Chapter One
Amrita Yadav tried to follow the guidance counselor’s directions as she navigated through the unfamiliar halls searching for her homeroom. The throng of other students jostled her in their rush not to be late, making it impossible for her to see the numbers on the doors. The bell rang and the halls lined with colorful art work and posters were suddenly empty and silent.
Relieved, Amrita started searching for the room number on the piece of paper in her hand. She was so caught up in looking for her homeroom that she didn’t see Garfield High School’s star quarterback until she bumped into him. Amrita fell back and landed on her butt, spilling her books all over the hall.
“I am so sorry,” she said several times in her thick Indian accent. Her long black braids bounced against her back as she scrambled to pick her stuff up off the checker tiled floor.
“Hey, it’s okay. Are you hurt?” Tom Flanders asked as he squatted down next to her. She blushed as she realized he was staring at her.
“No, I am fine, thank you,” Amrita answered nervously. She was not used to be spoken to so casually by a male.
He helped her to stand. “My name’s Tom Flanders. You must be new.”
“Thank you,” she replied, speaking slowly so he could understand her. “Yes, I am new. My name is Amrita.”
“Would you like help finding your classroom?”
“Yes please, and thank you,” she answered. Amrita peeked up at him. He was tall with broad shoulders and a slim, muscular figure. His blonde hair made him look like a movie star and he had beautiful blue eyes. His smile seemed to light up the already bright hallway. She had only seen people who looked like him in the movies; she didn’t think they actually existed off the silver screen.
“What homeroom are you in?” he asked. Amrita handed him the slip with her class schedule on it. “Oh! You’re in my homeroom. Right this way. Afterwards I’ll get walk you to your next class, too, if you’d like.”
“Yes, thank you,” Amrita answered softly as she followed a few steps behind him as would be traditional in India.
“What are you doing back there?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. Tom slowed to let her catch up. Amrita blushed as she tried to walk next to him. In India she would never have dared to do that.
When they got to the classroom Tom waited for her to enter then went up to the teacher’s desk. “Sorry for being late Mr. Smithson, I was helping Amrita. She was lost,” he explained before the teacher had a chance to say anything.
“Thank you Tom, how convenient for you,” Mr. Smithson said sarcastically then turned to Amrita. “Welcome Miss Yadav, please find a seat.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Amrita replied softly and sat in the first desk that was empty. Everyone in the classroom was staring at her. She looked down at her books as she listened to the morning announcements, trying to understand all the words. She tried to write down a list of words to look up later.
The bell rang and everyone stood up to go to their next class. Tom waited for her in the hall and she followed him to her next class—English as a Second Language (ESL). She had a difficult time trying to keep from losing him as he quickly weaved through the crowds.
“Thank you,” she said before slipping into the class.
Amrita was grateful that Tom had been willing to help her find her class; she would have been helplessly lost without his guidance. The bell rang again and the teacher took attendance, then introduced her to the class, which was made up of her and two other girls who primarily spoke French.
“If you’re having any trouble understanding your classes or need help with definitions, this is the place to ask. All the students in here are learning English well enough to be able to be successful in their classes,” Mr. Dawson explained as he handed her a Hindu-to-English dictionary.
Amrita sat down and looked up the words from homeroom. The announcements made so much more sense now. The rest of the class she listened to the questions the other students had.
Just after the bell rang, Tom appeared in the doorway. “Time for English,” he said. Amrita had to run as she tried to follow him to her next class. “See you after class.”
All the chairs but one were filled by the time she got there. She pulled out her notebook like the other students. Her teacher, Mrs. Bates, handed her a textbook and a copy of the book they were reading.
Amrita tried to write notes as the teacher talked but she soon found herself very behind. She hoped the textbook would have the information the teacher was giving them. Or that Mr. Dawson would be able to help her understand it better in ESL class tomorrow.
When the bell rang she closed her notebook and looked for her schedule but couldn’t find it anywhere. Without it she had no idea what her next class was. “Ready to go?” Tom asked as he came up behind her. She jumped and nearly dropped her books on the floor again.
