Good morning, darling. Sorry, I had a movie night with the girls yesterday and then fell asleep on the couch. Yes, we've gotten to know each other well, I've already cleared everything out, you know me (wink wink smiley). How are you? Is your new flat mate cool? And what's the dorm like? XX

I quickly typed a reply and then put the phone in my bag. Today I wanted to go to the swimming pool and buy a few things for school. It was already mid-morning when I set off and took the same route as yesterday. There wasn't as much hustle and bustle today. Although students were still arriving, the official first day in the hall of residence had been yesterday. I went to the forecourt and looked for a bus that would take me to the schools’ swimming pool. As I'd found out yesterday, the dormitory and the university with the school shared the swimming pool, which was near the campus and a bit away from the dorm. I had already known that when I had to choose a school months ago. But I hadn't considered the swimming pool back then. A mistake, as I now realized when I got off the bus after 15min. The hall that was now in front of me was huge, and from the outside I could already see through the large windows that it was divided into several areas inside. On the left were around eight 25-meter lanes, in which some people were already swimming. To the right was a kind of partition wall, which also had windows. Behind the wall, I could see a bit of the fun-and-family-area. Palm trees, slides and whirlpools with already many children screaming in delight. Of course, I could barely hear them and rather imagined it. As I walked towards the entrance, I could already smell the familiar and for me pleasant smell of chlorine. The smell and the slight dampness in the air that surrounded me as I walked in brought back many memories. My father, swimming next to me and urging me on while I tried to swim with my little child arms and paddle with my little child feet. My coach, blowing his loud whistle to signal the start, as I jumped headfirst into the cool water and tensed every muscle. My friends, with whom I often relaxed in the outdoor pool in summer, as we splashed each other wet and dived under, or simply lay in the sun and enjoyed the atmosphere of light-heartedness. What a time back then.

"Can I help you?" asked me a nice-looking middle-aged lady with big brown glasses and tousled light brown curls. I flinched lightly. She smiled and raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I'd like to find out about training opportunities. Do you have any offers for the students?" She nodded and wiggled her fingers in search of the right flyer. "You would have to apply directly at the university to the relevant swimming club. But here is some information about other prices, opening times and rules. If you apply for the swimming club at the university and are accepted, you will also pay for your membership there, get a card and you can use it to come here at any time." “Is it the same club from the school?” I asked. She smiled understandingly. “Yes, I know, many people think of the university and the school interchangeably. But the school is only a part of the whole university, so all clubs officially belong to the university.” I nodded and thanked her. Then I pocketed the flyer. I would have loved to go swimming right now; the smell and the warmth had captivated me again. But I hadn't brought my swimming gear and actually wanted to go buy some things before Dennis and I went to the party later.

"Well, how do you think I look?" Dennis asked me, turning in front of the mirror that hung on the inside of our closet. He was wearing a white shirt and a dark blue sweater over it. His hair was tied back in a neat knot, and he was wearing dark blue jeans with black shoes. "Hmm, looking good", I muttered, glancing at my phone.

You're going to a party? How cool, then have fun and tell me how it was later.

I looked at the message from Sienna and couldn't help but shake off the feeling that she was worried. Normally, Sienna wasn't the type to be worried or even jealous when I went to parties or otherwise had fun. But she usually knew the people I was involved with. To be honest, it was usually just her, Lina, Oscar, or Ian.

I probably won't be there for long anyway. I'm pretty tired.

I thought about writing more, but honestly didn't know what. I wasn't even lying about being tired. But since we'd said yes to the party yesterday, I didn't want to let Dennis down. "Let's go then," I said, got up and went to the bathroom. A short time later, I had tamed my hair strands a little with gel and put on a pair of dark gray jeans and a black shirt. It was the first outfit I could grab from my not-yet-unpacked suitcase. I had no idea if it was suitable for a party and no intention of further thinking about it. We set off and I was a little nervous but didn't quite know what to make of it. "How cool, man. Our first Uni party," Dennis said, grinning with his tongue between his teeth and slapping me on the shoulder. We heard the music and felt the bass even before we opened the doors to building complex B. The beat got under my skin and into my bones and I involuntarily started to nod my head slightly. We walked in and the lighting was sparse. A few students were already standing in the corridor, talking, or making out. We walked past them and saw the large room, the common room, from a distance. Flickering colorful lights, not as fast as strobes, but close enough, were coming towards us. Blue, red, green, and yellow flashed across the walls and the faces of the students. The entire room was completely filled, and everyone was either huddled to the sides clutching their cups or already dancing exuberantly on the dance floor. A babble of voices, laughter and loud music battled it out. No one won and no one lost the fight. It was a loud, confused mixture and I liked it. I grabbed two hopefully clean cups from one of the tables that had been pushed to the sides and now served as a makeshift bar, filled with bottles upon bottles of alcohol, soft drinks, and other undefinable liquids. I grabbed a bottle of something and poured us both a drink.

