Snap.

Rita gleefully pressed down on the camera's button, instantly capturing her three girls. Lori propped up a decent, if insincere, smile that she knew would please her mother. Leni contorted her lips into a shape that placed her teeth on display; it was far from natural, but Rita took it as a step in the right direction. And Luna eagerly grinned and her eyes gave off a flash of their one, far brighter than what the camera could produce.

"Can we go now?" Lori asked, the smile immediately dropping.

"Let's make sure we're all ready to go," Rita replied as she finished packing the bags and lunch boxes. Upon doing this, she distributed them to their proper owner. Shortly after, the four heard footsteps from the stairs. As they continued to secure their belongings, the sounds grew louder.

"Good morning everyone," a male voice said.

Luan and Lynn Sr. rushed into the kitchen and began raiding the fridge. Lynn Sr. emerged from behind him, carrying Lincoln in his arms and a grin on his face, "How's my big girls doing?"

"I'm going to school with Lori and Leni! I'm a big girl now!" Luna cried as she darted up to her father. To him, her daughter's smile was priceless. He handed Lincoln to his wife, who warmly embraced the infant. He then grabbed his third daughter by her armpits and gave her a kiss.

"Yes you are, but you'll always be my baby," Lynn Sr. said warmly, holding Luna high enough for their eyes to meet.

"Dad!" Luna exclaimed. She attempted to pout, but her lips slipped open and let out some loose chuckles.

Leni then started laughing, trying her best to mimic her sister's timbre and rhythm. Over the past few weeks, she had been trying out this mannerism and she felt she was starting to get better at it, much to her delight. Leni was ready to go to Mrs. Boxer and show off her chuckles and see how happy it would make her. Lori, however, sighed upon hearing her.

Lynn Sr. lowered Luna and allowed her to grab her things.

"Alright you three, I hope you all have an awesome first day of school!" he said, gazing at his two older daughters, who were further away, "I love you!"

As they finished grabbing their things, each of the three girls went up to their father as he gave them a kiss. Soon enough, they exited the house and boarded Vanzilla. Luna got in first, sat by the window, and strapped herself in. Then, Leni climbed over the cushions and crawled her way to the middle. Finally, Lori took the remaining seat and buckled up. The oldest girl then turned to Leni, sighed, and helped her sister secure her seat belt. Once Rita got herself ready, they were off.

During the ride, Leni found her eyes wondering around Vanzilla's interior. She thought about all the fun she had with Mrs. Egan, about how beautiful she was, and about how nice she was to her. It was sad when she had to say goodbye to her teacher on the last day of school, though; in fact, it seemed to her that many of the other kids had the face on the 'sad' card right before summer vacation began. But over that two month break, her mom had told her about how she would be having Mrs. Rowzanski for first grade.

"You'll get to do so many cool things with her. I know it will make you happy," she recalled.

Rita even got Lori to talk about the things she heard about Mrs. Rowzanski from the kids she knew that had her, to assure her that she was as nice and helpful as Mrs. Egan. By this point, Leni was ready to meet this 'mysterious' figure and begin the first grade.

"Leni," Rita said as she drove, "do you want to tell Luna about all the fun you had in kindergarten? Luna is gonna be with Mrs. Egan and I think she would love to hear what you have to say."

Leni gazed at her little sister, who in turn was looking at her. Memories of Mrs. Egan's class flooded her mind, yet she wasn't quick to run her mouth. For ten seconds, the two girls stared at each other, hearing nothing but Vanzilla grazing the pavement.

"Mrs. Egan is good...and pretty," Leni said. A pause, "She has a cute doggy named Blacky...I miss him...tell him about me and be nice to him...he likes to be hugged."

With the onset of another silent period, Luna internalized her sister's comments. Her smile, while present, had tight and tucked corners, as if she was trying to stop it from growing.

"That's really cool, Leni. I will say hi to him. And how do I make friends? I'm scared I won't fit in," Luna said.

"You will fit in...the room is big enough to have tables...and toys...and books...and kids inside," she answered.

Luna was confused. It wasn't the first time Leni gave responses like that to questions she (or any of her sisters) had asked. But that didn't drain the well of curiosity that flourished in the young girl.

"Who should I play with?" Luna asked.

