"Mommy, no…I'm not ready yet." I tugged my mother's sleeve, not yet mentally set to enter the classroom.

"Gemma, sweetheart, you have to go inside to meet your new teacher." She smiled and tried to pull me forward. I wouldn't budge.

"I'm scared," I admitted finally. "What if the other kids don't like me?"

"Don't worry," my mother said, smiling. "Here. Mommy will let you wear her special necklace for your first day of school." She slipped off the chain and gently set it over my head. My eyes widened.

"Really? You're going to let me wear it all day?"

"As long as you come inside and meet the rest of your class." She held the door open again, and I cautiously stepped inside, clinging onto her skirt the entire time. There were many other children just my age, and a woman sitting casually at her desk, observing the scene. My mother made her way over to the desk.

"Hello, I'm Virginia Doyle, and this is my daughter Gemma." I buried my face in her skirt, but curiosity got the best of me and I sneaked a peek at my new teacher.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Gemma," the lady said. "My name is very easy to remember…it's Mrs. Nightwing. Can you say that?"

"Mrs. Nightwing," I mumbled.

"Ah, you're a very bright little girl." Mrs. Nightwing smiled. "How about we take you over to meet some of the other children in your class?"

"Okay," I decided, allowing her to take my hand and lead me to a group of girls playing with board games. She tapped the one with shining blonde-almost-white hair on the shoulder, and she turned to face her, beaming.

"Felicity, this is Gemma Doyle. Do you think you could be my special helper today and help her get to know everyone?"

"Okay!" Felicity stood up and smoothed her blue dress. "Hi, Gemma!"

"Hi. I like your name, it's pretty." All of her was pretty, actually, from her white-blonde hair to her gray eyes. Even at the young age of six, I couldn't stand my wild curly red hair. I sort of liked my green eyes, but definitely not my name.

"I know." She grinned at me and took my hand. "Gemma, this is Pippa, my very best friend." Another girl who was laying on her stomach flipping through a sticker book of horses rolled over and sat up. If Felicity was pretty, this girl was super pretty. I'd never seen anyone with purple eyes before.

"Hello, Gemma." Pippa didn't smile at all. "Where did you get your dress?"

"Oh, this?" I looked down at my favorite green outfit with the flowers on it. "My mom made it for me."

"That explains it, then." She smiled then, but it wasn't a nice smile. I didn't like it.

"Explains…what?"

"It explains why it looks so weird." She laughed and went back to her book. Felicity sat back down to the board game with the two other girls. "These are Cecily and Martha," she said without looking up.

"Could I play with you guys?"

"No." She still didn't look up. I felt my face get all hot like it did when I got caught climbing the counters to find cookies.

"Why not?"

"Because we don't like you."

"But…but…Mrs. Nightwing said…"

"Mrs. Nightwing said I had to tell you everyone's names. She didn't say I had to let you play with me." Felicity gave me a mean look. "Go away, new girl."

I felt my eyes fill with tears, and out of habit looked for my mother. In my absence, she had taken her leave. Trying not to cry, I made my way to a desk where another girl sat coloring. I sat down and put my head in my arms. She sniffled.

"My name's Ann."

It took me a moment to realize she was talking to me.

"Oh…hi. Mine's Gemma."

"Those girls are mean to everyone. It's okay." She picked up a purple crayon and kept making her picture.

"But I haven't done anything to them."

"You don't have to have done anything. They're like that anyway."

"Are they like that to you?" I asked, almost whispering. Ann paused and took out another pack of crayons. They were all snapped in half.

"They did that to my crayons just because I got the last chocolate milk at lunch last week," she answered. "But I'm used to it."

"Well, it's not very nice." I wasn't sad anymore, just mad.

"You're new here." I hadn't seen anyone coming, so I was surprised to see a boy with dark hair and huge eyes looking at me.

"Yes, I am. Are you?"

"Of course not. If I was, how would I have known you were new?"

"Oh."

"My name is Kartik. And you're Gemma."

"How did you know that?"

"All you have to do is listen when people talk, and then you don't have to ask as many questions."

"Oh. I never thought of it like that."

"Of course not."

"You say that a lot," I said, giggling.

"Of course I do."

"Kartik, where'd you go?" Another boy with big eyes came over, but his were gold. This was definitely a weird school…everyone had strange-colored eyes.

"I just came to say hi to Gemma."

"Gemma's the new girl!"

"Very good, Ithal." Kartik rolled his eyes. For a first-grader, he sure talked like he was a lot older. "Come on, let's go play with cars before you hurt yourself." And he was gone.

"How'd you make him talk?" Ann asked, eyes wide. "He hardly ever talks to anyone unless Mrs. Nightwing makes him."

"I don't know, I just sat down here."

No sooner did I get done saying that than another boy jumped into the desk next to ours and said, "I'm Simon Middleton, and I'm the smartest boy ever!"

"What makes you say that?" I asked quizzically.

"Because I am, silly. I'm the smartest, best boy in the whole class." He didn't say it in a mean way, he just said it like he thought it was true. It made me smile.

"And you're the prettiest. Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked, holding out a Gummy Bear. From across the room, I heard, 'Simon! You're supposed to be my boyfriend! Get back here!' And Felicity got up to run after him.

"Gotta go!" Simon sprung off his chair and took off towards the teacher's desk.

"Simon wants to be everyone's boyfriend," Ann informed me, drawing a flower. Then, so quietly I almost didn't hear her, she added, "except for mine." I didn't know what to say to her, so I just nodded.

