Chapter One

College is a distant dream to Gaby, who just graduated high school. She never thought it was possible for her to be accepted, but with the help of her tutor, she gets the chance of a lifetime.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

            Her pencil tapped rhythmically to the beat of the clock as it ticked back the seconds.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

            The last class was always boring. Probably because it was math, and she was awful at math. Downright awful. At least, that’s what she told herself. Her tutor thought otherwise.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

            “Gaby, you are really smart,” her tutor would say, “but you lack motivation. I’m sure that if you actually wanted to, you’d be using math left and right.”

            Gaby’s pencil tapped impatiently. She wasn’t even listening. Her eyes were glazed over and her head was resting on her left fist while the right hand tapped the pencil to the desk.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

            She let out a silent, yet heavy sigh. It sounded frustrated and irritable. The clock ticked on uncaringly.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. BRRRRRRRRRING.

            Gaby shot out of her seat at the sound of the bell. The final bell. The bell that signalized freedom. She stuffed her things into her already cramped backpack, and ran off into the hall, ignoring her teacher’s “no running” shouts behind her.

            The hall filled with teenagers, all eager to go home. The best part was, it was the last day of school. That meant that the Seniors were graduating and leaving the place they went to for four years.

            “Gaby!” a voice called from behind her. Gaby turned back and saw her tutor come out of the faculty lounge, “You did it, kid!”

            “Amazing, right?” Gaby replied in disbelief, “I wouldn’t have done it if not for your help.”

            Her tutor shook her head, “Gaby. You are extremely smart. You just need to tap into that, work hard, and before you know it you will be going to college and beyond.”

            “College?! I barely made it past high school!”

            “Because you wanted to. Not because of me. Because of you.”

            Gaby huffed, “No college is going to want to take me. I’m a C student.”

            Her tutor crossed her arms. “Have you even tried applying anywhere?”

            “…No.”

            “Well then.”

            “Come on, K!” Gaby whined, “You know I am a loser with no path in life! I’m just going to go down a downward spiral! All I’m ever good for is reading manga and watching anime!”

            Her tutor, K, let out an exasperated sigh, “Be a little positive for once, will you?! There are scholarships available. What about that one scholarship for Tokyo University? The one I told you about? They are taking loads of foreign students. You could be one of them.”

            Gaby laughed sarcastically, “Yeah, sure. They’ll take me. I believe you. 100%.”

            “Gaby. Wouldn’t you want to make new friends and explore some place that’s NOT your bedroom? You love anime, video games, manga, and all that Japanese culture. Why not just take a chance for once?”

            Gaby walked a few steps forward, and said, “Because I’m scared of failing.” With that said, she took off out of the school.

            Gaby’s grandmother, Nancy, waited to pick her up after school, as she always did. Her large red truck, too large for a grandmother to drive, was parked neatly and parallel with the smaller cars beside it. Gaby ran over and hopped into the passenger’s seat.

            “What? You don’t want to drive home today?” Nancy asked with a smile.

            Gaby shook her head, “I just want to go home and sleep.”

            Nancy made a face, but she put it in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. The drive was calming, and it was also quiet. Gaby sat turned towards the door, looking out the window in deep thought. Every so often, her grandmother would sneak a glance, but it was met with the same scene. When they got home, Gaby grabbed her backpack and booked it to her haven, otherwise known as her room.

            Her room was cramped. The pretty powdered blue paint that covered the walls was covered up every inch by anime posters such as Sailor Moon, Naruto, Tokyo Ghoul, and Inuyasha. There were some Marvel posters, but not as many as anime ones. She had a large bookshelf covered with games and books. The most being mangas she got whenever she went to a bookstore. Her desk, which was next to her closet, had her sleek new laptop sitting on top. The cover was lightest blue with white lilies.

            Gaby plopped onto her bed face-down. Her bag fell from her hand and slumped to the floor, looking as rumpled as she felt. She rolled over, her legs dangling from the bed and feet firmly on the ground, and stared up at the white ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars all over it.

            “College,” Gaby spoke softly to herself, “Yeah right. I’m just going to be here for the rest of my life.” She closed her eyes.

            When her eyes opened again, it was light outside. The kind of light that meant a sunrise.

            “How long did I sleep?!” Gaby groaned. She sat up and popped her back pleasantly. If it was sunrise, that meant her graduation was today. She was supposed to be meeting at school for the last rehearsal at 8 AM. The clock read 5 AM.

            Gaby got into a more comfortable position in bed before closing her eyes again.

            The school was almost pitch black at night, with the exception of the moon and the occasional lightning strikes that illuminated the inside. Gaby clutched the paper in her hand. She had been in class when a student came in and handed her the paper. It read:

            Gabriella Garnica, please come to the principal’s office.

