Fuck my life.

Fuck it. Fuck everything. Fuck going to school. Fuck my shitty brother for sending me here. Fuck the next 1095 days of my life. Fuck all the other students who would no doubt exile and outcast me. Fuck them all! I hope that the moment I step foot outside of this airport, the earth is going to be swallowed by a black hole or get hit by a meteor or something. The end of the world sounds a lot better than what I'm about to went through.

Sorry, I was in the middle of one of my rants, as usual. Let me start over. My name is Dante Dalmatian and I know what you're all thinking, "Why is your family named after a dog breed?" well, the answer is: I don't know, either. Anyway, I hate my life. Why? In case you can't tell by that one huge paragraph, I'll explain everything from the beginning.

My older brother, Dylan, decided that I need to socialize and get out of the house more, and since I'm starting college, he (without my consent) submitted one of my poems to an art school in Amsterdam. I was already fuming at his actions, but what's even worse was that I was actually accepted. Can you believe that? How dare he sent something I wrote without my permissions.

And, when he said that he wants me out, I didn't think he meant out of the country! And why The Netherlands of all places?! With my luck, the entire country would be underwater by the time I get there (oh, please let that be the case!).

I hate going places. It's always so weird and terrifying being in a random city, not knowing where to go or what to do, or what to expect and to watch out for. What if someone just walks up to you and stole all your things and you're just standing there like an idiot, not knowing what to do, huh? Then what are you gonna do? I'd much more prefer staying in my room, just reading my H.P Lovecraft books or working on my poems in the safety of the darkness.

Ugh! Plus, I hate meeting new people! They always judge you without even getting to know you! And they're so fake! Putting on a smile, like everything's fine, but I see through them. I see through their lies! Plus, they're also so rude to others who they don't think meets the qualifications for being 'normal'.

So, I guess you can say that I'm an introvert. A goth, to be precise.

Anyway, I just got off the plane and went through immigration (the lady in the counter was so rude and she made the whole process painfully slow) and I'm now waiting at the baggage claim and, as I predicted, my bag isn't here. Ugh, great! I haven't even been here for 5 hours and I already lost all of my things. What a fucking great way to start a new life in a foreign country. Note the sarcasm.

"For fuck sake, could this day get any-" "Hey, there! Need any help, stranger?" "Holy sh-!" I jump in surprise as a voice suddenly called to me from behind. I turn around to look at who the voice belongs to and come face-to-face with a short, orange-haired male.

"Um, excuse me?" I ask him, still slightly startled at his sudden appearance. Are all Dutch people like this? Just popping up out of nowhere like a jump scare at an Annabelle movie? Eh, I guess I can't be too angry, though. I am the same myself.

"Hehe, sorry for scaring you there, but you look a bit lost. Do you need any help?" I couldn't help, but to stare at him with a confused expression. Why is he so nice to me? I'm a stranger to him.

"Have we met before? Do I know you?"

"No, but if we have, then I'm pretty sure I would've remembered. So, do you need any help?" he offer once again. I pause for a moment, deciding whether or not I should accept his help. For all I know, he could be a crook or a thief who wants to rob me, but after inspecting him, I'm starting to doubt that theory, since he looks too.... sweet? Innocent? Plus, I don't have any other options here and I do not want to waste anymore time in this place.

"Alright, yeah. I need help finding my luggage." I say. The guy's face lit up as he suddenly grab my hand and starts running, dragging me along in the process to who-knows-where. Am I being kidnap?

We ran for nearly half an hour, navigating through the endless sea of civilians and airport staffs and through aisles of shops and restaurants and agencies. I'm always surprised by how large airports are, since my family and I don't get to travel a lot. We always just took busses or RVs and go to either the beach or the forest for vacations. I mean, those are literally the cheapest options for a family of 101.

Oh yeah, that's another thing I forgot to mention. My family is quite big. Alright, alright, "big" is an understatement. I know what you're all thinking, and no, my mom didn't went around and "hang out" with other guys. She's not a bimbo, okay? She's a doctor! It's just, after having me, my parents decided to adopt, and along the way, my dad knocked up my mom a few more times and gave birth to my little brothers and sisters. Okay, maybe I can put it more gently than that, but eh.

After what felt like hours of nonstop running, the guy finally have mercy on my legs as we stop in front of the Baggage Claim office of the airport. I immediately fall to the ground in exhaustion. I have never, EVER, run that fast in my whole life!

