On the outside, I looked excited. On the inside, I was terrified. It was my first day of kindergarten. I had never been to preschool or daycare. I’d never learned how to interact with kids my age. I was very nervous.

On that day I wore a pink shirt, tan capris, white sneakers, and a little nametag the school had sent in the mail. My mom drove me to Sweet Hill Kindergarten. She walked me inside. The teacher, an old lady named Mrs. Ruddy, greeted us.

“Welcome Amanda,” she said. “It’s good to have you here.”

I looked around the room. It was a large room. The back had a fridge, a sink, and a bathroom, with the door leading outside right nearby. There were two long tables and a rocking chair with a circle of cushions in front of it. That’s where we had story time. Then there were a lot of toys.

Kids were all around, talking and playing. They all new eachother from preschool. I knew no one. I was alone.

Mom hugged me goodbye. Mrs. Ruddy called over another girl.

“Alanna, show Amanda around, will you?” she said to the girl.

Alanna nodded, but when the teacher walked away she gave me a disgusted look and stomped off. I stood there by the door, feeling completely alone, completely friendless. No one came up to me and said “hello”; I was too shy to go up to anyone myself. Even a girl asked by the teacher to help me turned away.

I wanted to cry. A tear escaped my eye, and I brushed it away. I felt so small in this big room full of strangers. No one liked me. No one made me feel welcome. I wanted to go home.