            At the end of the note was the principal’s signature. Principal Gutierrez was a kind man, so why was this whole situation making Gaby feel uneasy? The office was down the hall and to the right of Gaby’s class. As she turned, lightning struck and a figure flashed in front of Gaby. She screamed and held up her hands, but nothing happened. Her eyes squinted in the darkness, as she tried to distinguish the figure, but no one was there.

            She continued, slower than before, and when she reached the principal’s door, she knocked. The door opened automatically, but the room inside was dark still. Gaby hesitantly walked in and the door slammed shut behind her.

            “EEK!” she let out a shriek. And then the lights all came on, she had to shield her eyes from the sudden change.

            There in the principal’s chair was Principal Gutierrez with his combed back dark hair and handlebar mustache.

            “Ah, Miss Garnica,” he spoke, “Come sit down.”

            Gaby unshielded her eyes and watched him gesture to one of the comfy chairs in his office. She sat in it without taking her eyes off her principal. “What is this visit about?” she asked.

            “Well, you see,” he began, “I wanted to talk to you about your future.”

            Gaby raised a brow, “My… future, sir?”

            Principal Gutierrez nodded, “I wanted to know if you were thinking of any possible colleges who would take you.”

            She nervously scratched the back of her hand, “Um, well, I was thinking maybe…”

            “Thinking?” the principal laughed, “Oh, Miss Garnica. You don’t think. You aren’t much good for it. In fact, you aren’t much good for anything at all.” The lights turned off, plunging the room into darkness again. Gaby felt her breath and heartbeat quicken. She had started to panic.

            Lightning flashed and suddenly Principal Gutierrez was replaced with a silhouette. The same one from the hallway. Gaby screamed again, for the figure revealed itself to her. It was Gaby. Another Gaby.

            “You are a loser,” the other Gaby stated, “You are stupid, and you will fail. No matter what you do. So why don’t you stop trying already?”

            Gaby’s breath hitched in her throat. Her eyes fell to the floor. She kicked her feet hesitantly.

            The other Gaby went on, “You always get like this. You think you can do something with your life, but deep down you know that you can’t. You will fail. And everyone will see and laugh at you. You are nothing. Stop trying to be something.

            “All you ever do is sit around and do nothing. You occasionally read manga or play video games, but that’s all you do. You don’t do anything because you are scared to fail. You don’t want people to laugh at you, but you know what, people will laugh at you because you are nothing but a failure and a coward."

            The real Gaby stood up, “No."

            “Excuse you?” the other Gaby began to stand.

            “I said, no!” Gaby shouted, “I’m not going to sit around and listen to you berate me! I may be a loser. I may be stupid. And I may fail an enumerable amount of times. But if it means sticking it to you, then I will NOT give up when I fail. I will continue and eventually, I will succeed.” She ran out of the office.

            The school had melted away to reveal nothing but blackness. Gaby ran as fast as she could, but her other self had run after her and was gaining.

            “It’s just a dream! It’s just a dream! It’s just a dream!” Gaby chanted to herself breathlessly, “Wake up! Wake up!”

            “Gabriella!” a shout woke her from her slumber.

            Gaby bolted upright in bed. Her skin was soaked in sweat, and her hair stuck to her forehead.

            “Gabriella,” her grandmother, who stood over her, called softly, “You are going to be late. It’s 7:30.”

            “What?” Gaby asked, confused, “Oh! The rehearsal! I’ll get ready now!”

            Nancy nodded before she left the room and closed the door behind her so her granddaughter could get dressed. Gaby dressed quickly in a short cocktail dress and shawl. She had to rush to get there on time, which meant she had no time for a shower. Gaby went to the bathroom and played around with her hair.

            She peered into the mirror with a frown.

            “I may be a loser. I may be stupid. And I may fail an enumerable amount of times. But if it means sticking it to you, then I will NOT give up when I fail. I will continue and eventually, I will succeed.”

            “Man,” Gaby kicked her foot lightly, “I wish I was that confident in real life and not just in a dream.”

            She finished putting her hair up and exited the bathroom. Nancy waited for her downstairs. She descended the stairs and met up with her grandmother. The truck was warmed up and ready to take her to her school. Gaby yawned and got in this driver’s seat; she wanted to drive this time.

            The rehearsal was boring. The kids never did things correctly, which annoyed the teachers. And when they played the music, it cut out every other line in the song. Gaby sat in her assigned seat and played with the tassel on her cap. The hours went by slowly, but when it became time for the actual ceremony, time seemed to speed up. Suddenly she was crossing the stage and getting her diploma. Her family screamed in excitement, and she could see her tutor, K, right alongside them, cheering the loudest.

