The sun shined brightly on a cool summer morning. Jack Smith, nine years of age, was on a car ride with his mother to visit one of her friends. His mother had made a new friend in town recently, and she had a daughter the same age as Jack. After a few weeks, his mother thought it would be a brilliant idea to arrange a play date for the two of them.

Jack, however, was unenthused by the idea and would rather be back at home playing video games and reading fantasy comics. He preferred to spend his time, like many others, doing things he enjoyed. Although he was not a reclusive kid, he disliked it when forced into social interactions with unknown people.

"I don't want to meet her, mom." Jack looked at his mother with a sad expression as he pleaded, "Can we please go back home?"

Jack's mother kept her eyes on the road as she responded, "Bella's daughter is a sweet young girl, and I think you two will get along well. We have been planning this for weeks."

Hearing his mother's words, Jack resigned himself to his fate. He was a young boy, but he already understood that convincing his mother to change her mind was a challenge nearing the impossible.

Quickly glancing over at Jack, his mother could tell he was unhappy about the play date. To liven the mood, she smiled and jokingly said, "Who knows, maybe she'll be your girlfriend one day."

Jack's face quickly turned red from embarrassment. He quickly uttered, "I-I don't want a girlfriend, mom."

"Haha, oh, my sweet innocent little boy." Jack's mother said while grinning.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, and they soon arrived at their destination. Looking out the car window, Jack saw a white house sitting beyond a small, well-kept yard.

Jack's mother pulled the car into the driveway and parked. They exited the vehicle and made their way to the front door. Shortly after knocking on the door, the door opened, and a young woman greeted them with a smile.

"I'm so glad you're here, Angela! I'm excited for the kiddos to meet each other!" Bella said as she hugged Jack's mother. Angela expressed her agreement, then Bella turned to Jack and excitedly said, "How about you, kiddo? Are you prepared to meet my fiery daughter?"

Jack looked perplexed; he recalled that his mother had described her as a 'sweet young girl.' A stark contrast to the description given by Bella. Also, he wondered why precisely he needed to be "prepared." Was her daughter going to attack him?

Being at a loss for words, Jack's eyes quickly darted over to his mother. His mother then promptly spoke up for him, "Your daughter is a sweetheart. I wouldn't describe her as 'fiery,' Bella."

Bella chuckled slightly, "I guess we'll have to let Jack decide which of us is correct." She then invited them into her home.

The entryway was decorated with family photos, and there was a staircase that led to the first floor of the house.

Bella called out upstairs, "Claire, we have company. Come down and greet them."

Only a few moments later, a young girl appeared from upstairs and began to make her way down the staircase.

As the girl descended, Jack couldn't look away. His eyes were affixed not to the blue dress she wore but to her crimson-red hair that shined brightly with elegance.

As the girl reached the bottom step, she noticed Jack staring at her. She placed her hands on her waist and frowned as she spoke, "Mother, I said I don't need any help making friends. I can do it myself." She then proceeded to scowl at Jack, "Also, this boy keeps staring at me. He's weird."

"Honey, Jack is the same age as you, and you two will be attending the same school. This is a good opportunity to get to know each other." Bella said as she motioned for Claire to stand next to her.

In the entryway, Jack and Claire stood across from each other. Angela enthusiastically introduced them, "Jack, this is Bellas daughter, Claire. Claire, this is my son Jack."

"Hello," Jack said with a smile. Claire, however, expressed her disinterest by simply nodding.

"Claire, how about you play in the backyard with Jack while I chat with his mom?"

Claire, upset that she was being forced to become friends with Jack, begrudgingly replied, "Fine."

Claire then led Jack through the house and out the back door. While their backyard was small, it did have enough room for a playground set with two swings and a slide.

Claire quickly walked to one of the swings and sat down with her arms crossed. Jack, who was still awestruck by her hair, unconsciously stared at her.

Noticing this, Claire shouted at Jack, "Is there something wrong with you? Why do you keep staring at me like a weirdo?"

Startled by Claire's shouting Jack stammered, "I-I'm sorry! I w-was just looking at your hair!" Jack's face was beet red.

Hearing this, Claire became enraged and began to berate Jack, "Why?! Do you think that my hair is ugly or that it makes me look like a loser? Are you going to tell me that red hair means I'm dumb? I've heard them all, so just say it."

While Cliare was yelling at Jack, their mothers were inside conversing with each other. "How come Claire is apprehensive about becoming friends with Jack?"

Bella sighed and said, "Kids can be mean to others when they look different." Bella looked down and wore a saddened expression as she continued, "With Claire's bright crimson-red hair, she has been the target of a lot of school bullying. This has led to her becoming weary of other kids and having issues trusting them."

Bella started to shed tears as she spoke, "We moved across states for my husband's new job and I'm hoping this could be a fresh start for Claire. Perhaps, she can find friendship in Jack."

Angela attempted to console Bella, "I hope Jack can become the friend that Claire needs."

Bella wipes a few tears from her eyes, "Even if Jack is her only friend, at least she won't be alone at school anymore."

In the backyard, Jack looked at Claire with bewilderment. He did not understand why Claire was yelling at him or what he had said wrong.

Claire continued to yell at Jack when he suddenly shouted, "I thought your hair was really pretty, and I couldn't stop staring! I'm sorry!"

Claire was taken aback by the words that Jack had just said.

"What did you say?" Claire said assertively, but no longer yelling. She had a relaxed yet confused expression.

Jack looked directly into Claire's eyes as he said, "I think your hair is pretty, and I've never seen anything like it. I was just amazed by how red it is."

Claire had a mix of emotions arise inside her. She has never had anyone tell her that they liked her hair, much less that they thought it was pretty. However, she knew that she couldn't let her guard down easily since he could be lieing to her.

Still, Claire was caught off guard by his comment, and her face lit up red with embarrassment. She said stubbornly, "Well, I think it's still weird that you're staring at me." She quickly looked away as the words left her mouth.

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence, and Jack was left feeling like he had hurt Claire somehow. Understanding that staring at her hair was rude, Jack looked away and stared at other things in his surroundings.

Claire, who occasionally snuck glances at Jack from the corner of her eye to see if he was still looking at her hair, broke the silence between them and said, "Although it's weird, I don't mind if you look since you said it was pretty."

Hearing this, Jack turned to look at Claire and widely smiled.

Seeing his smile, Claire quickly spoke, "But don't think this means we're friends or anything!"

Claire and Jack spent the rest of the day until evening, occasionally discussing some of their interests and, eventually, with enough convincing and pestering from Jack, playing together on the playground set.

After Jack, Claire, and their mothers exchanged goodbyes, Jack and his mother walked out the front door and started to make their way to the car.

As Jack reached the car with his mother, he heard Claire holler from the house's front steps. "Don't stay away for too long!"

Jack smiled and yelled back, "I promise!"