Leni stared at her sister for an even longer period. It was long enough for Lori to step in and urge her to answer., yet it did no good. Eventually, Luna's anticipation started to mutate into impatience. And that's when Leni finally spoke.

"Blacky, Mrs. Egan...and Mrs. Boxer, but she only comes twice a week."

Luna kept her grin, although she was surprised by these revelations. She imagined that she would have gotten advice on types of kids her age, future friends that she would get to know as they climbed the educational ladder.

"Is there anything else I should know?" she asked.

"No..."

It was quiet for the rest of the car ride, which luckily was a short period. The three girls got out and Rita, following her usual first day routine, joined them. The mother had informed Lori the night before, so the gesture wasn't met with protest. Rita grabbed Leni's hand and the bunch entered those familiar doors for yet another year. Luna was the first to be dropped off; she beamed with joy as Rita gave her a kiss and allowed to enter Mrs. Egan's room. Next was Lori, who was embarrassed to be seen walking with her mom and little sister in the 'big kid' part of the school. Upon reaching Mr. Brown's room, she reluctantly accepted a hug before resigning herself to the classroom. After that, Rita led Leni all the way to Mrs. Rowzanski's room which, despite Lori's insistence on the contrary, was fairly close to the 'big kid' hallway.

The room was similar to Mrs. Egan's in some aspects. Like kindergarten, the room had a colorful rug, a bookshelf, and general art supplies (a feature that Leni noticed pretty quickly). But the big round tables were replaced with rectangular desks, no sleeping mats were in sight, and there wasn't a single stuffed animal to be found (which Leni was disappointed to observe).

"Good morning," a low, raspy voice said. A portly, middle-aged woman walked over and shook Rita's hand, "Nice to see you, Mrs. Loud," she said. Her dark eyes then veered down at the young girl and she smiled, "Hello. My name is Mrs. Rowzanski and welcome to the first grade. What's your name?"

A pause.

"Leni..."

The girl's shoulders stiffened and her head fell slightly. To her, this new face was nothing like Mrs. Egan's. Its eyelids were stained by powdery black mascara, its tan cheeks were blemished with a feverishly scarlet blush, and its chapped smile was marred by uneasy, mahogany lipstick.

"I was wondering if I could discuss some important matters before I take off," Rita said.

"Of course," she replied before looking back down, "Leni, why don't you find a seat a meet some of your new classmates."

The girl obliged and darted away from the adults, her posture still stifled. Indeed, a good chunk of the students had already arrived and taken their seats. It was a little difficult to find a desk that was at least two away from any one kid—not helping matters was the fact that the configuration was that of a U-shape where all the desks were bunched together—, so she settled for one in the back that was a whole unit away from a boy quietly sorting through his backpack. Leni dropped her own bag and slid into the cold, hard seat.

From there, she was able to hear her mom and Mrs. Rowzanski using words that were too big for her to know. She figured they were talking about her, though, since her name was uttered multiple times. She also picked out Mrs. Boxer's name, which was mentioned on several occasions. Aside from that, though, the minutes rolled by uneventfully. Some of the kids made small talk while others greeted for the first time.

"I thought Lori said that first grade was gonna be fun and stuff."

After her mom left and several kids filed into the remaining empty seats, Mrs. Rowzanski began the first day of school rituals. One by one, her classmates stood up and introduced themselves, yet their words went in one ear and and quickly out the other. It wasn't that she didn't like them—she often found other kids her age nice and respectable—, she just found it hard to follow what they were saying. She tried, but they spoke much faster than she could follow; even though she didn't show it, she was quite frustrated at herself for not understanding.

"I'm Leni and I...like Ducky."

She sat back down and replayed her words even as others got up and their words glanced past her limited attention. Before she knew it, Mrs. Rowzanski started talking again in her distinct accent. Unlike Mrs. Egan (who liked to remain in the center when addressing the class), this teacher preferred walking around the room. Leni used the moments when Mrs. Rowzanski was on one end of the chalkboard to lean towards it while casting her face to the opposite end; the neighboring students were quick to notice the abrupt shifting.

"Leni, is everything alright?" the teacher asked and it was at that moment that Leni discovered the extent of her new status quo. Mrs. Rowzanksi began walking toward her, taking advantage of the large space the U-shape of the desks created. As the middle-aged woman got closer, Leni shrunk in her seat, her eyes darted downward, and her mouth felt like it was about to eject bile and spit, "It's okay, you don't have to be scared of me. I'm a friend."