“Your next class is on the next floor so we’re going to have to hurry,” Tom said.
“Do you have my schedule?” she asked as she tried to keep up with him.
“Yeah, so I know where you need to go. You have health now with Mrs. White. She’s a creepy old lady,” he replied as they ran up the stairs.
“What is creepy?”
“You’ll see. We have the same class afterwards so I’ll be back to show you how to get there.”
“Oh! Thank you,” Amrita replied.
She wondered why this movie star boy was being so nice to her but didn’t have time to think about it for long as she slipped into the classroom and found an empty seat towards the back. When the teacher turned around, Amrita was confused. The teacher looked like a normal older woman. Was that what creepy meant? Somehow she didn’t think so. She would have to remember to look it up later.
“For the rest of this semester we will be learning more about the birds and the bees and how not to become a statistic,” Mrs. White said. Amrita looked confused. The birds and the bees? I thought this was health class!
“Today we’re going to do a survey. Do not put your name on it and answer every question honestly. I will be using the survey to determine what materials we need to cover,” Mrs. White said as she passed out the papers to everyone in the class. “No one else in the class will know how you answered the questions and the information will not be shared with parents or anyone else. I will be the only one looking at the results.”
Amrita quickly read over the survey; the questions were all about sex, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. What does this have to do with health?
Her face was flushed as she answered questions about being sexually active and when she first had sex then she answered the other questions. When she was done she turned her paper over and stared at the books on her desk.
Any kind of sex education was illegal in many parts of India and having to answer questions about it made her very uncomfortable. Arjun and his parents would not understand why she had to take this class and would be very upset if they knew about it. Thankfully no one had told them what the class entailed! She would have to find a way not to let them find out. The idea of lying about her class made her feel badly but she knew there was no way they would understand.
The rest of the class was spent going over the anatomy of men and women’s sexual organs. Amrita quickly realized how little she knew despite having been a wife for six months. Her mother had left her woefully uninformed and she wondered how her mother had gotten so far in life without seeming to know even these basics or thinking to share the information with her if she knew it.
If her mother had told her more then perhaps the first few weeks of her marriage might have gone much better. She cringed as she thought about how scared and ill-prepared she’d been about sex. Arjun’s inexperience hadn’t helped matters either. Amrita was relieved when the bell rang and she could leave those thoughts and the class behind.
Tom was waiting for her as promised. They quickly made their way down the hall to math class. Tom tried to talk to her but soon gave up when he couldn’t hear her quiet voice over the noise in the hallways.
When they got to class Tom sat down in his usual seat and motioned for the guy sitting next to him to move so Amrita could sit there. The guy was the complete opposite of Tom — heavyset and not much taller than her with red spots all over his face and sweating profusely. He groaned but didn’t argue. She wondered what sort of power this quarterback had that he could simply get others to move without speaking.
“Thanks buddy,” Tom said then opened his textbook to the page listed on the chalkboard. Amrita leaned over and looked at the page and nearly laughed aloud. She had learned this stuff two years ago. She sighed with relief; at least there would be one class she wouldn’t have to work very hard.
“Welcome to the class Amrita,” the Ms. Wilton said as she approached her. “Here is the textbook. If you have any questions, just raise your hand or see me after class.”
“Thank you,” Amrita replied. She opened the book to the page listed on the blackboard. While others worked on the problems listed on the board on paper, Amrita figured them out in her head then wrote the answer on a piece of paper from her notebook.
The teacher walked around the class as they worked. She stopped at Amrita’s desk and looked over her paper. “There are only answers,” Ms. Wilton said. “Where is your work?”
“Work?”
“Yes, you need to show on the paper how you got the answer.”
“Oh,” she replied as her face turned bright red. “I am sorry Ma’am. I did not understand.”
“Why don’t you go up to the board and show us how to get the answer to problem one since you’re the only one who answered correctly.”
Amrita looked up at the teacher nervously. “Yes ... yes, Ma’am.”
