Thirteen-year-old Luz Noceda sat in the back of her Mother's car, her head hanging in shame, staring down at her feet. Neither of them had spoken for a long time, and the tension between them was palpable. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Camila Noceda spoke to her daughter.
"Luz, sweetie, I may be angry with you, but I want you to know we'll get through this."
Luz continued to stay silent, but finally, after a few moments, she started crying and apologizing.
"Mom, I'm sorry!" she said, with tears in her eyes. "I know I've said that before, but I want you to know I really am! I didn't mean for things to get out of hand like that. That kid got bit by one of the spiders I used but I had no way of knowing he was allergic, and I—" Luz trailed off as she stopped talking, and just kept crying into her hands.
"Luz," began her mother, "there's a lot to process right now, and I know you would never intentionally hurt anyone, but your antics got a kid sent to the hospital. And because of that, you got expelled from school."
"I never intended for anyone to get hurt," said Luz.
"But someone did get hurt!" replied Camila sternly. "And that's why you need to think more carefully about your actions. Mija, you need to be aware of how your actions affect others. Do you have that book with you?"
Luz pulled out her Good Witch Azura book from her bag.
"When we get home, I want you to give that to me, along with all your other books," ordered her mother. "And that figurine you have, too."
"But, Mom!" protested Luz.
"No buts, young lady!" said Camila, raising her voice. "You've done wrong, and now you have to pay for it! For the time being, no more Good Witch Azura, at least for a month, and in the meantime, we need to find another school for you to attend."
"Yes, Mom," said Luz morosely.
Luz didn't pay attention to anything else that happened on the ride home. Her mind was lost in thought about what had just happened, how she had been expelled from the school she had gone to and known her whole life. If that wasn't bad enough, she was expelled in 7th grade, which meant any new school she went to, she'd have to start completely from scratch. With roughly one year until high school. If Luz were honest with herself, it wouldn't matter much, anyway. It wasn't like she had any friends at her old school and she doubted that anyone would want to be her friend in whatever new school she ended up in. She had always been viewed as that weird kid who liked the Azura book series and not much else. The other kids had already labeled her a social outcast, and once that label was placed on you, there was no getting out of it. Luz had told herself many times that she was fine not having friends, but really, that was a lie. Luz longed to have a true friend who was interested in the same things she was, who liked her for her, and who would have fun with her.
Eventually, the car came to a stop as they arrived home. Luz went straight to her room, got the other books in the Azura series as well as her Azura figurine, and gave them to her mom. After that, she stayed in her room until dinner. Dinner was another quiet affair, with little talking between parent and child. Luz still carried a sense of shame about what had happened. Afterward, though, Camila talked to Luz about how they would make the best of this situation and assured her daughter that this too would eventually pass. Finally, she hugged Luz and told her to start thinking about the future and not to let this one mistake take over her life.
"Mija, what have you learned from this?" asked Camila
"Not to make my presentation authentic with spiders," answered Luz, not entirely sure if that was the right answer.
Camila laughed at that before saying, "As I told you before, you need to learn that even when you don't intend it, your actions can still hurt people. Do you understand?" asked her mother.
"Yes, Mom," replied Luz as she continued to hug her mother. "You know, I really am sorry, and I'll do whatever I can to make this up."
"I know you will, Mija," answered Camila. "Remember, No hay mal que por bien no venga."
The next few weeks flew by quickly. Camila had assigned Luz many chores to do around the house. She had also invested in a few online courses to help Luz keep up with her studies. Luz did her best to stay busy to prove to her mother that she would recover from this minor mishap. One day, Camila came home from work with some excellent news!
"Luz, I think I may have found a new school for you," she said excitedly
"Oh, how did this happen?" asked Luz.
"I was having lunch at a Thai restaurant and got to talking with the owner there. She told me about this wonderful school that her daughter goes to. It's a private school that isn't too far from us."
"A private school?!" exclaimed Luz. "But Mom, you can't afford that!"
"Mija, I ran the numbers, and you'd only be going there for the rest of 7th and 8th grade. That's not too bad. When that nice lady told me about it, I stopped by and picked up a brochure," said Camila, handing it to Luz.
Luz took the brochure and looked it over. The very first thing she noticed were the uniforms.
"Oh no, not school uniforms," she said in slight distress.
"I know this would be a change from what you're used to, but listen, maybe this new, more structured environment would be good for you," answered her mother. "Will you at least give it a try?"
"I guess," said Luz. "I mean, we don't even know if they'll accept me. If they ask about what happened at my previous school, then what?"
"Well, if you're willing to give it a try, I'll call them tomorrow and see what we need to do for you to apply," said Camila.
"Okay, well, thank you, Mom. I guess we'll see what happens," answered Luz.
"I have a good feeling about this, Luz," said her mother. "I think this could be the start of a new beginning for you."
After dinner, Luz headed back up to her room. Her mother had let her keep the brochure, and she looked it over some more as she lay in bed, thinking of the future.
I wonder what a private school is like, she thought to herself. Do the teachers hit you with rulers? Will I have to wear a skirt? I wonder if they separate us by gender.
As Luz continued thinking these thoughts, she realized she hadn't even asked her mother what the name of this potential new school was. She grabbed the flyer one more time and turned it over to the front to see what its name was.
"St. James Middle School," she read aloud.