Finding Home

Finally the time had come and I wasn’t as excited to go to school as I had first been. The fact that I was now going to a real high school was really scary for me. I didn’t have my friends by my side, it was all different now.

“Are you nervous?” Sebastien asked on the way to school.

“Very.” I admitted.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about, you’ll be fine.” He comforted.

“I hope you’re right.” I grumble my stomach in knots.

I had been tripped four times in the hall way, four times! Not only that, but people were now starting to refer to me as the new girl, how mature. In orchestra, I had apparently taken the spot of one of the “popular girls”, so all the popular people decided it would be fun to make the rest of my day a living inferno. I was never socially confident and I was always nervous, this was not helping at all. Lunch was even worse. I had been walking to an empty table when Ashley, the popular girl whom I “stole” her place in orchestra, and her posse had stopped me. She asked me out loud how it was to be living with my new adopted family and that if I found it weird how I had an adoptive father but no adoptive mother. I simply did not answer, and just walked away and ate outside. It didn’t stop there; by the end of lunch all sorts of different rumors were going on. People all around the school had heard them and were avoiding me like a plague. I hadn’t a clue as to how she knew about me being adopted. By sixth period I couldn’t take it anymore and rushed to the bathroom.
Why were these people being so cruel to me, I didn’t do anything wrong to them, I mean I didn’t even know them. I’m sorry I took her spot; she can have it back for all I care. I just don’t understand how people can be this mean to a person. Was this how everyone was in the real world, just mean, and always judging? If it was, then what cruel world we lived in, and I was finally starting to realize it. I was so frustrated and hurt; I hadn’t even realized I had started to cry. I tried to stop myself, I couldn’t let them get to me, but I just couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. I just wanted to go home; I wanted to talk to my friends. The kids at my other school would never do this to a person, never. By the end of the day I was more than ready to go back home. I grabbed my things and waited outside for Sebastien to arrive.

I sat anxiously waiting and tried my best not to cry in front of these people, I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. A minute later Sebastien showed up and I climbed into the car. He had asked me how school was and I had simply lied and told him all had gone well.

“That’s great!” he said joyfully, “See I told you, you had nothing to worry about.”

Oh how wrong you were, Sebastien. The rest of the week had been even worse, but I didn’t want to tell Sebastien. I know I probably sound like an idiot, but I didn’t want to seem weak. Sebastien had started to notice something was amiss. Friday afterschool we had gone down to the art studio. While Sebastien had been teaching his class I wondered down to the beach. I had thought about all that had gone on these past couple of weeks. I couldn’t let myself get put down by these people, I know better than that, because I know that I am a better person than they are. I was crying, and I shouldn’t have been, but I was. I just had to let all these bottled up emotions go, and I hadn’t even noticed Sebastien sit down right next to me until I heard his worried voice.

“Kido, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” he asked worriedly.

I hurriedly wiped my tears away, “Oh it’s nothing.” I tried to play it off, “I just miss my friends that’s all.”

“Are you sure, I’ve noticed your mood change since you started school, are you sure it’s not something about that?” he asked hinting me to tell him the truth.

“It’s nothing just some kids giving me trouble that’s all, but that’s not why I’m crying.” I lied and he seemed to know.

He sighed, “C’mon Bambi, tell me the truth. You can trust me, we’re family know, I’m not going to judge you. I want to help you, but you’ve got to tell me what’s going on.”

I told him everything that had been happening that week and shed a few tears.

“Bambi,” he pulled me into a hug, “why didn’t you tell me this sooner, you have to tell me these things, It’s not good to keep your feelings bottled up. I want you to know that you can trust me and count on me forever, I’m here for you.”

“I know.” I hiccupped.

“You can’t let this bother you, you know better than that; you’re smarter than those people. If they see that it doesn’t bother you they'll stop and leave you alone. Next time they tell you something just tell them this and only once, tell them, that you don’t care because you know that it’s not true and just walk away. Alright? ” I nodded my head in response.

“The worst thing you can do is let them see that it bothers you.” He said.

I had thought about everything he had said and came up with the conclusion that he was absolutely right. I should have been stronger and now I know, and I should have just told him sooner what was going on. After talking to Sebastien I had felt million times better. I also realized that I actually really could trust Sebastien, he wouldn’t judge me; he would help me. In that moment we had initiated an unbreakable bond between us.