            “I got so many great pictures of you,” K approached Gaby after the graduation, “But I still want more. Let me takes some.” She pointed her digital camera and snapped a few shots.

            “K,” Gaby asked, “Why don’t you become a photographer?”

            “No thanks.” Replied K, “I mean, I used to have a lot of passion for it, but when I did my Senior Project on it, the experience ruined my passion. I took meaningful photos, and the teachers had the gall to ask if I needed help. Just because they have dark messages, doesn’t mean I need your damn help.”

            “Wow, sorry I suggested it.” Gaby frowned nervously.

            K shook her head, “It’s fine. I just hate high school.”

            “Me too.”

            “Good thing you just graduated. Now onto college.”

            Gaby grimaced, “I don’t know.”

            “You’ll do fine. You’ll get good grades. You’ll make new friends. You’ll be awesome.”

            “And how do you know all that?”

            “Because I said so. And I’m always right, but no one listens to K.”

            Gaby laughed, “I listen!”

            “Only because I make you!”

            The rest of Gaby’s family joined them, and together they all went to Gaby’s favorite Chinese restaurant, “China Express”. There they ate merrily, laughed, and congratulated Gaby on a job well done.

            When it got too late, the party moved to Gaby’s grandparents’ house. The celebration lasted well into the early morning, but by 4 AM, everyone was passed out from drinking. K had left before midnight, so the only people sprawled out on the couches downstairs were strictly family.

            Gaby, however, wasn’t tired. She was still wide awake, even after the party. She opened her laptop and Skype came on. A friend of hers was online, and since she was already up, she dialed her friend’s number.

            “Hello?” her friend picked up.

            “Hey, Celi!” Gaby cheerfully chirped into the camera.

            “Gaby!” her friend shouted back, “Hey, it’s been too long! How are you?”

            “Oh, I’ve been okay. I just graduated today.”

            “Awesome, dude! I was wondering when it would happen.”

            “Shut up!”

            The friends laughed collectively. They talked for a little bit, but since Celi lived in New York, the time difference meant that she had to work.

            “It was great talking with you, Gaby,” Celi said, “I have work to go to, but let’s chat again soon, okay?”

            Gaby nodded, “Okay. Bye.”

            “Bye.”

            Gaby closed her laptop and tapped on it a couple of times. She stretched out her back, a satisfied pop was heard. Her laptop was moved onto the floor beside her, as she got under the blankets. She laid her head gently on her pillow, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

            The was a knocking on her door that woke her up. She hummed in acknowledgement and the perpetrator came inside. It was Nancy.

            “Gaby, you got a letter and a package,” Nancy said. She put the items down on Gaby’s desk before leaving.

            Gaby groaned, “I never get mail.” She rolled over to sleep more, but after a couple of minutes she got up and went over to the items. Curiosity got the better of her.

            She picked up the letter first. Quickly, she tore it open and took out the insides. The letter read:

            Dear Ms. Garnica,

                        It is our greatest pleasure to inform you of your acceptance into the Humanities program at Tokyo University.

            Gaby blinked once. And then twice. And then she pinched herself. It wasn’t a dream. She continued reading:

            We have reviewed your personal and academic achievements, and believe that you will offer a unique perspective to our campus. Over 8,000 applicants applied for the Foreign Student Program, and among the 1,500 selected, you were chosen.

            We have also provided a student starter package that has all the information you will need about the program, dorm living, and schedules. Please be here a week before the start of our first semester in April. We hope to see you there, and thank you for your application.

            Gaby finished reading the letter, and a shriek escaped her throat. Within seconds, Nancy came storming in.

            “What’s wrong?!” her grandmother asked.

            Gaby said nothing. She simply handed the letter to Nancy. Nancy plucked it from her hand and read it over. Her eyes widened.

            “You… you got accepted,” Nancy said, “But it’s in Japan. Gaby, that’s far. You applied there without asking me?”

            “I…” Gaby was still in shock, it was hard to speak, “I guess so?”

            “You guess?” Nancy looked confused, “What about the other package?”

            “That’s the student starter package.” Gaby gestured to it on her desk.

            Nancy set the acceptance letter on the desk, before she picked up the package and opened it. At that moment, Gaby’s cell phone rang, and her Aqua Timez ringtone came on. She hurriedly picked it up.

            “Hello?” she asked.

            “Gaby,” it was K, “You want to go to lunch with me?”

            “Ummm…” Gaby mumbled, then suddenly a thought occurred to her.

