What faced her was not the boy she had glimpsed in the pictures. It was Mikael Stravinch, an autistic boy who had transferred to her school five months ago. He was quiet, but the teacher insisted he was brilliant in his own way. His face had been distorted from a birth defect, and he had also been in a wheelchair since birth. Most people avoided him, and he was teased and bullied because of his condition. He mostly kept to himself because of that.
"Hi, Mikael, what are you doing here?" she asked for the sake of politeness.
"Umm..... Uh...I am supposed to meet someone here....$Em$47.....but..but I don't think she is coming....." he looked crestfallen.
So this was EMitchell47? Her best friend, who in real life, she had avoided? The thought rocketed around in her mind, and she couldn't process that simple fact: Mikael Stravinch was EMitchell47. She contemplated acting dumb, but thought of all the times he had offered her support. She couldn't leave him just because of what he looked like.
"I am $Em$47, Mikael." she replied softly.
His face lit up, but then he looked guarded, like he was afraid of getting hurt.
"I am not leaving you." she reassured, entwining her fingers with his.
He looked up, his face shining with relief and happiness.
"Are you...." he left the question unanswered.
"Yes, I am your friend, forever and always. Friends stay true to one another, no matter what they look like." she said firmly.
And then, hand in hand, they began to talk.