The New Kid

By Cherry Kao

Sherry stared at her new school. Dressed in a loose polo shirt and long socks, she wondered if her new life at Renaissance Academy would be a disaster.

“Welcome, Sherry!” The class teacher, Miss June, hollered. A sporty girl named Joye told her, “I’m your buddy.” For that week, she thought she had found her best friend. But she was wrong.

Later that week, there was a dance lesson, and she was in the same group as Joye. However, not only did Joye annoy her, she didn’t hold back in criticising Sherry’s dance skills. Sherry felt upset and ate her lunch alone with tears in her eyes. My friends hate me, she thought. Luckily, a lovely girl named Karine comforted her and, in her own words, ‘adopted’ her. Again, she made a friend.

Being a new kid was a strange experience. Once, a girl named Maddy got hurt, and Sherry wanted to comfort her. But Maddy ignored her presence and instead turned to her two friends, Karine and Emma, for help. Even with the best of intentions, she was left standing there awkwardly. That’s horrible, she thought.

But as months passed, Sherry slowly found her place in Renaissance Academy. She began to feel proud of her school accomplishments. She became best friends with Pandora, a cheerful girl outside Karine’s friend group — which she was slowly getting tired of. Karine’s friend group became so big that it felt cramped when sitting at the same table. Sherry often felt bored and left out. As time passed, she even started thinking negatively of the friend group. If you hate me, kick me out! She often thought.

But one day, Rammie, who was kindest to Sherry, talked to her. “Look, I think you should leave our friend group, she said.

“But surely……” Sherry was at a loss for words.

“We can still be friends, but our group has been leaving you out. Don’t worry, though — we only exclude you from boring things. It’s for the best.” Rammie explained. Reluctantly persuaded by her, Sherry took a last look at her friends and walked away.

Even as she felt lost, Sherry kept her head high. She integrated herself into Pandora’s friend group. Pandora had two friends named Dorothie and Teoyoon, who were also lovely. They played different tag games at recess, and she loved it. They were also very smart people — Sherry started feeling better about her life.

Over time, Sherry started to appreciate the learning and life at Renaissance Academy. One day, she gazed at the sky and remembered when she thought life at this school would be a disaster. “I’ve come a long way,” she thought.

When the author showed this piece of writing to her brother, he said, “Nice! But who is this new kid?” She smiled and replied, “Me.”