Growing up, I never actually had friends. The only friend I ever really had was Annabelle, and she wasn't there beside me. She was a penpal.
Truth be told, before I met Annabelle and got to be in the band with her, my life was fairly lonely. Sure, I did have my sisters... and I love them dearly, really I do, but it isn't the same as having a friend.
From the time I was seven years old, and was put into primary school, until I was twelve and gone into secondary school I might as well have been absolutely invisible. There was never a word spoken to me, nor an invitation to a party, and if anyone had spoken to me, it was only to make fun of me for being too short, too girly, too anything. Because my family was well off, the kids automatically assumed that I was a spoiled, rotten kid and didn't want anything to do with me.
After a few years, I was accustomed with the neglect and abuse. That is, all up until I was sent over to high school in America once I turned fourteen, away from my family. My first day of school was a whirlwind, I hardly remember it now.
My second day, though, more people talked to me than they had for a very, very long time. They were curious about me. They wanted to know me. The first question I received that day almost threw me off-guard. But I wouldn't realize until later that with that one question, I would find friends that would stay with me for most of high school.
"Hey. What are you drawing?"
Another of the new students had asked me while I was doodling in World History class. I didn't really answer him at first, only turned my notebook to show it to the boy, wordlessly.
"... Whoa, you're a pretty good artist," He commented as he saw it. A girl peeked over his shoulder to look at it. "Ooh, pretty."
I looked to my feet, blushing a little as I turned the notebook back toward me. "G-grazie..." I mumbled.
"'Grazie'? Oh, that means thanks, right? You're welcome. Uh...so I heard you transferred here recently? I'm Dominick, by the way."
Nobody ever followed up while they were talking to me before, so I was starting to get nervous. "Eh, y-yes... I transferred here yesterday. M-my name is Aeolos... It's n-nice to meet you.."
"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too," Dominick replied.
"Uhm, hey. I'm Blanky. Dominoes' friend. Welcome to the school," The girl who was peeping over Dominick's shoulder said. She had the most bizarre blue hair, but I had thought nothing of it. Perhaps she just dyed it, like my sister had dyed mine green on accident before I came to America.
While I was speaking with the two of them, another girl came over, sporting bright red hair. "Hi guys, I'm Belinda! Do you wanna be friends?!" She asked excitedly.
I admit, I was slightly frightened and cowered a bit behind my notebook. She was a really nice girl, but her energy was overwhelming to me at the time. "Y-you should be quieter... the teacher might hear you..." I said quietly.
"Wonderful! Sky, we have new friends!" The girl said, running back to her desk and gushing to her friend, presumably called Sky.
After the girl went away, I fell back into silently finishing the picture that I started until
the class was over. The class after that was Physical Education, and I was surprised that I even survived the beating that I had taken during a brutal game where everyone was throwing hard rubber balls at each other, and a manhandling from the gym teacher who didn't want me sitting around to draw.
