Sean O' Cullen took a deep breath as he approached Lester B. Pearson Middle School on his first day of grade 8. "You can do it, O' Cullen. You've been to school before… who cares if you're from Cape Breton? Schools aren't that different in cities, right?"

Puffing out his chest with confidence, Sean walked through the front doors. Instantly, a plethora of sounds met him. Kids chattering, either to each other or on cell phones, lockers slamming, announcements blaring.

Sean frowned. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Good thing you're not doing this alone, bud."

Sean felt relief wash over him as he looked up at the face of his friend, Makwa "Mikey" Deere. The chipper Chippewa had welcomed Sean to the neighborhood, to Toronto itself. He was a tall, stocky teen who had a talent for music and art. He was also very anti-confrontational, a stark contrast to the short-tempered Sean. Not that Sean ever got into fights. His parents taught him that anger was a beast that needed to be caged. And that cage was kept under lock and key within Sean's spirit.

"Got your schedule?" Mikey asked.

Sean pulled it out. "Algebra, Art, Health, French, which I don't see the point in since je parle français grâce à ma mère, P.E, and rounding out the day with History."

Mikey grinned. "First-period Math? Is the teacher Mr. Kieslowski, by any chance?"

Sean nodded slowly. "Yeah… why?"

Mikey's grin didn't falter. "Because Meilin Lee's in that class."

Sean blushed hard at the thought of Meilin Lee, the girl he'd met on the Mira back in Nova Scotia. She had promised to show him around Toronto. They had e-mailed soon after Sean had settled in. Mei had ended her most recent e-mail with "XOXO, Mei", which only served to make Sean even more nervous at the prospect of seeing her again. "Oh… great," he murmured.

Mikey, noticing his friend's sudden redness, gasped. "Oh, man… do you… like Mei?"

"Y-yeah, of course, I do. She's my friend." Sean countered.

Mikey gently nudged him. "Not what I meant."

Sean pushed his friend's hand away. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

Hey, no need to get defensive, bud. Everyone has a crush at some point," Mikey stopped, his eyes straight ahead. "Speak of the Devil…"

Sean followed his friend's gaze to the end of the hall. An Indian girl in a yellow sweater with glasses and a nose piercing was reading one of those "Nightfall" books as the world passed by around her. "Oh. That's your crush, huh?"

Mikey nodded. "Her name's Priya. She's a friend of Mei's."

Sean chuckled. "Didn't know you were the "tall, dark, and dorky" type."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Nova Scotian." Mikey teased. The two boys started playfully shoving each other until the bell rang. "Crap, the first period's about to start! Kieslowski's class is down the hall, the second door on the right. Meet me in the cafe at lunch! Good luck!" Mikey joined the throng of students and was gone.

Sean shrugged. "Let's do this." As he walked down the hall, his hand touched his chest. Under his heavy green coat, he could feel the crucifix he wore. "Lord Jesus, guide me. Grant me the strength of heart and wisdom… especially in Math," he whispered. "You know it's my worst subject…"

He walked through the door. "Ah, you must be our new student," Mr. Kieslowski smiled.

Sean nodded. "Sean O' Cullen, sir. Ready to learn."

"Sean?" A girl with dark hair and round glasses looked up from her desk. Sean recognized her with a smile.

"Hi, Mei. Nice to see you again," Sean smiled and sat across from her. "Ready to help a kid from Cape Breton get used to city life?"

Mei squeezed his hand. "I told you I would, so I will."

"So, Mei, this is the guy you were telling us about?" The girl next to Mei asked.

"Yup. Sean, this is Miriam, one of my besties. Miriam, this is Sean, the boy I met on the Mira." Mei introduced them.

"What's up?" Miriam geld out a fist. Sean bumped it.

"Not much. Let's get this class over with. I'm trash at Math." Sean admitted.

"Hey, me too. But that's why we have Mei. She's super smart." Miriam bragged.

Mei blushed. "Aw, come on, guys…"

"Hey, be proud of who you are, Mei. You were made this way for a reason. Embrace it." Sean smiled.

As Mei blushed and Mr. Kieslowski called for everyone's attention, Miriam looked from Mei to Sean and back. If she didn't know any better…

—

When Math class got out, Mei hugged Sean tight. "This is your official Welcome to Toronto hug. See you later?"

"I'll be having lunch with Mikey if you and your friends want to join us." Sean offered.

"Mikey? As in Mikey Deere?" Miriam grinned. "I think Priya would like that."