"Class, it's time to line up to go to lunch," Mrs. Nightwing called. Everyone rushed to the door to get in line, where Mrs. Nightwing counted everyone and opened the door. I was behind that boy, Ithal, who wasn't very smart for a boy his age. He walked right into the water fountain. We got to the cafeteria, where lots of other kids from other grades were talking and eating. Some of the kids in my class went straight to the yellow class table, but I got in line with Ann, Kartik, Felicity, Pippa and a few others to buy mine. The lady handed me a cheeseburger, an apple, and some chips. I went down the line and picked out a strawberry milk, then handed the cashier the dollar my mother had given me to use.

Without asking, I followed Ann to the table. She was pretty much the only one who'd been nice to me, so I thought we could stick together.

Felicity, Pippa, Cecily and Martha sat as far away from everyone else as possible, but talked and laughed so loudly you could be sure they were right next to us. We finished eating quickly because as soon as we were done, we were allowed to go to recess, and I was so eager to play at that park. I couldn't wait to get on the swings.

Finally, Mrs. Nightwing let us go outside. Everyone scattered. Felicity and her friends left to play jump rope, and I started to the swings, but stopped when I saw a group of older boys. They looked mean, and I didn't know what to do.

"Come on, Gemma. We'll go find a swing." Kartik had popped up again, scaring me but relieving me. He took my hand and led me over, where he reached for one of the chains.

"What do you think you're doing, pipsqueak?" One of them laughed meanly.

"I'm grabbing a swing, what does it look like?"

"Sorry, but you know the rules, first-grade-baby. This swing-set is for members of the fifth-grade Rakshana club only."

"What does Rakshana even mean?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Oh, they're just a bunch of babies too. They named it after a character on that show Mouse Tales."

"Hey! Watch what you say, you little runt!" One of the other boys pushed him over.

"Stop it!" I yelled, stamping my foot. "You're not a nice boy!"

"Of course I'm not," he growled. "You better back off, squirt."

"I will not back off! You're just a big bully!"

"Well, if you like, I could push you too." He started to come in my direction. Without thinking, I repeated something I'd heard my mother say on occasion: "You will do NO such thing!" When he actually did push me, I was slightly surprised, but even more angry. I stood up and punched him in the stomach as hard as I could, like I had seem my dad do his car when it wouldn't start. He looked shocked and fell backwards.

"Don't ever push me again! Ever!" I screamed. "And leave Kartik alone too, or else!" With that, I grabbed him and stomped off to the jungle gym.

"That was really brave," he said, sounding very shocked. I just nodded again and sat up on one of the bars. He sat with me, and we watched everyone else play until Mrs. Nightwing blew her whistle.

When we went back in, I sat down with Ann, but Felicity came over, all smiles. I didn't expect to see her here, after the way she'd talked to me before.

"Ann, would you like to come look at stickers with us?" She didn't even look at me. "We saved some especially for you."

Ann didn't say anything for a minute, but then she looked happy and replied, "okay!" On her way, she turned and gave me a sad look. I just shrugged. It wasn't my fault, she was the one who'd told me they were mean. I took her crayons and started making my own drawing when I heard Felicity scream again.

"You took my ring! You did, I saw you!"

"No, no, I didn't! I would never! I didn't, I promise!" Ann looked so scared, I wanted to go hug her. I just didn't really know what was happening. Mrs. Nightwing rushed to their area.

"Mrs. Nightwing, she stole the ring my father gave me! I saw her do it!"

"Ann, did you take the ring?" Mrs. Nightwing asked gently.

"No! I wouldn't ever take her ring, I promise!"

"Well, look in her pocket! It's in there!" Felicity whined.

"Ann, dear?" Mrs. Nightwing gestured to her. "Please empty your pockets."

She turned her pockets out, and the ring fell to the floor! Everyone gasped, and Ann just looked so sad. I knew it wasn't her fault, because she hadn't even talked to Felicity until just then. The other girls all smiled, and I knew right then.

"Mrs. Nightwing, it wasn't Ann's fault! Felicity dropped it while she was skipping rope, and Ann just…just took it so it wouldn't get squished…people were jumping around so much, it would have been ruined…so it wasn't really her fault at all!" I couldn't believe I had just lied. My mother would have sent me to my room for a whole hour for making that up.

"Why didn't she give it back, then?" Felicity asked.

"She couldn't, because you wouldn't talk to her if she'd tried. Besides, she just wanted to wait till later so it wouldn't fall off again."

"Well, then, it seems as though you owe Ann an apology, Felicity," Mrs. Nightwing said sternly. "Next time, make sure they've actually stolen it before you tattle."

"I'm sorry, Ann," Felicity muttered, looking angry and holding out her hand for the ring. Everyone sort of calmed down and went back to what they were doing. I didn't feel very bad, actually, because Ann hadn't done anything wrong in the first place.

"You'll be sorry, little Miss Doyle," I heard Felicity say. I kept walking.

"Thanks for that, Gemma. No one ever stands up for me like that…especially not to her."

"It's no problem," I answered. "She had it coming to her."

During story time, when Mrs. Nightwing read us a Ramona book, Ann sat right with me. I was pretty sure we were friends by then.

After we were done reading three chapters, people's moms started coming in to get them. Ithal's mom took both him and Kartik home, and Felicity's dad picked up her and all her friends.

It seemed like ages before my mommy finally got there, and I ran to give her a hug.

"How did you like your first day, sweetheart?" She asked, brushing my hair out of my eyes.

"It was…a lot of fun," I said finally.

"Well, I'm so happy to hear that." She set me down. "How would you like to get some ice cream before we go home?"

"A whole lot!" I cried. "Can we get chocolate?"

"Of course."

I'm thinking of either doing the whole first-grade year, or just doing a chapter for each year. Like, the next one would be her in second grade, and so forth. Or just random school years. I don't know. But what I do know is, no one will know for sure unless you tell me what you think! 