"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."  

   Keirsten ran through her house frantically looking for her binder for school.

   "Mom!" she yelled digging through papers until she finally found her small three ring binder at the bottom.

   "Keirsten you're going to miss the bus!" her mom said and slung Jasmine to her other side.  Keirsten had just moved in with her mom, her mom's husband, and their two-year-old daughter Jasmine.

    "I know!  I'm leaving right now!" she explained while slipping on her blue flip flops.  As she left the house she looked at her outfit.  For weeks she had tried to decided on an outfit for the first day of high school.  She felt confident wearing a low cut dark blue T- shirt, white jean shorts, and her blue flip flops.  She had gotten a hair cut two days ago, it was still past her shoulders but rounded at the front.  She had always been told that she looked like her mother with amber hair, matching brown eyes, and a some- what tall stature. 

    As she walked down the hill to the main road she met up with some neighborhood girls.  She recognized them from the Memorial Day party her mom had hosted so that Keirsten could meet some of the neighbors.

     "Hi Keirsten, it's your first day of high school right?" a tall girl named Jesse asked her.  Jesse had dark brown hair and small black eyes, she watched Keirsten stop at the edge of the road.

     "Yes, I am finally a freshman!" she sighed and turned towards the other girls.  The girl next to Jesse, Alexa looked enviously at Keirsten.

      "So your mom let you get your nose pierced?" Alexa asked brushing her light blond hair away from her cheek.

      "Well actually my dad let me.  I got it pierced last summer," she said to the group of girls.

       "My parents won't let me get mine pierced.  They think I would look even more irresponsible!" she joked and smiled at her friends.  Keirsten looked nervously around, she felt uncomfortable with this group of girls.  They weren't freshman and she wondered what grade they were in.

      "The bus is here," a small girl behind Jesse said in a meek voice.  Her name was Hannah and she was afraid to talk to the other girls.  She hated meeting new people and had just moved in too, just like Keirsten. 

       A school bus pulled up to their road and the four girls loaded the bus.  Jesse and Alexa sat in a seat together; Keirsten sat in the back of the bus by the popular kids and Hannah sat in the front of the bus. 

      "Hey I'm Jeremy Hall, you must be new since I've never seen you before," Jeremy introduced.  Keirsten smiled at him and barely blushed.  Jeremy had short brown hair and dark blue eyes.  He was good looking with two dimples and a small ski- jump nose. 

      "Hi Jeremy.  I'm Keirsten King and I just moved here," she explained and ran her fingers through her hair.  Jeremy found her cute and started up a conversation.

       "Do you play any sports?" he asked her and moved into her seat. 

       "I want to join the lacrosse team.  I've been playing lacrosse since I was in fourth grade.  How about you?" she retorted and smiled.  Jeremy was relieved that he had just recently got his braces off.  He too could show off his white smile.

        "I play soccer and lacrosse," he replied and looked at his vibrating phone.  The text message was from his friend Kyle Maloney who was in the seat behind Jeremy. 

        As they talked the bus pulled to a stop at Clay Township High School.  Keirsten felt good about herself and was eager to meet new friends.