She hated going in front of the class. In her school in India she had been teased for always knowing the answer, especially by the boys as they didn’t appreciate being shown up by a girl. Everyone’s eyes were on her as she picked up the chalk and started to solve the problem. Amrita waited for the whispered negative comments but there were none as she quickly wrote out the solution to the problem.
“Very nice Amrita. You may sit down,” Ms. Wilton said. “Who would like to show us how to solve the next question?”
Amrita smiled at the unexpected praise then scurried back to her desk and sat down. She quickly did the math problems again, writing out her work on the paper this time. While she was watching the other students do the problems on the board, Tom handed her a note.
“You’re really good at math!” the note said. Amrita smiled. Math was one of her best subjects and she was proud that she was better than most of the students at her old school.
“Thanks,” Amrita wrote below Tom’s message then handed it back to him.
Before he could reply, the bell rang. “Read over the third chapter and do the even numbered problems on page twenty-two,” Ms. Wilton yelled over the students standing up and rushing out the door for lunch.
Tom waited for Amrita to get her books together and they walked out of the class together. He took Amrita to her locker then showed her to the cafeteria. “I’m going to sit with my friends. You’re welcome to join us,” he offered as he pointed out a crowded table towards the back of the cafeteria.
Over the loudspeaker they heard, “Amrita Yadav, please report to the main office.”
Amrita looked confused. “It’s just down the hall on the right,” Tom said, pointing in the right direction. “They probably just have some papers for you to fill out or something like that. When you’re done, come join us.”
She nodded her head then followed Tom’s directions to the main office. Ms. Denton, one of the two guidance counselors, was waiting for her. “Welcome to our school Amrita,” she greeted warmly then led her into her office. “Have you been having any trouble getting around?”
“No, a nice boy has been helping me.”
“Ah, yes, I heard. Tom has been late to most of his classes today. At least he has a legitimate excuse this time. As you have seen, our school is probably quite different from what you are used to. If you have any questions or are having trouble with anything, please stop by my office. If I’m not here, leave me a note and I’ll catch up with you,” Ms. Denton said.
“Can you get me another schedule of my classes? I seem to have lost mine,” Amrita asked timidly. She was grateful to Tom for helping her out but she knew she was going to need to get around on her own eventually and would need her schedule.
“Of course,” Ms. Denton replied. Amrita watched as the older woman typed her name into the computer then hit the print button. “You might want to tape it to the inside of your binder.”
“Yes, thank you.” Amrita accepted the schedule then folded it and put it in her pocket.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, that is all.”
“Great! Well, welcome again and I hope you enjoy the rest of the school year!”
“Thank you Ma’am,” Amrita replied. She picked up her lunch from her locker then made her way to the cafeteria. She tried to find Tom and his friends but there were too many people so she sat down in the first empty spot she found.
Amrita pulled a container of rice and beans out of the bag as everyone at the table stared her. No one in high school brought a lunch to school. She quickly ate her food then put the container back in the bag. As she was standing up Tom spotted her and came over.
“Let’s go back to the lockers now to beat the rush then I’ll show you to your next class,” he suggested. Amrita nodded her head in agreement. The other kids at the table looked at the two of them with shocked expressions. The cafeteria was buzzing with rumors as they walked out.
“I am sorry you are getting in trouble,” Amrita said when they got to her locker.
“Nah, it’s okay. I’m always late anyway,” he replied. “It is nice to have a reason.”
“Thank you for helping me,” she said as she pulled out her notebook. “The schools in India are not so crowded and are smaller.”
“You’re really from India?”
“Yes. My family only moved to the United States a few weeks ago.”
“We don’t have many people in town that weren’t born here,” Tom said as he led her to his locker so he could get the books for his next class.
“That is true of where I lived in India. Most of the families in my village have lived there for hundreds of years.”
“Why did you move here?” Tom asked as the bell rang. The halls filled as students rushed to their next class and talking was impossible. Amrita was relieved not to have to answer the question. When they got to Amrita’s class he told her he’d see her afterwards and sprinted down the hall to his class.
The rest of the school day was much the same as the morning. Tom showed up at the class as soon as it ended and showed her to her next class. At the end of the last class, he walked back to her locker with her.
