1. Introduction

1. Introduction

“I would like to introduce you to a new student. She has moved from another county, and I would appreciate it if you would treat them with the same respect as you treat each other. Can you please stand up, Miss Klien?”

A surprisingly tall 6th grader stood up from her desk quietly, her chair scraping up on the floor.

“Would you like to say something?” the teacher asked; the clock slowly ticking quietly behind her amongst the quiet in the room. The seconds passed slowly and the students gave their silent, dull, piercing looks. She cleared her throat.

“We moved here about a week ago to this town, and it’s nice here. I’m glad to be a part of this school, and I’m eager to learn I can from here.” She said in an even (and hopefully not scared) voice, then sat down. The teacher blinked.

“Thank you Miss Klien. I’m sure we can bring you up to speed with what we’re learning soon enough. Now, everyone, please turn to page…”

The teacher’s voice droned off, and Emily’s attention turned elsewhere as she started to sketch a small butterfly in the margins of her math textbook. The truth was, she was used to a bigger town, and she had disliked it the very moment her family had driven into town. She just hoped that there was something good to do to keep her occupied.

A small scrap of paper rolled under her desk, and she picked it up and read it.
“You draw good.”
She blushed, and put the note back in her pocket. She felt glad that someone had noticed her doodles, and she actually paid attention to the rest of the lesson.