Sara's POV
The next day, I met Angelica during tutor and sat next to her.
"Hello," I said, smiling at her.
"Hi," she answered. "I'm going to introduce you to my friend group today. Make sure to meet me in the hall during break."
I nodded, though a part of me wished she had no friends, so we could become best friends. I knew it was selfish, but I couldn't help wanting to have her to myself.
"What do you have? The bell will go soon," she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Double P.E.," I told her, glancing at my timetable.
"I'll take you to the changing room. I've got history," Angelica chipped in.
"We're in the same year—why do we have different timetables?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
"There are many students in a year group. It's divided into two groups, X and Y. Each of those is further split into five sets, depending on the students' abilities," Angelica explained.
"Oh, I understand now," I said.
In the Changing Room
I sat down, waiting for instructions from the teacher.
"You have to change into your P.E. kit. If you have any issues with your kit, let me know," she said, practically shouting over the chatter in the room.
I had my kit with me and started changing. The teacher called the register, and I knew my name would be first because my surname starts with an "A."
I listened intently, hoping to hear a name that sounded like it was from my country.
"Sarah.
Amy.
Amelia.
Naomi.
Victoria.
Caiden.
Carrie.
Jumana."
I gave up—I couldn't tell with just the names.
Once I finished changing into my kit, a white girl approached me.
"Are you new?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"Would you like to come with us?"
"I'd like that," I said.
"Where are you from?"
"Nigeria."
"Is this how you speak English?"
"Yes," I said.
"Oh, that's fine," she said, flashing a smile at the girl beside her.
How I hated pretentious people.
"We can be trios," she added.
I agreed, at least for the game, since I didn't know anyone else.
We headed to the badminton center. The teacher told us to form groups and start playing. I'd never played badminton before, but they taught me the basics. After a few tries, I got the hang of it.
The second period was bench ball. Again, they were surprised when I admitted I'd never played it before, but it was the truth.
They explained the rules, and I thought I did pretty well. They encouraged me throughout, which made the game more enjoyable.
The girls, whose names I later learned were Jumana and Leah, were kind enough to include me.
Later in the Hallway
During break, I met up with Angelica in the hall, just as she had promised. She was standing with a group of girls, chatting and laughing, a little crowd of vibrant personalities. I could feel my stomach churn with a mix of excitement and nerves.
Angelica spotted me and waved. "Sara! Over here!"
I forced a smile and walked toward her. As I approached, she introduced me to everyone, but I couldn't help feeling a little out of place.
"This is Jumana," Angelica said, pointing to the girl who had helped me earlier in P.E. She waved brightly. "And this is Leah," Angelica added, motioning to the girl with short, curly hair. Leah gave a small nod, but her eyes looked distant, like she was scanning the hallway for someone else.
"Hey," I greeted, trying to sound confident. Jumana smiled back, but Leah barely acknowledged me. I tried not to let it bother me.
"Everyone, this is Sara, the new girl from Nigeria!" Angelica said, her tone upbeat, as though introducing me to the best club in school. "I thought you'd like to meet her."
I felt a bit of warmth from the group's welcome, but there was a subtle coldness from Leah that lingered in the air. I glanced at her, trying to gauge if I had done something wrong.
"So, Sara," Jumana said, shifting the focus back to me, "how are you liking it here so far?"
"It's okay," I replied, trying to sound casual, though my voice wavered slightly. "It's... a bit different from what I'm used to, but I'm getting the hang of it."
Leah finally looked at me, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Different how?" she asked, her tone not exactly unkind, but definitely probing.
"Just... everything," I said quickly, not wanting to over-explain. "The classes, the people. I've never been to school in England before."
She raised an eyebrow, as though she was expecting something more. "Hmm. I guess it takes some getting used to," she said, but there was a hint of skepticism in her voice.
I felt a slight flush rise to my cheeks. Was she judging me? Or was I just being paranoid?
Angelica noticed the awkward silence. "Don't mind Leah. She's just got a lot of questions. Right, Leah?"
Leah shrugged, a little smile tugging at the corner of her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. I wasn't sure how to take that.
Jumana quickly tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Are you doing anything fun this weekend, Sara? We're having a get-together at my place," she said, her voice much warmer than Leah's.
"Oh, that sounds nice!" I said, grateful for the shift in topic. "What's the get-together for?"
"It's just a small thing," Jumana explained. "We all hang out, watch movies, eat snacks. It's pretty low-key."
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should go. Would it be awkward? I barely knew these people. But then I thought about how lonely it could get without trying. "That sounds fun. I'll come!" I said, a little more enthusiastically than I'd meant to.
"Great!" Angelica said with a smile. "I'll text you the details."
As the bell rang, signaling the end of break, I felt a strange mix of emotions—nervousness, excitement, and a bit of dread. I had made some new friends, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, especially with Leah.
After School
I arrived home that afternoon, throwing my bag onto the couch and sitting down with a sigh. The day had been a blur of new faces, new routines, and the underlying tension with Leah.
I had promised myself that I wouldn't worry about things like that, but it wasn't easy. The whole school felt like a puzzle I couldn't quite piece together. But then I remembered Jumana's invite. At least I wasn't entirely alone here.
My phone buzzed with a text from Angelica. Hey, here's the address for the get-together. Hope you can make it!
I smiled, feeling a little better. Maybe I could really make this work.
I texted back: Thanks, I'll be there!
As I set my phone down, I realized I had one more thing to figure out: how to navigate this new world, with its hidden dynamics and unspoken rules. And, maybe—just maybe—how to make Angelica my real friend.