I decided it was best to just leave Katie at break times, since I had more fun talking to Aki, and Beatrice who came again and we managed to chat with her a little before we were caught. Beatrice was great new company. She often told us crazy stories about her brothers and her, and some other people she had fights with at school. She and Aki were fond of winding each other up. We had basically formed our own little group, and I couldn't believe I'd actually managed to make friends. I thought it would never have happened.

Beatrice was the first to notice this. "We should all meet up together, this weekend, seeing as we're practically our own group now. Where do you guys like to hang out"?

Home Aki wrote, which I agreed to.

"Okay, looks like I'm the only extrovert around here," Beatrice snorted, "then why don't you guys come to my house".

Why should we go to yours' when mine is an option? Aki asked from his notebook.

"Um, because mine's obviously better. Don't challenge me, Aki, I actually have a really big house seeing as there's a lot of us".

So? It will probably smell like you

"Says the guy who eats octopus every day and has fish breath. You're in no position to comment about my smell".

How would u know what my breath smells like when I never open my mouth?

"Because fish has a strong scent, dummy. Anyway, Jemimah, what do you think"? Beatrice turned to me.

"Um, first of all, Aki you don't have fish breath, and Beatrice, you don't smell. Why don't we just go to my place to avoid arguments? It usually smells like cakes seeing as I bake a lot". I replied, reasonably.

"Cakes? I'm sold". Beatrice made a peace sign to Aki. "Jemimah's place is literally right next to mine, so we're basically going to my house". He narrowed his eyes at her and turned away.

**********************

I was so excited when I asked Dad if my friends could come over. It felt unreal. Just a few weeks ago, I had no hope in getting friends. I thought my shyness would keep me from ever having a chance with other children. I thought about what Miss Brielle had said to me. That I was waiting before I felt more comfortable around people in order to let myself relax around them. I hadn't realised exactly when that shyness stage had ended with these two, just that I knew it had.

Dad and Susanne was just as happy as me about this, but Katie wasn't too keen on the idea, and made sure to tell me so as we sat at the kitchen table after the adults had left.

I'd been buried in my thoughts, staring at the homework in front of me while my mind was somewhere else. I realised that Miss Brielle had been right about my shyness. If I wasn't this shy, maybe I wouldn't have been able to relate to a quiet person like Aki and become close, and then our group with Beatrice wouldn't have been formed. So I guess...my shyness hadn't been a bad thing after all.

I had observed a lot of the children at school; not all of them were very nice people. There were so many bullies, so many people who touched my hair without permission, and so many who had no respect for any of the teachers in class. Some of them weren't even mean. They just didn't seem interested in anything about me when they sat with me in class. And so I was kind of glad that I hadn't spoken much to them either. I had two friends who seemed just as comfortable with me as I felt with them. And I was grateful for that.

"Hey".

And that was when Katie snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Of all the friends you could've made, you chose the two very people I told you to stay away from". She groaned, "That Beatrice girl just eats like there's no tomorrow, she'll devour all the snacks in the house. And she's so weird. And then Akito, I mean..." She buried her head in her hands, "I'll just go to Amber's place on Saturday, there's no way I'm letting them see I have those two at my house".

I narrowed my eyes at her. I was sick and tired of her comments. "Why do you always talk bad about my friends"? I shocked myself as much as I'd shocked her. As this was meant to be said in my head not out loud.

She raised an eyebrow. "What"?

I sucked in a breath. I had already started. I might as well continue. Aki's words then came back to me. You have a voice. Don't waste it. "I can choose who I want to hang out with. You don't have to like them, but I can like who I want".

Her grey eyes stared at me thoughtfully, before a smirk appeared on her face. "I knew it. You're finally showing your true colours. You're not the innocent, nice Jemimah you try to be in front of everyone. You're really ungrateful, you know".

"I'm not ungrateful".

"Yes, you are. Look at how hard I worked and how much time I spent trying to get friends for you. Since you started school, that's all I've been trying to do. Even before that, I introduced you to some friends from my group. You didn't even talk to them! I just kept quiet about it, you know. I tolerated it,because at least I'm patient like that. But then all you did was walk away and stick with the people I warned you to keep away from".

I furrowed my eyebrows. What was she talking about? "You've got it wrong," I replied, "You're friends were the ones who decided to ignore me. I was the one tolerating it. Just like I've been tolerating every crappy thing in my life up until now," I clenched my fists. "And I'm not doing it anymore. I won't tolerate you anymore either...You're always trying to control who I talk to. I...I'm allowed to choose. And I choose to only hang out with the people who give me the time of day that I deserve. Not people who keep acting like I don't exist, I'm sick of being alone. That's why I stopped hanging out with you, Amber, who doesn't care about my existence and the rest of your group".

"Wow, touching". Katie rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I can handle you dissing my efforts to help, but what I wont tolerate is you dissing my friends. You have no right to bring Amber into this..."

"I'm not dissing anybody. And you were the one who started this by dissing my friends". I argued back. Katie opened her mouth to say something, but shut it when Susanne came into the kitchen with an empty mug.

"What's going on here"? She asked us. Katie huffed, and I looked back down at my homework. She glanced at both of us."Nothing, Mum". Katie muttered, and continued texting on her phone. I was about to protest, but decided not to. Katie was not going to change her mind, I could see it. Sitting it out with Susanne would be a waste of time.

As I continued my homework, I couldn't help but feel satisfied with myself. I had done something I had wanted to do for a long time. I used my voice, loud and clear. I had spoken a lot, let my emotions run wild. I hadn't had to plan my words like I usually did, pick some phrases carefully, worry about which words would get me into trouble. I spoke freely.

It was a step forward. A big one. And Beatrice and Aki were overjoyed when I told them on Saturday.

"Speak your mind because no matter how carefully you choose your words, they will always be twisted up by others".