It was hard being the new kid at school, but Sojung had gotten used to it.  She boarded a new bus in a new town ready to suffer through her first day of school.  She hoped that since it was the first day of school and she'd be going into highschool, that there would be more people who were new.  With a sigh she looked out the window.  This town was much more busy than her last town, in fact it might have been the busiest of all the towns.  

 

~<>~

 

As I was walking into my new school, I looked around.  Walking through the corridors I could already hear the whispers.  I found the room that supposedly was my first period class and sat down at an empty desk in the corner.  I wasn't one of those people who really liked sitting in the far corner, playing protagonist, but it had become a reflex to me.  Find a seat as far away as possible that doesn't get in anybody's way.  

 

The bell rung, and kids started pouring in.  They all sat wherever.  At first the room was quiet, but as seconds passed and the teacher didn't show, everyone started talking to their friends and the room slowly descended to chaos.  I sighed and took out my schedule.  I stared at it until the teacher walked in.  Even without looking up, I knew that the teacher had arrived.  The room quieted down in almost an instant.  I slid my schedule back into her bag and looked up.  

 

The teacher was a small lady with short white-grey hair and blue eyes filled with energy.  The teacher smiled at her class.  

 

"Hello."  She said simply.  Some people responded "hello" weather jokingly or out of respect. I smiled as if saying hello with out actually saying anything.  

 

"This is first period biology I take it."  She said. Some kids said "yes" others just nodded.  "Well seems like a nice class."  She said looking around the room.  I took this opportunity to briefly have a look at her new classmates.  "I would guess that four of you will prove to be troublemakers.  You may not know who you are yet, but, it'll happen."  She looked around the class again, this time I just watched the teacher silently.  "I wish I was teaching you guys."  She said suddenly.  

 

"What?" A girl in the front said, surprised.

 

"Yeah why are you here if you're not our teacher?"  A boy in the back of the room asked.

 

"Ah well I'm actually here watching you for my aunt.  She got stuck in traffic."  The not teacher said.

 

"Your aunt!?"  A boy two seats left from me said.  I could tell what he was thinking.  If she was old enough to have grey hair how old was her aunt?

 

"Yep.  She's been here for twelve years. Why do you sound so surprised? Is it the hair?  Wow.  I died it just last week."  Just then another woman walked in.  

 

"Thanks."  She said to the not teacher at the front of the room.  "You can go to class now."

 

"Awww."  The not teacher pouted, "I was having so much fun."  

 

"No go to class.  You'll be late.  You don't want a detention on the first day."

 

"It's okay.  I told my teacher I'd be here until you got here."

 

"Well I'm here now.  Go.  You might miss something important."  

 

"Ah! Fine."  The not teacher said, "bye guys! I'll see you around!"  Everyone watched her go with confusion.  

 

"Sorry about that."  Our actual teacher said.  She smiled warmly.  "My niece can be a bit, ah, difficult sometimes.  She's a nice girl though."  

 

A million questions bubbled up. "Is she a student?", "why was she here?", "how old is she?", "what's her name?", "what's her number?".  The teacher put a quick stop to this.

 

"Alright, alright.  Calm down.  She is a  freshman like you.  She was here because I asked her to.  She is 14.  Her name is Liset but she said that if that's too hard to pronounce you can call her Lee.  I won't tell you her number.  She's from America, but she has visited every year with her parents.  I would always take her to work with me, so she knows her way around and all the teacher love her.  So when her teachers suggested a year abroad she came here.  She has an apartment alone, no I will not tell you where it is."  The teacher took a deep breath. "If that's all about her, I can finally start class.  Good." She said smiling after seeing that everyone was satisfied.

 

"You can call me Ms. Kay.  I hope we get along.  Now time for dull first day stuff."  She continued on talking about the school and her subject and what we'd need and such.  I was almost thankful when the bell rung, but that would be rude.  It's only the first day after all.  I picked up my bag and searched for my next class.  I had health next.  

 

Health turned out to be as dull as I thought it would.  After quickly going over things the teacher started a lesson.  This time I was not sorry to say I was glad when the bell rung.  Next I had English, up on the third floor.  

 

When I walked into the room I saw Liset sitting in the far corner.  I sighed seeing that my usual seat was taken, but to my surprise she beaconed me over.  I waked over and sat down next to her.  

 

"Hi." She said with a smile.

 

"Hi." I responded with a shy smile.  "If I may ask, why did you call me over?"

 

"You were sitting alone in bio."  She said.

 

"Oh.  Well I always do.  I'm used to it.  I said.  She pouted.  "I move every couple years because of my dads job.  I'm used to being the new girl."  I said.

 

"Oh.  Wow.  I've lived in the same house for all 14 years of my life.  This is my first time going to a school not in my school district." She said.

 

"Your what?" I asked.

 

She paused for a second, "my school district."  She said, more uncertain this time.

 

"What's a school district?" I asked.

 

"It's like all of the schools in one town.  I guess they don't have them here."  She said. 

 

"Cool."  I said. 

 

"Meh." She responded with a smile.

 

"Well I guess we're both the new girl then." I said, for lack of something else.  

 

"Yep." She smiled, "I'm glad.  This'll make it better for both of us."

 

"Yeah." I nodded.