Mei rolled her eyes. "Miriam, leave it alone. If Priya likes Mikey, she'll tell him on her own time."

So Priya liked Mikey back. Sean smiled to himself. He briefly debated sharing this info with his best friend, but, Mei was right. It was best to leave matters like that alone.

The rest o the day passed by rather mundanely. Sean was right to assume that school wouldn't be that different. Aside from the size of the school and the number of students, the subjects were the same. As expected, French was a cakewalk. His mother, who had been born in Quebec, had taught him the language early on. The art class was interesting. Sean learned about the Renaissance period and tried to replicate the style in a self-portrait. It looked more like Mr. Fantastic under a heat lamp.

When lunchtime rolled around, Sean made his way to the cafeteria. As he walked into the large room, a short, round girl dressed in purple raced up to him. "Hey! Are you Sean?" she demanded.

"Who's asking?" Sean asked nervously. This girl unnerved him. She was so… hyperactive.

"I'm Abby! Mei's other best friend!" Abby grabbed Sean's hand. "Come on!" she pulled Sean through the cafeteria until they were at a table occupied by Mei, Miriam, and the girl Sean had seen earlier that morning, Priya. Priya eyed him. "You're Mikey's friend." she droned.

"Yeah. The name's Sean," Sean looked around, trying to find Mikey in the crowd. "Is he around?"

"Yeah, he should be here by now. I told him we'd be sitting at this table." Mei said.

Miriam nudged Priya. "Maybe he's shy."

Priya lightly blushed. "Miriam, quit it. He probably doesn't like me like that anyway."

Sean winced. He knew that Mikey did indeed like Priya like that. But it wasn't his place to discuss it.

Luckily, Mei took his hand, sending a shock through his system that snapped him out of his moral dilemma. "So, Sean, tell us about yourself. What do your parents do?"

Sean smiled. "My dad's a Registered Nurse. That's why we moved here. Better opportunities in the city than on Cape Breton. And my mam… well, on Cape Breton, she was a cop. Now she wants to join the RCMP."

Miriam whistled. "That's cool."

Mei nodded. "Your parents sound successful."

"And awesome!" Abby cheered.

Priya raised an eyebrow. "If your mom joins the Mounties, you know that means you might not see her much."

Sean nodded. "That was one of the first things she told me. But she knows the risks, as do I. Besides, my mom's awesome. She'd make one heck of a Mountie."

Miriam crossed her arms. "So, what kind of music do you listen to?"

Mostly Irish or Celtic stuff. It's my heritage, after all. But I also like Rush, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Green Day…"

"4Town?" Aby asked hopefully.

Sean shook his head. "No. I don't quite… get them. I mean, they're called 4Town, but there are five of them."

The 4 girls groaned. "Why does everyone point that out?" Miriam sighed.

Mei looked at Sean with a smile. "Ah, well, we can overlook that little flaw."

Sean laughed. "Good, I'm glad."

—

When lunch period ended and Sean reported to the gym to dress out for P.E, he was approached by a rather unsightly boy with a brown afro and braces. "Hey, newbie, I saw you talking with those losers earlier."

"If you mean my friends, then yes, I was talking with them. What gives you the right to call them losers?" Sean instantly did not like this kid. Bullies made his blood boil.

"The name's Tyler. Anyway, I heard you talking at lunch about your mom wanting to join the RCMP. You know she's got no chance right?"

Sean's fists clenched. "And… what makes you say that?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"She's from some crappy island on the edge of Canada. What kind of laws do they have there? Don't drive your horse past 5 kilometers an hour? She's barely a cop. She'd get killed in the RCMP." Tyler sneered.

Sean's temper flared. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like a bodhran. His blood boiled in his veins. Tyler deserved to be thrashed…

Sean took a deep breath and let it out. He glared at Tyler. "Care to say that to her face? Her beat's just down the street. I can introduce you after school."

Tyler studied Sean's face, looking for his bluff. But there was none. Without another word, Tyler turned and walked away.

—

At the end of the day, Seam retrieved his belongings from his locker. Tyler's words still bounced around his head, filling him with sheer anger. He slammed his locker door shut.

"Hey, Sean. Everything okay?" Sean turned to see Mei behind him, looking worried.

Sean shook his head. "Not even close, Mei. This hoser named Tyler was talking trash about my mom. He said women from Nova Scotia couldn't be Mounties. They barely count as cops."