“Hey, I can give you a ride home after football practice and we can talk about math,” he offered.
“Thank you but my family are picking me up,” she replied.
“Oh, okay,” Tom said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. She instantly felt badly for her answer. “Well, I have to get to football practice. See you tomorrow!” Tom waved then disappeared down the hall. Amrita watched him walk away and smiled. At least she’d managed to make one new friend.
Relieved, Amrita started searching for the room number on the piece of paper in her hand. She was so caught up in looking for her homeroom that she didn’t see Garfield High School’s star quarterback until she bumped into him. Amrita fell back and landed on her butt, spilling her books all over the hall.
“I am so sorry,” she said several times in her thick Indian accent. Her long black braids bounced against her back as she scrambled to pick her stuff up off the checker tiled floor.
“Hey, it’s okay. Are you hurt?” Tom Flanders asked as he squatted down next to her. She blushed as she realized he was staring at her.
“No, I am fine, thank you,” Amrita answered nervously. She was not used to be spoken to so casually by a male.
He helped her to stand. “My name’s Tom Flanders. You must be new.”
“Thank you,” she replied, speaking slowly so he could understand her. “Yes, I am new. My name is Amrita.”
“Would you like help finding your classroom?”
“Yes please, and thank you,” she answered. Amrita peeked up at him. He was tall with broad shoulders and a slim, muscular figure. His blonde hair made him look like a movie star and he had beautiful blue eyes. His smile seemed to light up the already bright hallway. She had only seen people who looked like him in the movies; she didn’t think they actually existed off the silver screen.
“What homeroom are you in?” he asked. Amrita handed him the slip with her class schedule on it. “Oh! You’re in my homeroom. Right this way. Afterwards I’ll get walk you to your next class, too, if you’d like.”
“Yes, thank you,” Amrita answered softly as she followed a few steps behind him as would be traditional in India.
“What are you doing back there?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. Tom slowed to let her catch up. Amrita blushed as she tried to walk next to him. In India she would never have dared to do that.
When they got to the classroom Tom waited for her to enter then went up to the teacher’s desk. “Sorry for being late Mr. Smithson, I was helping Amrita. She was lost,” he explained before the teacher had a chance to say anything.
“Thank you Tom, how convenient for you,” Mr. Smithson said sarcastically then turned to Amrita. “Welcome Miss Yadav, please find a seat.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Amrita replied softly and sat in the first desk that was empty. Everyone in the classroom was staring at her. She looked down at her books as she listened to the morning announcements, trying to understand all the words. She tried to write down a list of words to look up later.
The bell rang and everyone stood up to go to their next class. Tom waited for her in the hall and she followed him to her next class—English as a Second Language (ESL). She had a difficult time trying to keep from losing him as he quickly weaved through the crowds.
“Thank you,” she said before slipping into the class.
Amrita was grateful that Tom had been willing to help her find her class; she would have been helplessly lost without his guidance. The bell rang again and the teacher took attendance, then introduced her to the class, which was made up of her and two other girls who primarily spoke French.
“If you’re having any trouble understanding your classes or need help with definitions, this is the place to ask. All the students in here are learning English well enough to be able to be successful in their classes,” Mr. Dawson explained as he handed her a Hindu-to-English dictionary.
Amrita sat down and looked up the words from homeroom. The announcements made so much more sense now. The rest of the class she listened to the questions the other students had.
Just after the bell rang, Tom appeared in the doorway. “Time for English,” he said. Amrita had to run as she tried to follow him to her next class. “See you after class.”
All the chairs but one were filled by the time she got there. She pulled out her notebook like the other students. Her teacher, Mrs. Bates, handed her a textbook and a copy of the book they were reading.
Amrita tried to write notes as the teacher talked but she soon found herself very behind. She hoped the textbook would have the information the teacher was giving them. Or that Mr. Dawson would be able to help her understand it better in ESL class tomorrow.
When the bell rang she closed her notebook and looked for her schedule but couldn’t find it anywhere. Without it she had no idea what her next class was. “Ready to go?” Tom asked as he came up behind her. She jumped and nearly dropped her books on the floor again.