"Oops! Hehe, sorry, there! Here, let me help you up!" I grab hold of his outstretched hand as he pulls me to my feet with surprising ease. 'Woah. Am I really that skinny or is he just that stron-'

My train of thought stops in an instant as my whole figure collide against his due to the force of his pull, but despite that, he easily supports both of our weights, preventing us from landing on the floor. Yup, he's stronger alright.

In a split second, I catch a glimpse of his... GREEN EYES? Wait a minut- green? GREEN? Isn't it really rare for humans to have green eyes? Like, less than 2% of the entire world population. And for some reason, they appear to shimmer in a certain alluring way that I can't quite describe.

For a moment, I thought I saw a blush appearing on his cheeks, but before I can confirm it, he puts me down and turn his head to the direction of the Baggage Claim office. "Hehehe, sorry! I guess I didn't realised my own strength there!" he laugh it off and make a turn towards the office space.

I decide that I wouldn't press on it further and just follow him. Walking towards the front desk in the room, the guy was already talking to one of the staff. Hmmm, they seem to be close, since it looks like they're chatting and giggling.

"Oh, there you are. Hé, Stephanie, deze man is zijn bagage kwijt. Kunt u hem helpen het te vinden?" asked the guy to the lady, whose name, according to her name tag, is Stephanie. I should really work on my Dutch, cause I didn't understand shit. It's crazy that I'm going to school here and I only know how to say 'hi', 'thanks', 'excuse me', and 'sorry'. Damn it, Dante! Why do you have to be such an idiot?

"Zeker. Excuse me, sir. Can I please see your boarding pass?" "Oh, alright. Here." I hand her the paper from my jacket pocket. The blond woman scan the piece of paper for a moment, then asks me to describe about my bag, to which I reply by saying that it's a big, black hardside luggage with white and purple dots. Stephanie then picks up the landline and dial a number. In a few seconds, the person on the other line pick up and Stephanie, presumably, starts describing my luggage the way I have.

"Alright, sir. Our team is looking for your baggage as we speak. We wish for your patience." I only nod my head as she flash me a polite smile. "Hey, that's great news! Bedankt, Stephanie! Je bent de beste!"

I only nod my head once more, indicating that I agree to whatever he just said to her. I should really download Buolingo cause I'm looking like a clueless bitch. Walking to the seating area that they have prepared for guests, I took a seat at a chair far away from the receptionist desk.

Only a few moments have past, but I'm already bored to death. Is this how people felt back at the stone age? Maybe the leading cause of deaths back then weren't wild animals or natural disasters like what all those history teachers taught us, but it's actually boredom. Could that be it? Damnit, I'm so bored that I'm starting to sound like one of those crazy conspiracy theorists on Placebook!

My eyes starts to explore the office, observing the room. Blue walls borders the large, but semi-crowded room. Rows of seats are arranged in a way that resembles the rows of pew that you would normally find in churches. There aren't many people sitting on them, which just show you of how little the chances of someone loosing their bags are here. But of course, the universe just has to pull the strings and made me one of the few unlucky souls whose bag has been lost. Damnit, what should I do if they can't find my bag? I can't just go back home and say, "Mom, Dad, I'm home and I just lost all my stuff that's worth 2000 pounds that you have worked so hard to give me the moment I stepped out of the plane. How's your day going?"

'Calm down, Dante. Remember what your little brother always say. Breathe. Relax. Control your stress level. You don't want to end up in the hospital like Dyl-'

All of a sudden, my phone vibrates in my pocket, snapping me out of my thoughts. I fish around for a moment before managing to grab the device. "Oh, Dylan's calling. I'm surprised he didn't call me the second I stepped out of the plane." I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what will surely be a tornado of questions, courtesy of Dylan Dalmatian, the eldest of the Dalmatian kids himself. I swipe the green call button and put the phone next to my ear (not before turning the volume down, of course).

DA: Hey, Dylan?

DY: Dante! Are you okay? Did your flight went alright? Are all your stuff with you? Did you loose your passport? Did someone stole your bag? Are you in prison?!

What the- prison? Does he really think I could end up in prison? What the hell does he take me for? Unbelievable.......

DA: Ugh..... no, Dylan, I'm not in jail, don't worry. I'm still at the airport. The airline just lost my bag.

DY: What?! I knew it! I knew something like this would happen! Damnit! I know I should've got that cover- UAGH!

