The first day at a new school is always the worst. Luckily, Pinnacle was a big school, so Guang-Hong didn't stick out too much. But, because it was a big school, Guang-Hong was finding it difficult to get around. His guidance counselor had walked him to his first class, but after that Guang-Hong ended up asking his teacher for directions to his next class.

He was heading to lunch when three boys from his last class, fourth period, came up to him and started talking to him.

"Hey, you're that new kid from China, right?" one of them asked.

"Yes."
"How did you learn to speak English so well?"

"My mom only spoke English to me when I was young. So, when I was five I was fluent in Mandarin and English."

"I thought they spoke Chinese in China?"

"Well, kind of. There are lots of different dialects."

The other boys talked amongst themselves for a while, following Guang-Hong to the cafeteria. Guang-Hong had tuned out their conversation and was trying to get ahead of them until one of them said, "Yeah, I'd hit that. What about you, Guang-Hong?"

"What? I don't understand."

"C'mon, man, I thought you said you were fluent."

"I am. I just don't understand what you're trying to say."

"What, are you gay or something?" All of the boys stopped. Guang-Hong didn't know why, but he stopped too.

"What? No. I just don't understand."

The other boys kept teasing him and Guang-Hong didn't know what else to do. Just when he felt like he was about to burst into tears from all the teasing, another boy walked up to them and stood next to him.

"Guys, leave the new kid alone. Just because he doesn't understand what you're saying doesn't mean he's gay. And what if he is? One out of every ten people are gay, you know," the boy said.

"How would you know that, Leo? Are you gay or something?"

"I'm on the student board for the GSA, Thomas. That's how I know that. And I'm bi, but I don't see how that matters."

Thomas and his friends just stood there as Leo grabbed Guang-Hong's arm and led him to the cafeteria.

"I'm sorry about that. Those guys are jerks. Lots of guys at this school are jerks actually."

"It's okay. What did it mean anyway? The thing they were saying?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's not something you'll ever need to know. I'm Leo, by the way. Do you want to sit with me at lunch? Unless you have someone else to sit with."

"I don't, thank you. I'm Guang-Hong."

"Where are you from, Guang-Hong?"

"China. I'm a foreign exchange student."

"Oh, that's cool. What made you choose to come to America?" Leo asked as they entered the cafeteria. They walked together towards the back and sat down at a table with a few other guys.

"My grandparents lived here and this is where my mom grew up. I wanted to learn more about the culture, I guess."

"That's cool." The rest of the lunch period passed with talk of new classes and new teachers. As the lunch period went on, more guys sat down at the table. To Guang-Hong, they all looked very athletic.

At the end of the lunch hour, Guang-Hong walked with Leo to his locker. When Leo opened it, a note fell out and fell on the floor. Leo picked it up and read it really quick before crumpling it in his hand.

"What's that?" Guang-Hong asked.

"My girlfriend broke up with me," Leo said nonchalantly.

"With a note? That's kind of rude, isn't it?"

"Yeah, little bit."

"You don't look too upset," Guang-Hong observed.

"Well, I was going to break up with her anyways." Guang-Hong's eyes widened, which Leo must have noticed, since he started laughing. "We had a lot of different opinions about things and our relationship wasn't really going anywhere. All she wanted to do was have sex, but I wasn't ready for that yet."

"Is that why she broke up with you?"

"Nope. She broke up with me because he found out I'm bi and she doesn't want to date a 'sinner' like me," Leo said, putting air quotes around the word "sinner."

Guang-Hong didn't know what to say, so he just shuffled his feet awkwardly while Leo finished getting his books and closed his locker.

"It's not a big deal though. Anyways, if you don't have any plans, do you want to go to Desert Ridge with me after school?"

"What's that?"

"The mall nearby. I can drive you home afterwards, if that would be a problem."

"Sure! It sounds like fun."

"Awesome. Meet me here after school, then." Leo started to walk off to his next class before Guang-Hong stopped him. "What is it?"

"Can you show me where my next class is?"