I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself wearing my brand new school uniform. Today would be my first day of my new school. I felt a little insecure about how short the skirt was. I never liked showing off too much skin put in public, but I guess it couldn't be helped since the school was inhabited in a tropical climate.

I tended to my backpack to make sure that I packed all the school supplies I needed for the day. I made sure I had paper, binders, a folder, and writing utensils. I was all set.

I went downstairs to the kitchen to be greeted by Uncle Ansem at the table, each side with pancakes smothered with running maple syrup on a platter.

"Good morning, Naminé. Are you excited for your first day of school?" he asked before shoving a fork of pancake in his mouth.

"I guess so," I settled my satchel on the side of the table and started eating breakfast. The pancake was still warm, and fluffy too. I was so surprised that he could bake this good. "Wow, these pancakes are awesome, Uncle," I complimented after I swallowed.

Uncle Ansem giggled. "One of my specialties." He rested his chin on his hands. "So today's your first day of school. Are you excited? Nervous?"

"Ehh... a little half and half." Leaning more toward the nervous side.

"Are you sure you want to take the train by yourself? I have time to drop you off."

I waved my hand at him. "It's okay, Uncle. I have a map. It doesn't seem too hard to find from the train station. I can handle it."

Uncle Ansem showed a look of concern. His shoulders moved up and down as he gave a deep sigh. "All right. If you say so."

Once the last slice of hotcake was devoured, I checked my phone to look at the time. I stood up while wiping my mouth with a napkin. "I gotta go now. I'll see you later." I grabbed my things and started heading out for the door.

"All right. Be safe, Namine. Make some friends!" he said before I closed the door behind me.

"All right. Today is a new day," I said to myself, feeding my inner confidence. Today is my first day at a new school. A brand new life. Perhaps I should take Olette's advice and try something new for once. Attempt to make at least one friend. I will not try to draw too much attention to myself, but at the same time practice to be sociable. "Starting today," I exclaimed as I thrusted my fist in the air, but immediately drew it back, realizing how stupid I must have sounded. I took my first step, and already my legs felt like jelly.

"Oh gosh..." This was all so new to me. I grew up in Twilight Town my whole life. All the teenagers here are local islanders. I would completely stand out. People would point at me and call me the city girl. Not to mention, this was sophomore year. Everybody practically already know each other and have their buddy groups. What if everyone has their own groups and I'm the only one outside of their circles? I would just make things awkward for them if I suddenly join. I'm a total outsider and introvert. I can't do this!

Who was a kidding? I'm not here to make friends. The only reason I came here was because of my health. What matters is that I keep up with my grades. All I need is three more years of no distractions, and then I'll be graduating. I was never able to make close friends then. What will make this time different?

I wrecked my hair and turned around without thinking. Right when I was about to put my hand on the door knob, the door swung open. Uncle Ansem almost bumped into me. "Oh, Naminé! Thank goodness you came back. You forgot your lunch." He held up the doggy bag for me.

"Oh... thanks, Uncle," I said. My heart was pounding so loud, I hoped he couldn't hear it.

After I took the bag, Uncle Ansem smoothed out my hair a bit. "You better get going. If you do happen to miss the train, call me and I'll pick you up," he said with a smile. "Good luck, Nami."

After seeing that smile, it was as if my confidence was slightly rejuvenated. I was probably just going to call in sick for the first day, but now I don't want to. He was rooting for me. I couldn't let him down. "Thanks, Uncle," I nodded, then paced down the hill through the town.

By the time the train station came into view, the train was already there. I walked faster, hoping that it didn't wait there for too long. "I'm late!" I heard a girl shout out. As I was turning my attention, a girl with flowing, scarlet hair already dashed passed me, almost like a red blur.

After passing me, she hit the breaks on her heels and spun around. "What are you doing?" She asked anxiously.

"Huh?"

"The train is going to leave soon!" After she said that, right on cue, the whistle of the train tooted, black smoke beginning to spew out of the pipes.

"Oh!" I picked up the pace, but the girl was edging farther away, skipping her feet as she waited for me anxiously.

"Come on, hurry up," she urged.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up," I said. Why was this girl so fixated on me?

She shook her head and grunted, then ran back for me. "That won't do." Before I knew it, she took me by the hand and started dragging me along with her. I was so surprised, I didn't know what to do but run. The engine of the train were cranking louder as we got closer. "Come on!" She was really pulling hard, and I was barely keeping up. Right when we boarded, the doors slid close, nearly biting my heels. We made it by a second.

I pulled my hand back and bent over, panting crazy. I haven't ran like that in a long time. The other girl was panting too, leaning her hand against a metal bar. "Sorry about that," the girl said. "But you and I wouldn't have made it on time."