The nastiness clogging up her body persisted, even after hearing the teacher's soft voice. She refused to look up to see those nauseating colors and gag-inducing textures.

"Don't worry, Leni. I know the first day of school can be scary and there's a lot of new faces that you don't know, but that's all gonna change over time. These strangers will become friends and you'll feel better."

She then heard footsteps that faded slightly, encouraging her to look up to see the teacher's back turned. To her, things seemed to be better, for now.

Most of the morning was slow and unsettling for Leni. She was preoccupied with avoiding eye contact, something she usually did by force of habit. Today, however, required other means. Unlike when she was talking to other kids, she went out of her way to readjust her posture whenever Mrs. Rowzanski walked across the front and to stare at her desk whenever the teacher felt the urge to give the back some special attention. And while she didn't try to block out Mrs. Rowzanski's voice, the words failed to stick to her anyway. In a failed effort to make the time fly, she tried imagining scenes from The Land Before Time, as if she were at home watching the movie on TV. It was a long start to the first day.

"Alright kids, it's snack time!"

Leni was stuck in her seat, but seeing the others get up to head for their lunch bags was enough to peel her off. She trudged both when getting it and returning to her desk. She took out her favorites—animal crackers and sliced banana pieces—and placed them on the desk's surfaced. She hunched her form and started eating the animal crackers, her eyes fixated on the thin sliver of the tiled floor her desk allowed. In this position, the crackers' decent taste and delightfully crunchy texture were somewhat salvaged.

"Hi Leni."

And just like that, she felt queasy again. She stopped chewing and allowed the mixture of cracker and saliva to sit on her tongue. She refused to even move a muscle as the teacher kept speaking.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. Are you starting to feel better about first grade?"

Nothing. By now, Mrs. Rowzanski started to notice how frozen the student had become from the moment she opened her mouth.

"Leni, would you mind looking me in the eye? I think doing that will make it easier for you to talk to me."

It was like talking to a wall. She refused to move and the uncomfortable pangs were only accumulating. Her mouth was now completely filled with the cracker-spit solution, forcing her to swallow it all. Now she felt worse.

"Leni, can you please look up. I want to-"

"Go away."

Mrs. Rowzanski was astonished. She wasn't expecting a young girl like Leni to speak with such force. Those two words were like hammer strikes.

"What did you say?," she replied, now with more assertiveness.

"I want you...to g-go a-away from me," Leni replied. This time, though, she turned herself around, away from her teacher.

"That is very rude. Other kids don't want to play with you if you are rude. Now look at me and say you are sorry."

She remained there, though. She groaned and refused to look at that face.

"I don't wanna. I can't eat when looking at you. Your lips are gross."

Mrs. Rowzanski was at a loss for words. All this time, Leni had been avoiding her because she thought she was ugly. She had dealt with unruly students before—kids that yelled during class, ones that bullied others—and it was one of the costs of doing her job, especially after so many years. She understood that they didn't know any better, that it was her job to show them the way, and that someday they would move on from their childish tendencies. But none of those things ever stopped the sting of hurtful words no matter how much she heard them. After all, they really did cause pain.

"Very well," Mrs. Rowzanski said with wide eyes and tight lips. She then went to her desk and picked up the black landline phone. She knew the numbers of every room of the school and it didn't take long for her to press the proper combination.

Meanwhile, Leni wasn't sure how to feel. She was relieved to have that sight out of her eyes, thus allowing her go back to eating her crackers. But her revived tranquility was troubled by a inner weight she couldn't explain. It just felt bad. Without changing her face, she continued consuming her snack.

A knock was heard at the door and Mrs. Rowzanski marched towards it. For some reason, Leni suddenly found her teacher's face less ugly (the colors and textures didn't disgust her or ruin her appetite). Sadly, that didn't make it any easier for the girl to watch her teacher move with such gloom. It didn't help that she couldn't see who was on the other side of the door; Mrs. Rowzanski only opened it a crack and slipped through. Even with that display out of the room, Leni still slouched in her seat.

