The New Girl
(1) Madison and I both had butterflies in our stomach. We fidgeted in our seats. We kept looking at the door. The teacher had told us we were getting a new student, and that new person would be here soon. Maddy hoped it was a girl. We wanted to have a new friend who would do fun things with us. Whoever it was, I hoped the new person would like us. I don’t know what we were so uneasy about; after all, it was the new person, not us, who would have to adjust to a new school and unfamiliar people. I had bent down to pick up a book I had dropped. That’s when I heard Maddy whisper loudly, "Ashlee, look!" Finally, the door was opening. The new student came in, and it was a girl. She had long, braided hair and a big smile. She seemed nice, just from the way she looked around at everyone and smiled. Madison and I smiled back at her.
(2) The teacher gave a lesson about adjectives. We talked about how to use them in a sentence and how they were different from adverbs. Soon, it was time for lunch. We all headed to the cafeteria, and Maddy motioned for the new girl to sit at our table. She gladly accepted. "What is your name?" I asked her.
(3) "Irene," the girl said.
(4) "I have never heard that name before," Maddy said.
(5) "I was named after my aunt," Irene said. "Madison and Ashlee are really pretty names! I like your nickname too, Maddy." She smiled at Maddy, who laughed.
(6) We talked about names for a while, and then we told Irene a little about how things worked at our school. Then, I asked her where she was from.
(7) "We moved here from Florida," she said. "My dad got a new job here. I miss my friends, and I wish that we were still near the ocean. I loved it when we could drive a short way and be at the beach."
(8) "Yeah, it must be hard leaving friends you know," I said. "You’ll make new ones, though." Maddy and I, who are always in sync, pointed at each other and nodded. This made Irene laugh and point at both of us! We all felt like we were becoming friends already. Maddy and I were relieved that the new girl was so nice. Later, we laughed at ourselves for being so nervous before.
