well, it's my own fault. I should have taken my jacket before leaving,' I thought. To warm up, I snuggled against Seren’s shoulder and continued listening to the chat. They were talking about last month’s national match. Arda and Mert were speaking heatedly, as if it were impossible for Norway to ever win. 'It’s the year 2000! And we’re still losing to Norway!' Mert said. Arda was calmer, but the expression on his face showed he secretly agreed with Mert. 'Calm down. The newspapers said the team was good; there’s no need to talk like this over one match,' Seren said. Whenever Mert had an outburst about football, Seren was always the one to quiet him down. If Arda or I said the same thing, Mert wouldn't stop talking, but when Seren said it, he’d go quiet and change the subject. I shot a quick look at Arda and smirked, as if to say, 'Watch, see how he shuts up now.' He smirked back at me and looked at Mert. It happened exactly as we predicted. Mert looked at Seren for a moment, then saw us smirking, pouted, and looked at the ground. At that moment, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Seren seemed like she didn't understand what I was laughing at. 'Never mind, never mind,' I said through my laughter. This environment is exactly why I love this group; one minute you’re having a heated football debate, and the next you’re in a fit of laughter. That comfort gives me peace.