After a minute, the door re-opened but it wasn't Mrs. Rowzanski entering. Leni immediately recognized her as Mrs. Boxer and she was walking right towards her desk. She knew today was a Wednesday, but she wasn't expecting to see this person again so soon in the year. Even if she couldn't tag the expression to a card, she got shivering vibes from Mrs. Boxer as she approached her; the teacher's comforting aura that usually accompanied her presence was missing.

"Leni, come with me."

Even her voice lacked that easygoing tone and gentle air stream. Leni got up and bashfully followed Mrs. Boxer out of the room. It was only in that exit that she finally noticed how quiet the class had become. There were several mutters and whispers, but it paled to the chatter that had erupted when snack time began.

Once they were out in the hallway, Mrs. Boxer shut the door, but that wasn't the first sound Leni heard. Behind Mrs. Boxer was Mrs. Rowzanski with both her hands over mouth, muffling her shaky breathing and emphatic sobs. Black streams flowed from her watery eyes, an image that penetrated Leni's mind.

"Leni," Mrs. Boxer said, "Mrs. Rowzanski told me that you said something very hurtful to her. Is that true?"

The young girl stared at her crying teacher. Her heart suddenly felt very heavy and each audible whimper was like a dagger, yet she didn't know how to answer Mrs. Boxer's question. She felt like her body was full of sand, but her brain was empty.

"Mrs. Rowzanski said that you told her that 'her lips are gross' and that you wanted her to 'go away'. Did you say those words to her?"

The fresh memory miraculously materialized in her mind. From her position, which her feet had already clamped her down to, she slowly nodded her head. It was just what Mrs. Boxer had thought.

"Leni," she said, looking down at the first grader, "that is a bad thing to say to someone. You can't say to other people that they are ugly or gross. Now, you have made Mrs. Rowzanski very sad and that is not okay."

The 'sad face' card flashed in front of her eyes and it matched the look that Mrs. Rowzanski had. Leni felt her own face deflate, her own eyes widen, and her own mouth to drop. The floor didn't feel so sticky anymore. She didn't even need to think. She walked over to Mrs. Rowzanski ang wrapped her arms around the woman. The teacher immediately felt the embrace and looked down through her teary eyes to see a girl outwardly emanating remorse.

"Now what do you say?" Mrs. Boxer said, somewhat softer.

"I'm sorry," Leni said. Unlike a lot of things that came out of her mouth, this sounded genuine. It was one of the uncommon times where her voice was an accurate representation of how she felt.

"Thank you, Leni. I forgive you," Mrs. Rowzanski said with through her tight throat. The teacher smiled and began wiping her eyes of the running mascara. After clearing away the residue, she nudged at Leni, signaling the student to give her some space, "I'll let you and Mrs. Boxer talk out here. Once you're done, you can come back in."

Leni glanced up at Mrs. Rowzanski and allowed her to go back in the room. Then, she turned to Mrs. Boxer, who appeared to be back to her normal self.

"What you said right there was nice. And how do you think saying sorry made Mrs. Rowzanski feel?"

It didn't take very long to figure that one out.

"Happy."

"That's right," Mrs. Boxer said, giving her student a smile, "Now I don't want you to be rude to anyone. How would you feel if someone told you that your dress looked bad or your hair was ugly?"

Leni stared down at the ground. This required some more thought. It was quite hard to imagine someone being that mean to her in real life.

"Sad," she eventually said.

"I could imagine. Leni, you have to think about how others feel when you say things to them," she said, kneeling down to the girl's level, "Here's one way to think about it. Whenever you feel like saying something to someone, think about how you would feel if someone else said that to you. We can call it the golden rule."

As Leni processed those words, she was surprised to note how they were sticking. It was as if they were pushing their way through all the noise, the daydreams, the wind that funneled through her ears. She then thought about Luan and her joke book.

"She must be sad."

She darted her eyes to the tiles before looking back up at Mrs. Boxer. By now, Leni's mouth was somewhat agape.

"You are a nice kid, Leni. And I want to let you know that it's okay. You said Mrs. Rowzanski and she forgave you. But now that you know our golden rule, I want you to use it so that other kids will see you as the nice kid you are."

Mrs. Boxer then got up and opened the door.

"I hope you have a nice day and I will see you next week. Welcome back."

Seeing the open door, Leni re-entered the room and took her seat. Even with Mrs. Rowzanski nearby, she was able to eat her animal crackers. They tasted great.