Free Chosen by Sarah Swan Page B

know! Right?  But at the same time, it’s all I’ve ever known.”
    “So you must be pretty excited about graduation, huh?”
    He laughed again.  “Like you wouldn’t believe!  I’ve been counting down the days since I was ten.  The problem with that mindset, I’ve found, is that while everyone else is excited to be here and focused on the current moment, I’m always looking forward to the next step in my life.”
    “I know how that can feel,” I said.  Ever since I got my admission letter, the only thing I could think about was coming to Oliver Academy, so much so that nothing that was going on at home really interested me anymore.  Even the going away party that my friends hosted for me right before I left felt a little contrived, since I was so excited to be starting a new stage of my life. 
    “So I guess that’s why I haven’t really felt the need to make a lot of friends here.  Going to Oliver always felt like something so transitory to me, like the last checkmark I needed to fill in before starting the rest of my life.”
    “Well, we can work on that,” I smiled at him.  “You do have two years left.”
    “Don’t remind me,” he said laconically, but I could hear a little bit of excitement in his voice.  Chris was a good guy, and I wouldn’t mind helping him find a bit more fun here.  Assuming, of course, I could make the right friends. 
    “The first thing we need to do, then,” I said, settling down into the warm sand, “is change your whole attitude about this place.”

Chapter Six – An Unexpected Welcome
     
    When I woke up the next morning, I could already feel the excitement in the air.  From outside my window, I heard the bustle of activity.  I looked down to find the entire courtyard absolutely swarming with students.  There were girls and guys my age everywhere, and they all had wide smiles on their faces.  Some were standing in groups talking, while others ran up to embrace friends in exaggerated greetings after a long summer away.  Here and there, kids were carrying large moving boxes or assorted pieces of luggage.  Others were offering help or just saying hi.  Everybody looked happy doing whatever they were doing.
    The enthusiasm for the start of a new year was palpable.  There was an undeniable energy, mixed with a tinge of uncertainty that always ushered in the first days of school.  For me, however, this was the first time I found myself looking in from the outside.  Every single year before, the first day of school meant seeing friends who had been on extended vacations during the summer, gossiping about who had changed over the months away, finding new boys to obsess over, and getting excited about new classes and teachers.  This time it was different, but in many ways the same.  I didn’t know anyone yet, except Chris.  Yet, I was still very excited.  I was positive it was the uncertainty of it all that made the first few weeks so deliciously exciting, foreboding, and thrilling all at once.
    I wanted to be out of my room as soon as possible.  I promised Chris I would meet him for breakfast today.  But, what I really wanted to do was get a first look at my new classmates.  What would they be like?  Were they all from around here, or had some, like me, come from far away?  What were they like compared to the kids I knew back home?  It was those commonalities, and potential differences, that made me so excited to meet them.  I hoped, somewhat vainly, down there might be the first guy I could make a real romantic connection with.
    I showered as quickly as I could, but by the time I came out, I saw from my window that the commotion outside had died down considerably.  There were still kids out, but they were mostly walking in groups either to or from the dorms.  I thought I could hear people talking in the hall outside my room.
    I was still excited to get outside.  Hurriedly, I got dressed and swung open my door – and nearly ran into a tall