            What about that one scholarship for Tokyo University? The one I told you about? They are taking loads of foreign students. You could be one of them.

            “One of them indeed,” Gaby whispered to herself before saying to K, “Yeah. Come pick me up.”

            “Alrighty. Be there in ten.” With that K hung up.

            “Nana,” Gaby spoke to her grandmother, “Is it okay to talk about this later? I want to talk to K about it, too.”

            Nancy put down the package, and nodded, “Okay. But when you two are done, I want both of you to come back so we can all talk about this together. I know she had something to do with this since she is your tutor.”

            “Okay,” Gaby hugged her grandmother, “I’m going to get ready now.”

            Nancy left her granddaughter to change. Gaby changed quickly, grabbed her backpack and stuffed the letter and package into it, and ran down the stairs to wait by the door. She didn’t have to wait long because the doorbell rang soon after and K stood at the door.

            “Ready to go?” K asked.

            “Yup,” Gaby said, walking out of the house, “Where are we going?”

            “I was thinking Denny’s. Does that sound good?”

            “Hell yeah, it does!”

            “You want to drive?” K handed her keys towards Gaby.

            Gaby took them and said, “Sure.”

            The drive to Denny’s from Gaby’s house was short, and the diner itself was quite deserted for a Saturday afternoon. The two got a table in the back, and sat down.

            “So,” K began, “How does it feel to be a graduate?”

            Gaby shrugged, “I’m just glad to not have to go back there.”

            “I hear you,” K laughed, “I was like that when I graduated too.”

            “K,” Gaby asked, “Can I ask you something?”

            “What is it?”

            Gaby opened up her backpack and brought out the letter and package. She set them onto the table and pushed them closer to K. K looked confused, but she picked up the items anyway. She read the letter first, and a smiled spread on the face.

            “You got in!” K exclaimed, “I mean, I knew you would, but it is so satisfying to see it written in a letter!”

            “You did do it!” Gaby shouted, “You were the one to apply for me!”

            K gave a guilty look. “Look, Gaby. I knew you wouldn’t apply on your own, so I did it for you. I researched it. As long as you live in the dorms and keep a GPA of 3.0, everything is free for you.”

            “But how am I supposed to keep a 3.0?” Gaby asked, “I barely kept a 2.0!’

            “You can do it, Gaby. I believe in you.”

            “But all I’ll have is myself over there!”

            “That’s why you make new friends, Gaby.”

            Gaby slumped in her chair, defeated. K gave a sigh.

            “Gaby.” She began, “I know that you are scared to fail, but don’t let fear keep you from doing things. I know how much you wanted to go to Japan. Think of all the great people you’ll meet there, and how much you’ll have in common with them.”

            “I don’t know. I’ve never been outside of the U.S. before.”

            “There’s a first time for everything, right?”

            Gaby kicked nervously under her chair. “You really think I can do this?”

            K smiled, “I don’t think it. I know it.”

            The two friends sat the rest of the time talking about various subjects while they ate. When it was time to go home, K accompanied Gaby back home, where Nancy was waiting for them in the dining room.

            “Did you sign Gaby up for that school in Japan?” Nancy outright asked K.

            “I did.” K replied, “I think that she is ready for new experiences, and to meet new people.”

            “And she couldn’t do that here?” Nancy crossed her arms and looked at K.

            “It’s not that she couldn’t do it here. It’s that being outside of her comfort zone could really help her grow as a person. And I believe that going to a place where she has always wanted to go to would help.”

            Nancy pursed her lips. “But she will be all alone. I can’t go with her.”

            “Precisely. Look, Gaby is an adult, and in order to grow, she needs to be treated like an adult, and not babied. Which is why it would be good for her to go to this college. Everything is paid for, and I’m sure she will call frequently to show you how she’s doing. Right, Gaby?”

            Both K and her grandmother looked to her. Gaby nodded hesitantly, as if still shocked about the whole ordeal.

            “Gaby,” Nancy asked, “Do you want to go to this college?”

            “Huh?” Gaby replied.

            “Do you want to go?”

            K and Nancy gave her expecting looks. Gaby’s eyes wandered around for a few moments, before they made contact with Nancy’s. She cleared her throat and said, “I… I do.”

            Nancy sat back and gave a sigh. “Well… if that’s what you really want, I won’t stop you. But please, call me at least once, no, twice a week. And I want you to send lots of pictures to me. We’ll send you spending money at least once a week. And if you ever want to come home, you just call and we’ll buy the tickets--“

            “Nana,” Gaby spoke, “I think I’ll be okay. I really do want this. I never thought I’d be excepted into any college, but I was. And now I want to do it, to prove that I can do it, you know?”

