Lily's POV

"If you need anything - anything at all, Lily - find me," Asher looks at me with concerned eyes as we walk into the school building. "Do you want me to walk to class with you?"

A part of me wants to be independent and say no, but the rest of me disagrees. "Sure, Ash."

We walk down the hallway of Third through Sixth grade. "I can always show these kids what they're messing with," Asher says, not quite sounding like himself, sounding rather angry.

"No, Asher, I'll see how things go for a few days," I give a sly grin. "But, if things still aren't going well soon...go ahead."

He laughs, a sound I have always loved hearing. We continue our way to my classroom, and I try to ignore the giggles I hear. Why is everyone laughing at me? I glance to the left and right to discover they are all girls a few grades older than me, probably in Sixth grade, and they are instead gaping at Asher with big smiles. "Hi!" A dark-haired girl, flanked by two others, one red-haired, the other blond-haired, hops up to Asher. "Are you new? In Sixth grade, perhaps?"

I feel an odd, burning fury that I am not used to begin to bubble inside of my stomach. "No," I say, sounding more rude than I had intended. "He's older than you." The girl rolls her eyes and looks at her two friends. "So, what's your name?" She asks Asher.

"Asher," He smiles. "And yours?"

The dark-haired girl flips her shoulder-length hair back. "I'm Mila. The ginger one is Hani, and the blondie is Jocelyn. Asher," She says it strangely, like Ahhh-shehr. I think the administration might have said his name the same way, the strange pronunciation. Maybe this is just the way some people pronounce his name. "Asher, cute name. So, how about sitting with us at lunch? You're new, right? You need someone to sit with."

I cringe. "Sorry, but I'm going to sit with my best friends - Haim, Levi, Meir," Asher puts an arm protectively on my shoulder. "And Lily."

"Oh, really?" Mila's eyes narrow at me.

"You can sit with us if you want," He suggests. He thinks they want to be friends, but they don't seem to want friendship. Are all boys to oblivious to such things as the actions of these three girls?

Please say no, please say no...I hope in my head. "Uh, sorry, thanks, but no thanks," Mila turns away, followed by Jocelyn and Hani.

In my first class, Math, I enter and immediately attempt to score a seat in the back, but the chairs are taken by five girls, all of whom had tortured me yesterday. I sigh and sit in the front. The five girls giggle.

"Sorry, Charlie!" One of the girls laughs, a girl named Zilpah with a wide stomach, who had enjoyed my first day of school the most of anyone yesterday.

"Too slow!" Another, Bilha, twirls her blond pigtails as she mocks me.

It's going to be a long day.

Asher's POV

At lunch, I sit with my four best friends. "Hey, Ash, are you playing basketball? Tryouts next week!" Haim asks excitedly.

I tilt my head. "What's basketball?"

"W-What's b-basketball?" Levi repeats, aghast.

"Dude, it's the best thing you might ever do!" Meir slaps my back.

"W-We gotta sh-show you!" Levi cries out.

"Later today? After school?" Haim suggests. "My house. I have the best hoop in my driveway."

"Lily, I have a sister around your age, too!" Meir turns to Lily. "She's eight. You're nine, right? Well, you can play with her! You'd like her - definitely."

She smiles appreciatively, which I suppose means yes.

"Oh, look, it's Ash," A taunting voice says behind me. "Where's Pikachu?"

I turn to see a big, squishy round face framed by dark hair grinning a sick smile at me, leaving me to wonder what a Pikachu is, but I think he insulted me. "Get away, uh..."

"-Avi," Meir stands up. "Get away, Avi."

"Y-Yeah," Bashful Levi agrees, turning red in the face.

The enormous boy, Avi, approaches Levi. "Make me, Little Levi. Make me." Levi timidly steps closer and brings his knee into Avi's rotund stomach. Avi doubles over, gasps, gives me a final shove, and hobbles away, clutching his abdomen.

It's going to be a long day.