The first day I ever saw Michael was in English. I was sitting tiredly in the back staring at my nails, a pearly white with light blue dots when the door opened and our English teacher cleared her throat, "Class this is Michael Oher make him feel welcome please." We all gave the standard response of "Hello Michael." We were all thinking the same thing, who was this huge black boy. He was big, and black and didn't belong in our totally white school. It was the freakiest thing since the sophomore who got bumped up a grade (me).

There was one seat left, the one next to me. I sat in the very back second row and the only seat was very back corner. Michael came back holding his book like a foreign object that would bite him if he held it too close. He sat down and I gave him a small smile before turning back to facing forward.

Then he was in my science, and math class. After math I caught up with him in the hall, "Hey."

"Hi." He replied back barely looking at me.

I opened my mouth a bit taken back, he almost seemed to be acting like he was better then me. I wanted to slap him but at the same time I wanted to hug him. I felt sorry for him and didn't at the same time, complicated right? Finally I managed, "So we have the first half of the day together, want to eat lunch together to top it off?"

"No thanks." Then he walked off. Just like that. I wanted to scream.

At lunch I sat down in my corner and my best friend Samantha, Sam for short, sat next to me. "Your thinking Hallie, what about?"

"Michael Oher."

"New kid. Huge. Black. Odd seeing?"

"Don't call him odd! He's just quiet. He seems like he could be a nice kid. He's got potential."

"Hallie, you'd see potential in a half dead flea bitten mutt." Sam bit into her sandwich and I pushed my spaghetti around not hungry.

"Maybe."

"Maybe my ass, please don't get involved I'm begging you Hal. There isn't anything there but disappointment."

"You don't know that!"

"No I don't, but I know that all mutts snap on the people who try to cage them."

"Not-"

"Okay we're shutting up now. Because now we're talking about how jealous we are about Tanner's new girlfriend Collins." Bree my other best friend, the one with all the gossip came bouncing up her blond hair perfect and her make up making her looking beautiful. She was easy to be jealous of but, she was one of my besties so I wasn't.

"The Tuoghy girl?" Sam asked curiously. She flipped her head so that her red hair got out of her pretty green eyes. Sam was the same as Bree she just didn't have to try as hard. She was pretty without a trace of make up on and barely touching her hair with more then a flat iron and a small amount of hair spray.

"Yeah!" Bree said.

"No way!"

"Way!"

I stopped paying attention and looked around for Michael but couldn't find him. Maybe I'd have another class with him. Did I want another class with him?

I knew the answer and it surprised me.