Jazelle stood just outside the classroom door, her legs bent slightly inwards as she tried to stop them from shaking, and listened. She had moved to South Korea with her family just a few weeks ago and this was her first day attending school there. The teacher was explaining to the class that she was African American, telling them to respect her culture and be proper representatives of their own. She couldn't bring herself to peek inside at first, but when the instructor suddenly called out her name, she had no choice but to enter the room.

"Everyone, before heading to study hall I want you to welcome your new classmate. Her name is Jajel McDonald."

Forcing herself not to smile at the teacher mispronouncing her name, Jazelle bowed. Her knees were still knocking together a little but she was able to walk to her seat. At least, she tried to but ended up tripping over her own feet and hitting the floor with a loud thud. She looked over her shoulder and saw one of her new classmates, a very pretty girl with large ribbon in her hair, was smiling. Her foot was turned out in the place she fell, assuring Jazelle that she didn't fall because of her own clumsiness. Of course, she had expected to deal with people like this. Before she could say or do anything, a boy's voice cut her off.

"You're not funny, Jae-In. That was rude."

Jazelle stood up, nearly bumping into the source of the voice defending her. A tall boy with shaggy brown hair put a hand on her shoulder, turning her towards the door. Most of the students had left for study hall, Jae-In and her friends being the few who stayed behind. The boy smiled and walked out of the room with her as Jae-In scowled, turning back to her friend Miyoung. As they left the room, he introduced himself.

"I'm Hansol. I was actually born in the USA too, so you can speak English around me if you want. What's your name? Where are you from?"

Anxious, she looked away from him. It wasn't like she didn't want to thank him, she was just so uneasy around people. After a few minutes of silent walking, he asked again.

"Are you anxious?"

Taken aback, she immediately turned and looked him in the eyes.

"What?"

"You look anxious. I figured talking to people must be hard for you, huh? Don't worry about me! I'm a pretty cool guy!"

"Okay..."

Her hesitation must have been funny to him, for a reason she couldn't imagine, because he laughed.

"You don't really sound convinced. That's fine. What's your name? I know Miss Kim didn't say it right."

"Jazelle."

"That's pretty. Where in the USA are you from?"

"Flint...Michigan..."

"Wow, I heard a lot of crazy things about that city. You seem really sweet in comparison."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN???"

Jazelle wasn't in denial about her city being the most violent of places in the USA, but it was her home and there was plenty to love about it. Hansol, however, didn't even flinch when she started yelling.

"I knew it! I had to see if I could get you to raise your voice, it wasn't even hard."

"You ."

"Hey, instead of study hall, you wanna see the school's basketball court? Our team will be practicing today after school."

"I was going to read for a while before first period...but maybe I could stop by after school?"

Hansol looked like he was about to laugh again but when she looked up at him, he was petting her on the head. She flinched under his hand, surprised by his sudden touch, and felt her face become very hot.

"I won't let you forget, okay? Jazelle, you have to promise to come and watch the practice after school. It starts right away."

Jazelle heard about the pressure on students to get high marks in school and wondered how smart Hansol must be if he has time for sports. Smiling a little to herself, she agreed.

"Alright, I promise."