This story has been accepted into the 'Three Dummies in a Dingy and other stories of life' 2018 anthology. They don't consider having it up on Wattpad as published, so I can still keep it here :)

I was the only one from my small, private Christian school going to the largest government high school in my town and I was scared. I didn't know anyone else going.

My mother, a country pastor's wife, did her best to help me. She discovered an acquaintance who had a daughter, Tracy*, who was also going to the same school. Tracy with her fashionable clothes and self-assured air, politely endured meeting me. She dutifully showed me her small crowded bedroom. We sat and awkwardly chatted about superficial things while our mothers drank coffee together. Even though I did not really connect with her, I was glad to have met someone who would be there with me on my first day of school.

The big day arrived. I was herded into the gymnasium to sit down cross-legged on the cold surface amongst a sea of over a thousand strangers who were all clad in the same bottle-green uniform I was wearing. I looked for Tracy, but did not see her. Still, I'd asked for us to be put in the same class. Surely such a simple request would be granted.

A teacher out the front began reading out the class lists. My name was called. I was assigned to Mrs Ashworth's class. Tracy was not. Despite all my prayers, I'd been put in a class where I knew no one.

Filled with trepidation, I clutched my two-handled school bag and slunk off down the long hallway that was lined with metal lockers, the dark blue coating scratched off in places. My new class was meeting in the library. A library was usually a place of promise and comfort for me but just then it took courage to walk through those doors. I went past the rows of books to a section at the far end where twenty-five other teenagers already sat in table groups.

I paused, scanning the tables, desperately wondering where to sit. Then something extraordinary happened. A girl stood up and said, "You can sit here". She indicated the seat beside her. In a daze, I went and sat down, wondering who does that? Who stands up to call out to a stranger and make her feel welcome? The girl introduced herself as Teresa. I saw her warm green eyes and curly brown hair that was naturally streaked with blonde and knew that God had provided me a friend, after all.

*Name has been changed

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