1: The Beginning – Sugar Motta

So here I am, about to start my first day in an American High School… And I am fucking terrified. What if they can't understand my accent? What if they don't like me? Stop! Positive thinking! Let me introduce myself. My name's Ryan. Ryan Casey. I'm from Ireland. I live with my mam, two aunts, and my two Grandparents. So it's a bit of an eclectic bunch of people, but I like it. They're the best family I could have asked for. I never grew up with my dad. I see him sometimes but not a lot. Maybe that's why I get on with my family so well. They sometimes seem like they're trying to make up for the fact that my dads not here… But to be honest, I couldn't ask for a better group of people looking after me. I'm 14. I'm young for freshman year. But Irish schools and grades are handled differently, so I'm a freshman here in America… Lima, Ohio, to be exact. I found out I was moving from Ireland just before my 14th birthday, just when the summer holidays started there. My mam got a job, and my aunts were able to find work too. I was so angry at first. I would be leaving my friends behind. I don't make friends easily, because I'm so shy. Well to be honest. I'm really weird. I'm really shy, but I also love attention. So I'm a bit of a paradox!

But I'm ok with the move now I suppose. We moved here two weeks ago, I'm still settling in but at least I have one friend! If it wasn't for Sugar I'd be even more terrified of going to school today. I don't think I'd get out of bed! I met Sugar online. We got to chatting on twitter a few months back and became cyber friends. When I realised I was moving to Lima, Ohio, I told her straight away. That's the one thing that calmed me down about the move. Because I knew I had one friend here.

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Last week:

I closed the front door behind me and looked back at the mahogany door, glistening in the sunlight. I looked up at the frosted windows, stone walls, the old fashioned roof and I thought to myself Wow… I live here… It really is a fairytale house. I liked the house, a lot actually, more than I'd care to admit. But anyway, I was scared, because this would be my first time to walk in Lima by myself. But I was also so excited because I was about to meet Sugar for the first time! We had talked for months. We started talking when she retweeted something I had said about the amazingess that is Lady GaGa. And it was the start of an amazing little friendship! We talked most nights when I was in Ireland. About anything really. She told me about her parent's splitting up and how she only lived her father now. I told her about my own parents and my family issues. She told stories about guys that she liked and I did the same. She was so understanding when I told her about me being gay, And it was great to be able to talk to someone about it because I'm not out. And I was really touched that she told me about her Aspergers. But then I turned up outside of her house and wow was I surprised. There in front of me was wrought iron gates, a buzzer and a laneway leading to a building that can only be described as a mansion! I can't believe Sugar lives here! Maybe she gave me the wrong address? But then I heard a voice coming from the buzzer. A high pitched, nasally voice. "Ryan, you're finally here!" And with that the gates opened and I walked up the lane. This can't be right? But then the doors opened out popped a small skinny girl that I recognised straight away from her profile picture. Long light brown hair, a thin face, lightly tanned skin, slightly pointy nose and an extremely glamorous ensemble consisting of a tight black t shirt, leather skirt, bright pink tights and black high heels. "Ryan I'm so glad you're here! It's great to finally meet you!" She said. "It's great to finally meet you Sugar! Um, so you live here?" I replied. "Yeah I do… sorry I never told you… I'll explain later, but first let me give you the grand tour!" After the tour we went to her room and sat down on her pink fluffy four poster bed. "Ok so here's the sitch Ryan, I'm loaded. I have more money than most, if not all, of Lima, including you… Sorry, Aspergers" (That was gonna take some getting used to). "Anyways… my daddy has a really top secret job that he won't tell me about. And he pretty much buys me whatever I want. But he's hardly ever here. I'm usually here with the Nanny, like now. Just because I'm rich doesn't mean I'm popular. Sure people want me to buy them things and I used to do it. But then I realised that they were just using me… And then all of the 'friends' went away… But then I started talking to you… You appreciated me for me and you didn't care about my Aspergers. I decided to not tell you about me being rich, because I wanted you to know the real me… And I hope that you will still want to be my friend after I lied to you." I was shocked… And touched… I was her only friend? Well I suppose she's my only friend too… She really is such a nice person. She should have more… People can be so shallow about money and popularity… It wasn't like that in Ireland… "Wow, Sugar, I'm really sorry that people have been so mean to you… Of course I'd like to still be you're friend! I'd be honoured in fact! I don't care if you're rich or poor. You're a great person and we're gonna make people realise that! So… best friends?" I asked while giving her a cheeky grin. "Best friends" she smiled back and gave me a huge hug. "Actually" I said, we don't say best friends in Ireland, we have another word; BMA's… Best Mates Always… That's what we are". "Ok then BMA" Sugar replied as she started laughing.

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Present:

So I walked to the gates of Sugar's house at 8:30am and she was waiting outside for me. We decided to walk together on our first day in McKinley High. We were worried but still a little excited. "What if no one likes us?" She asked as we turned into the gates of the new school. "Then they don't like us I suppose. Hopefully they will, but sher look, if they don't then we still have each other. We'll be grand BMA" I said as I smiled to Sugar. I was terrified, what if no one likes us? But hey, this was a new experience; whether it is good or bad, I have a feeling it'll only be the start of my journey.