 

"I don't think we'll be close though."  She said.  I was taken aback.  She explained, "our personalities are different.  You're quiet, understandably, and I'm outgoing."

 

"The why are you talking to me?" I asked her.

 

"Well.  I'm not especially comfortable speaking Korean yet."  She said quietly, like it was something bad.

 

"Really?  You were fine talking to the class earlier." I said.

 

"That was mostly stuff aunt told me to say.  I came up with some of it on my own, but not most of it."  She said.

 

"Well we're talking fine right now, right?" I asked.

 

"Yeah.  Now we are.  But earlier with the school district thing.  I was doubting myself.  I thought I was saying something wrong."  She sighed.

 

"It's ok."  I said with an encouraging smile. "You were fine it was a mistake on my part."  Then the bell renal starting 3rd period. In my opinion they give you too much time to get where you need to go.  The teacher stood up and started teaching. The teacher was surprised when Liset answered a question she had asked in full English.

 

"I'm from America." Liset said. 

 

"Really." The teacher said surprised, "in my roster you're down as Lee."

 

"That's my Korean nickname that aunt gave me." She explained.

 

"Oh. I remember you now. Ms. Kay's niece?"  She asked.  Liset nodded.  

 

"Wow.  Well, next what we're going to do is introduce ourselves in English.  Well go down the rows.  We should all say our name.  And- hmm- something we do as a hobby.  I'll start.  I'm Ms. Smith, and I like to listen to music in my free time."  After her everyone introduced themselves going up and down the rows.  Then it was Liset's turn. 

 

"Hi.  I'm Liset my Korean name is Lee, you can call me either of them.  I came form America for the year.  I like hanging out with my friends in my free time."  Then it was my turn. 

 

"I'm Sojung.  I like reading."  I said quietly.  I could say more, but going after Liset felt like no matter what I said it wouldn't be enough.  I was the last person to go.

 

"Alright.  Now since English is a long complicated class, I'm going to start right away.  Sorry I just do it so that on days where normally teachers will be pushing to teach in a short amount of time, I just give you a short worksheet and free time."  The class brightened up at this.  The rest of class was dull.  Then I had lunch.  Sadly Liset had another class.  I walked down to the lunch room, then I remembered that we could eat outside, and made a beeline for the door.  I found a nice place.  There was a path, and two benches on either side of it.  I sat down on one of the benches and began eating.  After a moment a group of five girls approached me.  They were all talking excitedly and I could tell that they were here for the bench.  To my surprise when they reached me, they all turned to me.

 

"Hi!" One said.  She had short dark brown hair that looked really pretty.  "I'm Eunbi."

 

Then another girl started talking, she had slightly lighter brown hair, and looked somehow more mature than Eunbi. "I'm Yerin."

 

Then another girl spoke she had longer brown hair, and she was the tallest of the group.  "Hello. I'm Yuna"

 

Then another girl spoke, she had medium length curly brown hair. "Hey!  I'm also Eunbi." 

 

"You're Eunbi 2."  Yuna said.  

 

Eunbi 2 protested, but Eunbi 1 cut in, "it's ok. I've come up with a nickname for myself. Call me Eunha."  

 

The last girl to introduce herself looked like she was the youngest.  She also had about shoulder length brown hair. "I'm Yewon."  She said quietly.

 

"Nice to meet you all, I guess." I said awkwardly, "I'm Sojung.  Why are you all talking to me?" 

 

"It's a nice spot, and you looked lonely, so we decided let's kill two birds with one stone, we can become friends with you and sit here."  Eunbi said.

 

"Oh" I said awkwardly.  I wasn't expecting to make any friends.  

 

"Also, Yuna wanted to tell you that the book you're reading is great, but sh-" Yerin began.

 

"It is great isn't it!"  I cut her off, "his is like my 12th time reading it.  Actually maybe it's my 13th time, either way.  It's soo good isn't it."  

 

"Yeah.  Who's your favorite character?"  Yuna asked.

 

"I can't choose."  I said.

 

"I understand.  Have you read the sequel?  It's so good.  I can't believe how good this author is." Yuna responded.

 

"OH MY GOD YES! The sequal is so so so so so so good.  And the author.  He has a real way with words, and it's  amazing how he publishes a book every year."  I said.

 

Yuna sat down next to me and took out her lunch so we could eat while discussing the book.  Her other friends settled on the bench opposite us.  After we talked about the book, and every other book this author has written, we talked about many other things.  Starting with how our day has been so far.  Turns out Yuna has health first than bio with the same teachers I have.  The others joined the conversation, Yerin and Eunha have bio and health with me, Yewon has English with me, and after that, we discovered that Eunbi and i have Social studies and language arts together right after lunch.  Then I have geometry with Yuna then French with Eunha.  After that, they told me about how they all met and about themselves, and I told them about how I was always moving and about myself.  

 

It was the most fun lunch I've ever had.  Social studies and language arts flashed by since all we did was play ice breaker games.  French was fun as well.  Then finally I got on the bus and went home.  I quickly did what little homework I had, and collapsed on my bed.  It had been an incredibly fun and exciting day, probably my best first day yet.  It might even steal first favorite from the first day four years ago when I watched an annoying popular girl slowly crash and burn all in her own accord.  That was a good day.  But nevertheless, today had been exhausting.  Right after dinner, I fell sound asleep.