Part 1:

I was a freshman at Moreau in 1991-1992 with old friends drifting apart and few new people I felt comfortable being around. High school for me was off to a rough start and though I had some new friends, others around them treated me as some sort of hostile invader trying to push my way into their circles. These closed-minded individuals acted with unwelcoming immaturity. Being a freshman, I was a little awkward and a lot shy and found it unusual and a bit shocking to be thrust so quickly into this social experiment. It was like learning how to swim by being tossed into the deep end. At times, getting to meet new people seemed discouraging.

During my morning Spanish class I was seated next to an upperclassman for a few months, a sophomore. I don't remember the person to my left, I don't remember my teacher's name and I probably couldn't even remember three other people in that class, but I do remember the pretty girl to my right. She lit up the room. She was so easy to talk to. People were drawn to her; she was popular. She didn't treat me differently because I was younger or awkward or less popular. We laughed together. I looked forward to seeing her every morning. Erika made me feel welcome.