She recovered quickly, but I was still hyperventilating. Should I use my inhaler? I frantically reached inside my pockets in desperate search for my inhaler. Once I finally held on to it, I was starting to catch my breath. Maybe I won't need it this time.

As I gradually slowed down my breathing, I raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Why... did you... h-have to... wait for me... then?"

The girl giggled while scratching the back of her head. "Oh, well I... I couldn't let the new girl be late on her first day of school."

"Huh?" With my lungs leveling, I straightened my back. "How did you know I was new?"

Kairi scanned me suspiciously from head to toe. "Well, that is our school's uniform you're wearing, so you must be going to my school." When she said that, that was when I realized that she and I were wearing the exact same outfit. Her sleeves were rolled up though. "I've also never seen your face before, so you must be new."

"Seriously? Just by that? Get real, you can't possibly memorize the faces of everyone here in town," I joked.

"Nope. Not every individual. However, in terms of teens, it's a pretty small town, so you can pretty much get familiar with everyone. Plus, as class prez, it is my duty to get to know every student in my class."

"Did you say class prez?"

"Yup! You're talking to this year's defending class president. I'm Kairi. What's your name?" She kindly put her hand forward with a bright smile. She seemed really easy to get into a conversation with.

"My name's Naminé. It's nice to meet you," I said as I warmly shook her by the hand. "You know, even if you don't know me, how do you know that we're in the same class year?"

"Lucky guess," she replied. "So Naminé, where are you from?"

"I'm from Twilight Town."

"Really? Oh, wow! I've always wanted to go there. What's it like? Do they have really nice stores? What are the gardens like? What's the best landmark there? How many trees does it have?"

"Whoa whoa, easy there. Slow down. One at a time." She was asking so many questions, I still wasn't sure if I had regained the breath to answer one.

"Oops. Sorry. Got a little carried away." She tried laughing it off.

"Hmm, let's see... It's a nice city with a metric system and well known for its beautiful sunsets. The shopping district is the best place to buy jewelry and sweets. It doesn't have that many gardens but are still exceptional. The most famous landmark is the Train Plaza's Clock Tower. And there are 358 trees." I took a deep breath after answering all that so quickly in one breath. "Does that answer all of your questions?"

Kairi blinked her eyes. "Wow. You actually answered all of that in one go. You really remembered everything I asked."

"Well I'm a good listener."

"So, Naminé. Twilight Town is pretty far from here. What made you decide to go to school here?"

"Oh, I..." I thought about it briefly. Should I tell her about my condition? I could always tell her about it later. It wouldn't really matter in the end. It was completely irrelevant to her. "I've always wanted to enroll in Destiny Academy." That much was true.

"That's awesome. So have you thought about what kind of clubs you wanna join?"

"Uhh... not really. Wait, maybe an art club."

"Oh, so you do art! That's fascinating! Can I see your work some day?" This girl keeps asking so many questions. Well, I guess it beats staring blankly at a window.

"Someday. What do you do, Kairi?"

"Let's see... Other than being class president, I also do cheerleading, Key Club, Envirothon, and Drama Club."

"Wow. You are one busy bee. Doesn't that get tiring? How do you balance all of those plus school and your social life?"

"Well, you know. I don't really do much in my own leisure other than social media and texting, so I have a lot of time on my hands. My friends are also very supportive of me, so they understand whenever I don't have time for them, but I usually do."

"Wow." I was very impressed by how contributed she was to her community. She was the absolute image of role model student. No. a role model citizen. The complete opposite of me. She really gets out there while I always keep to myself. The first girl I made friends with was one hundred and ten percent extrovert. She probably has a lot of friends. "You must have a lot of friends."

"Oh yeah, that's right. You're new. Have you made any friends yet?"

I thought about it. The only teens I've met so far was that rude guy on the skateboard and that other guy I exchanged words with, but we didn't really make much of a connection. The closest friend I ever made this past week was that nice old woman who paints at the market.

"Well I haven't gone to school yet to have the chance to make any friends. I guess you're the only friend I've made so far." Those words slipped out of my mouth without thinking. I only met her a few minutes ago and I have already called her my friend. I hope I didn't scare her off.

Kairi gasped as she covered her mouth. "I am so touched," she whimpered. She then dramatically draped her arms around my shoulder, patting me affectionately. "Don't worry, Naminé. I'll make sure you won't feel lonely."

"O-okay, Kairi," I lightly pushed her away. I was still unused to having a friend like this. I didn't even expect to make a new friend this quickly. It would take me a while before I get used to physical contact.

"I can't wait to show you around the school. I can even introduce you to my friends."

She may sound popular, but she doesn't seem snobbish. She actually seemed pretty nice and sincere, maybe a bit too talkative, but she also didn't seem like the clingy type either. I guess she would be all right.