            “Prove to who?” Nancy asked her.

            “I dunno. Myself, I guess?”

            The table was quiet. The three women sat together in the silence. The clocked ticked on for a few minutes before K stood up.

            “Well I need to go,” she stated, “I have to get up early tomorrow for a family gathering.”

            “Okay. Bye, K.” Both Gaby and Nancy waved the other goodbye as she left.

            After she left, it was just Gaby and Nancy alone. On the table was the letter and package from Tokyo University. Nancy reached across the table and picked up the package. She looked through it, while Gaby sat across from her, still looking dazed from the situation.

            “Gaby, are you sure you want to go?” Nancy asked her granddaughter.

            Gaby nodded and said, “Yeah. I think so. I’ve always wanted to go to Japan, and I never thought I’d get into college, yet here I am getting to do both. And the expenses are all paid for. How could I say no?”

            “You could say no if you wanted to,” Nancy said, “You can stay here with me, you know.”

            “I’ll be fine, Nana.”

            Nancy gave her a small smile as she continued to read through the contents of the student package Gaby received. She picked up a piece of paper.

            “Looks like it’ll be a while until you have to go. Wow. You have to wait until next April to even go. Well, I guess it gives you time to change your mind if you want to, right?”

            “Nana,” Gaby started, “I want to go. I promise I won’t change my mind. Should we get the ticket now, so I can’t change my mind?”

            “If you REALLY want to go, I can’t tell you that you can’t. I’ll get you that ticket, alright?”

            “How long do you think it would take to get there?” Gaby asked.

            “It’ll be a long time,” Nancy replied, “But we’ll try to find you a direct flight so you won’t have to change flights.”

            “Thanks, Nana. I’ll go get packed now.”

            “Mija, the semester doesn’t start until next year.”

            “But I’m too excited. It’ll calm my nerves.”

            “Fine. Alright. I’ll start looking at flights. How do I contact them to buy the ticket? They did say they’ll pay for everything, right?”

            “It’s probably included somewhere in the packet or letter.” Gaby responded. With that said, she went back up to her room to pack. She dragged her Marvel comic print suitcase out of her closet and opened it up. Inside was a smaller carry-on bag with the same print. She took out the carry-on bag and proceeded to put the things in her bag that could entertain her during her flight.

            She put in a notebook, pencil, a few books, her iPod, her 3DS, her wallet, and her digital camera. And in her luggage, she put her clothes, her laptop with the charger, and a few other things too big to fit anywhere else. It took a few hours to pack and maneuver everything around to fit inside the luggage. Gaby propped the filled luggage and carry-on against her closet. The feeling she got from looking at them strengthened the idea that she was going. She was going to another country. She was going to college. She was going to meet all sorts of new people, and discover new things.

            And the best part, or the more interesting part, was the fact that she didn’t even know at the time that her life would become so intertwined with others, she wouldn’t be able to separate herself, even if she tried. She continued to gaze at the packed bags, and she smiled to herself.

Author's Note

This chapter was over 4,000 words, which is roughly 6 times the length of the first version of chapter one. I am immensely proud of how long this turned out, and it was also a present for my friend, Ali. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALI. Sorry this was late. :'(

As a chapter, I changed it to include the time before she got accepted to give more of a background to Gaby. I am also hoping to give more character development to each and every character. I am super excited to be adding more details to each chapter.

Also, please tell me if I made any spelling/grammar mistakes. I proofread several times, but I miss things all the time.

I hope you guys have as much fun reading this chapter as I did writing it. And I really look forward to writing more. Bye~! :D

Reviews

[Ali]

damn I love how thorough this remake turned out to be, glad to know that you still got the heart of a writer.
thank you for the present!!!!

[NoNameChris]

Hey, I think this story is really good so far. It's like an anime in my head haha. I think the pacing was pretty quick, but thats okay. I'd just love to read more ( coming from a writer who paces very very slow haha.. ) Good job though : )

[Ashimoto]

Poor Gaby. At least she was saved by a cute boy. ;)

[Ace D Portgas]

Lol I loved this chapter...I wasn't expecting her to not be able to get a room though...Poor Gaby : (...And looks like Loverboy Kyo came to the rescue...I can see them falling for eachother...Kasi made me laugh, the way he talked made it seem like Kyo was a good boy

[Emunah June.]

Wow. Yuka's a meanie D:<

I love how Gaby's mom is all overprotective XD

[Calypso]

I couldn't imagine going to college in Japan. Haha

[Ali]

lol goood chap.

[Gaby]

WOO~! Love it! XDDD Lmao, what Kasi said at the end was freakin' priceless. :DDD