DA: Hello? Hello?

DO: Hey, Dante!

DA: Oh, hi, Dolly.

DO: How is Amsterdam so far?

DA: So far? It's as good as Peter Griffin is at taking care of his kids. The man next to me on the plane wouldn't stop getting up to use the bathroom, the lady at immigration dragged the whole process PAINFULLY long, and I just spent 2 hours standing near the baggage claim site, only to find out that the airline lost my bag.

DO: Damn, it's that bad?

DA: You have no idea. Well, at least a guy I don't know offered to help me and he hasn't try to rob me. So, that's a plus, I guess?

DO: Ooh~ a 'guy' you say? Is he cute?

DA: Ha ha, very funny. You know that I'm straight, right?

DO: Really? Come on, Dante. Your last two relationships ended in complete disaster. They were Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphreys relationship bad.

DA: Okay, that's just mean.

DO: Sorry. All I'm saying is that maybe you should think about it. You know, rediscover yourself, like what Deepak always says.

DA: Well.... I'll think about it.

DO: Alright. Well, we are just about to get ready for dinner. You take care, kay? Talk to you later, Dante!

DA: Alright. Tell the others I said 'hi'.

DO: I will.

I hang up the call and place my phone back into my pocket just as my stomach rumble, making me aware of the incredible feeling of hunger due to not eating anything for 7 hours. You heard me right. 7 hours. We had a layover in Oslo that luckily didn't went badly. I guess with all this stressing about my missing bag, I forgot to eat something.

Standing up from my seat, I approach the green-eyed male (who was still talking with Stephanie) and tell him that I will be at the food court. He nods his head and tells me that he will hold on to my bag when it comes. I only nod as I begin to walk out of the office and towards the airport food court. I know it's strange to leave a stranger that I just met at the airport in charge of my bag, but for some reason, I trust him. 'I don't know how to explain it, but it's like-' My train of thought instantly derails as the sensation of emptiness in my stomach tells me to hurry and put some food in my body before I collapse.

Some times have passed after I had my dinner (I saw that bitchy lady from immigration. I flipped her off while she was stuffing her face with her burger.) and I'm now heading towards the office where I left that gu- hold on. I never ask his name. Shit, I've been too busy searching for my bag that I haven't even ask the name of the dude who's helping me. Seriously, Dante? You don't even know about common decency? Why are you so bad at being social around peop-

"Hey!"

A shock gasp escapes my lips by the sudden voice breaking me from my thoughts. "W-Wha-" "Calm down, buddy. It's me. They found your bag." Turning my gaze slightly downwards, I see the orange-haired guy that I've been thinking about with my bag in hand.

"Oh, it's you, um.... sorry, I haven't got your name." "Hey, no worries. The name's Mike. Mike Orange. Just like my hair, I know." a small laugh escapes from his lips. Mike, huh? That's a nice name.

"Well, Mike, I'm Dante. Thank you so much for helping me find my bag. I don't know what I would've done if you didn't help me. Wait, I actually know. I probably would've lock myself in the bathroom and scream like a lunatic while hyperventilating. Probably not the best way for someone to start a new life in a new country."

"Hahahaha! No problem, Dante. I like helping people. Besides, you look like a cool guy."

An announcement erupts from the speaker, informing it's already 20:00 and British Airlines flight to Abidjan is ready to board. It's already 8 P.M? I better get going.

"Hey, Mike, thanks for everything, but I need to go." "Oh, no prob. Where are you goin'?" Opening my phone, I check the email that I received from the owner of the apartment I'm going to stay in. I showed him the address written on it. "Ohh! You're living in Monnikenstraat? I live in- uh, Immerloo. Hehe, yeah, Immerloo. Anyway, if you wanna get to your apartment, just buy a monthly train pass and get on the 20:17 train. It'll take you to the train station close to your building." "Alright. Thank you so much for everything. I hope to see you again someday. Bye, Mike!" "Bye, Dante!"

We part ways as I run to the train station of the airport. I buy the pass and soon board the train heading to my destination. The moment I sit down on the chair, I breath out a sigh of relief. Finally, I can sit down after a LONG, and STRESSFUL day. As the transportation vehicle starts its journey, my mind starts to think back to Mike. That guy sure is... something. I honestly never expect to meet someone so nice. It's quite pleasant to be greeted by someone like that.

'Heh, maybe my time here wouldn't be so bad, after all.'