Olive Erickson was the new girl at Regional High. She looked out the window of her mom's car. "Are you ready, sweetie?" Olive heard her mother ask. "Yeah, are we almost there?" Olive said. Her mother nodded and Olive could see the light brown bricks of the school. Mrs. Erickson parked and Olive reluctantly got out of the car. After slamming the car door, Olive headed down the concrete path to the school doors. When she entered a group of girls turned their heads at her then snickered and whispered among themselves. Olive looked down at herself, she wore a red sweatshirt, blue jeans, and white converse. She should have worn a dress, or a skirt, or something trending. She kept her head down as she walked by the boys in letter man jackets and girls in skimpy skirts with pom poms. 

A loud ding sounded throughout the hall. Olive pulled a folded yellow sheet of paper out of her jeans pocket.  She read the information and headed for her homeroom. She walked through the halls moving swiftly. Another ding sounded announcing class to be in session, after the bell morning announcements were read through the speakers lining the halls. Olive found herself taking a wrong turn, running into the boys and girls from earlier. She stood there a moment them turned to leave, but before she could she felt a bony hand take her arm, pulling her back.

"Everybody look at the new girl!" A cheerleader laughed.

Olive felt a lump in her throat, and tears sting the corners of her eyes. They threw insults at her like bullets. All of them laughed and insulted her except one. A brunette boy with hair falling over his emerald green eyes stood there, he looked ashamed and uncomfortable. When the jocks and cheerleaders finished with the insults they threw her to the ground and left. The emerald eyed boy looked back with sad eyes to see Olive run off and enter the janitors closet.

"I forgot something in my locker, I'll catch up with you guy in a minute" the boy said.

His friends left and he started down the hall. He stood in front of the janitors closet door, hesitantly he opened it. Olive looked up with tear stains and eyes of fear.

"It's okay, I promise" he said, entering the closet then closing the door behind him. 

"You were with them though"

"I have no choice, one of the guys fathers is the football coach and I really need a scholarship"

"Oh, what's your name?"

"Shawn, Shawn Olsen"

"I'm Olive"

"I'm really sorry for what happened"

"Why aren't you like them?"

Shawn felt at a loss for words. "I thinks it's because I like kindness better"

"Thank you"

"No problem, I promise, I'll pick you up when you need me"

Shawn got on his knees and hugged Olive, and they sat there, in the janitor's closet for awhile with new found hope, for both of them.