"Oh, Sean, I'm so sorry," Mei hugged him. "But you should take what Tyler says with a grain of salt. You said yourself that your mom would make a great Mountie. Who would know that better than you?"

Sean calmed down. "How do you do it, Mei? You calm me down as fast as my mom does. And you've never met her."

Mei giggled. "It's women's intuition," she blushed. "I'm really glad we're in school together."

"Yeah, me too," Sean grinned. "So when can I come over to hang out at your house?"

Mei sighed. "My mom would never allow that. You're a boy."

Sean shrugged. "Guilty as charged. But I need help with that algebra stuff. Math was never my strong suit."

Mei grinned. "Luckily, it's mine. Looks like you got yourself a tutor, Sean."

—

The duo traveled to Mei's home in Toronto's historic Chinatown, which was on the opposite side of the city from Sean's apartment. Sean, who had gotten a cell phone for his 12th birthday, had called his parents and told them he was studying with a friend and would be home for dinner. Mei was surprised. "Your parents are just… cool like that?"

"I'm very trustworthy. An O' Cullen keeps his word." Sean replied.

As they approached Mei's modest home, the front door opened and Mei's mother, Ming stood there, a cross look on her face. "Mei, what is this… boy doing here?" she demanded.

Sean bristled a little at the way the word "boy" was spat as if it was an insult. But he kept his cool and he bowed. "My name is Sean, ma'am. Mei volunteered to tutor me. Math is not my strongest subject."

Ming glared at him. "Do your parents know you're here… Sean?"

Sean nodded. "I promised I'd be home by dinner. I'll be gone by sundown. You have my word as the eldest son of Clan O' Cullen."

Ming studied him. "Hmm… you look… familiar." She snapped her fingers. "You were talking to Mei a few days ago, back on the Mira riverbank!"

"Yes. That was the day before my family moved here. Better opportunities for my folks." Sean replied. His tone was wistful.

Ming softened. He missed his home. She knew the feeling. "Well… as long as you study in the living room where I can keep an eye on you both…"

Mei nodded. "Of course, Mom." As the two walked into the house with Ming behind them, she began to worry. Sean seemed trustworthy, she could see it in his eyes. But, he was still a boy, so close to her Mei-Mei.

Sean and Mei sat on the living room couch and pulled out their homework. "Ok, so what about algebra is confusing you?" Mei asked.

"Well, sometimes, I get the x-and y-axes mixed up. And even that little mistake can screw me up big time." Sean fretted.

"Hey, breathe," Mei squeezed Sean's hand. "It's okay. I'm here to help."

Ming watched as her little girl explained algebra to her friend slowly and in terms that he could understand. "The y-axis is vertical, the x, horizontal."

Sean traced a finger across his notebook from right to left. "Horizontal, like the horizon," he traced a line using a protractor. "Vertical, bisecting the horizon." he traced another line, creating a line graph.

Mei beamed. "Perfect! Now, if I gave you an equation, could you plot some points?"

Sean nodded. "I think so."

To both their delights, Sean was able to do just that. "Hey, look, a positive incline," Sean noted.

"Way to go, Sean. You got it! Gimme five!" Mei hi-fived her friend.

Sean smiled. "Mei, I owe you big time."

"What're friends for?" Mei replied.

"Still, I feel like I owe you a favor," Sean rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe I can… bring over some of my dad's soda bread or corned beef?"

Ming raised an eyebrow. "What are those?"

"Irish foods. Soda bread is really sweet. It goes great with coffee or tea. Corned beef is dry, stringy meat. Takes hours to make, but it's delicious! It's usually served with cabbage and steamed veggies on the side."

Mei shook her head. "That's nice to offer, Sean, but you don't owe me anything. I'm just helping a friend. You'd do the same for me."

"Except you don't need my help studying, do you?" Sean gestured to Mei's backpack. Her perfect marks were peeking out.

"Well, no, but you'd help me with something else, wouldn't you?" Mei asked.

Sean nodded. "I would. If you truly needed my help." Sean looked out the window. The sun was going down. "Oops, looks like our time's up. I gotta get home." He packed his things and headed for the door. Before leaving, he bowed again. "Mrs. Lee, thank you for allowing me into your home. It was a pleasure to meet you."

When he left, Ming sat next to her daughter. "Your friend is very respectful."

Mei nodded. "He's a nice guy. He's new around here. I just feel like he needs someone to help him get used to the big city."

"And to help him with his grades, hmm?" Ming pulled Mei close. "I'm proud of you, Mei-Mei."

"Thanks, Mom."