A/N: This is from Natalie's POV. I just had to write this...it was too cute! Julie is my OC. She shows up a LOT in some of my other fics...so...yeah...oh! Happy Tuesday!

Disclaimer: Yet again, I still don't own Next to Normal.

"But I don't want to start a new school!" 10-year-old Natalie whined as her father adjusted her winter coat.

"I know, Nat, it's hard at first. You'll meet new friends, new teachers, everything's gonna be fine, ok?" She miserably nodded as she ran out to catch the bus. She never had to take a bus to school before. She'd always walk to school with her father. But she remembered what she heard the principal saying to her parents at a conference. She was a nuisance and was expected to transfer immediately. The bus arrived at a huge brick building. The terrified girl trembled into the school. The lady in the office helped her to find her room. She entered only to find all her classmates sitting with their parents.

"Oh!" the young teacher said, noticing Natalie. "Boys and girls, I'd like to introduce your new classmate Natalie Goodman. She's new here and I expect the best behavior from you!" Natalie waved slightly, feeling her cheeks burn with a flush of red. "Um, where are your parents, dear?" Natalie shrugged, trying her best not to cry.

"It's career day. All the students get to bring in their parents for a day. Would you like to go call your mom?" Natalie shook her head. She headed back to the empty desk that was hers. A few of the students laughed as they saw tears pouring down her face. She threw her head into her arms in the desk so no one could see her cry.

The teacher sighed and said, "Adam, why don't you go next?" The boy nodded and dragged his father to the front of the room. He blabbered on about how his dad was a doctor. Natalie hateddoctors. All her life she'd been told that doctors are good people and that they're here to help you. She now knew that statement to be unbelievably false. If doctors could truly help you, then why couldn't they help her mother? Why couldn't they save her dead brother? she felt someone poke her arm. She lifted her miserable wet face to the person. It was a girl around her age. She had silky blonde hair that was put into a French braid. She smiled and said, "Hi!"

"Hi…" Natalie said back.

"Do you wanna sit with me at lunch today? My friend's absent. He'll be gone for a while. And I don't wanna be alone." She noticed that the girl's parents weren't there either.

"Why aren't you parents here?" the girl asked her.

Natalie sighed and said, "My dad's at work. He can't miss it. It's the only way we get money. My mom's in the hospital."

"For what?"

"She tried to…to kill herself again." Natalie stumbled on the word kill. The girl's eyes widened. "REALLY?!" Natalie shushed her and nodded.

"Why aren't your parents here?" she asked the girl.

"They're in court today. They're getting a divorce." Natalie rested her head on her desk.

"I'm surprised my parents aren't divorced yet. My dad's always so stressed…and my mom…well, my mom is a whole other story." the girl nodded and said, "That's how it was with me too."

"Really?"

"Yep. So are you still sitting with me at lunch today?" Natalie nodded, half-smiling.

"Awesome. I'm Julie." She held her hand out to Natalie.

"Natalie." She grabbed Julie's hand and shook it. Both girls giggled as the bell rang for lunch. "You know what, Natalie?" Julie asked as they walked to the lunchroom.

"What?"

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."