"Yeah, man. Thanks," Dennis shouted at me and emptied his cup immediately. Okay, apparently it really was party time today. I sipped and grimaced. Tequila. I didn't like tequila. I quickly mixed myself some lemonade to mask the taste. Two friends pushed past us and bumped into us slightly. But it didn't bother me one bit. The energy in here was great, people were immersed in the spectacle of flashes of light and music, dancing wildly or as if in a trance and everyone was having fun. It was exhilarated and just a certain kind of freedom. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who didn't know what to wear. Some wore shirts and dresses; some others wore jeans and hoodies. But none of them really seemed out of place. I didn't really know that at all. At parties at high school, in the nightclub or at house parties, there had always been people who felt uncomfortable, who you could tell didn't enjoy it, that they didn't feel so free. They would then stand on the sidelines, clutching their cups for help and would be the first to leave. But it was a different atmosphere here. We walked along the edge of the improvised dancefloor, pushing past a few groups and individuals with no real destination. "Look," Dennis suddenly called out to me. "There they are," he pointed into the crowd, and it took me a moment to spot Max and Maya. They were also standing not far away from us on the other side of the dance floor, moving slightly to the music. Their movements didn't match the rhythm, but they seemed to be having fun. Dennis pulled me along by the wrist and shortly afterwards he tapped Max on the shoulder. They looked at us and grinned. "Well, how nice that you're here," I could just make out. Max slurred her words slightly, she seemed to have had quite a bit to drink. Maya seemed completely absent-minded and continued to move around with her eyes closed.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

We chatted briefly, then we danced. And by dancing, I really meant dancing. With every new song and every new beat in our chests, we moved differently - our little bubble part of the big party. The beat was moving from the music bar, onto the floor, over my feet and into my bones. It wasn’t really a choice to move to the music, it just happened by itself. It was fun, so much fun. I didn't know how much time had passed as I made my way back to the bar. The lights, the music, the sounds and smells, everything wafted as one big mass, one big experience in my head. I had goose bumps, even though it wasn't cold. On the contrary, sweat was running down my neck, chest, and arms. But it wasn't unpleasant, it was ecstatic. At the bar, I mixed myself the same drink as before and stood to the side for a moment, continuing to watch the people. I had left Dennis behind, he was with Maya and Max, although I couldn't make them out from here. I nodded my head slightly to the rhythm and sipped from my cup. My eyelids drooped a little, but it wasn't the alcohol or the tiredness, I believed. It just felt right in this atmosphere. Like if I wasn’t part of it if I didn't look like I was enjoying it. I didn't really know what to do with myself for a moment, so I decided to get some fresh air. Slightly dazed, I walked back the way I had come from – for how long? - when I finally found the door to the building complex. It was cool outside, but not unpleasant. A light breeze increased my goose bumps and got under my shirt. A few people, some alone, some in pairs or small groups, were standing outside talking to each other, smoking or just enjoying the fresh air, I assumed. I stood against a wall near the door and continued to sip my cup. It felt so good. "Hey there, just arrived today too?" a male voice asked me, and I saw a smiling boy walking towards me, another one walking next to him. He was smiling too but was distractedly typing on his cell phone. I was a little taken aback by the sudden change from alcoholic silence in my head to conversation with strangers. "Uhh, yeah, I mean no. I came yesterday, like most people."

He bumped his cup against mine. "My name's Calum. I'm a school friend of Dennis's. You're in a room with him, aren't you?" I was completely surprised and just nodded. "Yeah, we met yesterday. Um," I said unimaginatively, "how do you know that?" Calum grinned and took a generous swig from his cup. "I was chatting to him yesterday. And also, I saw you both earlier." Sure, that sounded logical. A very brief moment of silence reminded me of the next step in the conversation. "Ah sorry, my name is Elias." I nodded to both him and the other one, who introduced himself briefly as Alan. "Oh, don't take it personally. He's just writing with his new girlfriend, it's probably still honeymoon time," he said with a laugh and poked Alan in the side. He just grumbled, but kept his eyes glued to his cell phone. "What do you think so far?" he then asked me, probably to keep the conversation going. I shrugged my shoulders and looked around. "Well, I haven't seen much so far. I'm curious about the school, but I also wanted to see what they offer in terms of activities and stuff. Went to the swimming pool today..." "Wait! Are you a swimmer?" he interrupted me, raising his eyebrows. "Um, yes," I said hesitantly, as if I was being tested, unsure of the result. But it seemed positive because Calum gave me both thumbs up. "That's mega, Alan and I are swimmers too. I actually run the swim team since last year. So be kind to me," he winked at me conspiratorially, "and maybe I can turn a blind eye to your try-outs." I looked at him challengingly. "Who says I need your eyes closed?" But I laughed to emphasize that I only meant it as a joke and then grinned. "That's great! A bit too much of a coincidence meeting you here now, but I take it haha. I definitely wanted to be put up for the team. But if you're team captain, then you've been here longer?" Calum leaned against the wall next to me, then stroked his dark mid-length hair and sipped from his cup again. "I've been at Uni for two years; I skipped a grade back then so I'm a bit early." He blushed slightly, as if he was uncomfortable admitting it. "But well, anyway, I've been swimming for over ten years, so I joined the team straight away. But I'm warning you, it's not that easy to get in," the mischief in his eyes belied his words. "The tryouts will be soon, but they are only for the selection of the team members. If you want to know more about the swimming club in general and the school, then you should definitely come to our booth."

"Your booth? Do you have something like an office?" "No, our stand. Don't tell me you haven't heard about the university's introductory event?" He looked at me in disbelief as I shook my head. "As I said, I've only been here since yesterday. I haven't had much chance to get organized yet." He waved me off. "It doesn't matter, but you have to come. It's THE event at the start of the university year. It's always two weeks after the start of university and school, so you can get a feeling for the courses and stuff before and then ask questions and join clubs and so on. But the real events", he winked at me, "consists of a mix of parties and small festivals. It’s gonna be real fun. I even went to a silent disco once," he laughed. "But of course, there’ll also be academic events, stands and offers. It's pretty cool." He shook his head with a grin at the memory. "You'll definitely find something for yourself and everyone comes there. You just have to register in advance. Then you'll also get a nice ribbon haha. It's definitely worth it." He nodded significantly and took another big sip. We talked for a while about studying and the swimming team. Calum studied history and economics at the university and the team was like his free time baby. After a while, he closed the conversation by saying that he needed to give Alan a little more alcohol so that he could get off his cell phone. A moment later, I was alone again. I enjoyed the fresh air for a short while without noticing who came and went. Then I made my way back to the dance floor.