“Your next class is on the next floor so we’re going to have to hurry,” Tom said.
“Do you have my schedule?” she asked as she tried to keep up with him.
“Yeah, so I know where you need to go. You have health now with Mrs. White. She’s a creepy old lady,” he replied as they ran up the stairs.
“What is creepy?”
“You’ll see. We have the same class afterwards so I’ll be back to show you how to get there.”
“Oh! Thank you,” Amrita replied.
She wondered why this movie star boy was being so nice to her but didn’t have time to think about it for long as she slipped into the classroom and found an empty seat towards the back. When the teacher turned around, Amrita was confused. The teacher looked like a normal older woman. Was that what creepy meant? Somehow she didn’t think so. She would have to remember to look it up later.
“For the rest of this semester we will be learning more about the birds and the bees and how not to become a statistic,” Mrs. White said. Amrita looked confused. The birds and the bees? I thought this was health class!
“Today we’re going to do a survey. Do not put your name on it and answer every question honestly. I will be using the survey to determine what materials we need to cover,” Mrs. White said as she passed out the papers to everyone in the class. “No one else in the class will know how you answered the questions and the information will not be shared with parents or anyone else. I will be the only one looking at the results.”
Amrita quickly read over the survey; the questions were all about sex, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. What does this have to do with health?
Her face was flushed as she answered questions about being sexually active and when she first had sex then she answered the other questions. When she was done she turned her paper over and stared at the books on her desk.
Any kind of sex education was illegal in many parts of India and having to answer questions about it made her very uncomfortable. Arjun and his parents would not understand why she had to take this class and would be very upset if they knew about it. Thankfully no one had told them what the class entailed! She would have to find a way not to let them find out. The idea of lying about her class made her feel badly but she knew there was no way they would understand.
The rest of the class was spent going over the anatomy of men and women’s sexual organs. Amrita quickly realized how little she knew despite having been a wife for six months. Her mother had left her woefully uninformed and she wondered how her mother had gotten so far in life without seeming to know even these basics or thinking to share the information with her if she knew it.
If her mother had told her more then perhaps the first few weeks of her marriage might have gone much better. She cringed as she thought about how scared and ill-prepared she’d been about sex. Arjun’s inexperience hadn’t helped matters either. Amrita was relieved when the bell rang and she could leave those thoughts and the class behind.
Tom was waiting for her as promised. They quickly made their way down the hall to math class. Tom tried to talk to her but soon gave up when he couldn’t hear her quiet voice over the noise in the hallways.
When they got to class Tom sat down in his usual seat and motioned for the guy sitting next to him to move so Amrita could sit there. The guy was the complete opposite of Tom — heavyset and not much taller than her with red spots all over his face and sweating profusely. He groaned but didn’t argue. She wondered what sort of power this quarterback had that he could simply get others to move without speaking.
“Thanks buddy,” Tom said then opened his textbook to the page listed on the chalkboard. Amrita leaned over and looked at the page and nearly laughed aloud. She had learned this stuff two years ago. She sighed with relief; at least there would be one class she wouldn’t have to work very hard.
“Welcome to the class Amrita,” the Ms. Wilton said as she approached her. “Here is the textbook. If you have any questions, just raise your hand or see me after class.”
“Thank you,” Amrita replied. She opened the book to the page listed on the blackboard. While others worked on the problems listed on the board on paper, Amrita figured them out in her head then wrote the answer on a piece of paper from her notebook.
The teacher walked around the class as they worked. She stopped at Amrita’s desk and looked over her paper. “There are only answers,” Ms. Wilton said. “Where is your work?”
“Work?”
“Yes, you need to show on the paper how you got the answer.”
“Oh,” she replied as her face turned bright red. “I am sorry Ma’am. I did not understand.”
“Why don’t you go up to the board and show us how to get the answer to problem one since you’re the only one who answered correctly.”
Amrita looked up at the teacher nervously. “Yes ... yes, Ma’am.”
She hated going in front of the class. In her school in India she had been teased for always knowing the answer, especially by the boys as they didn’t appreciate being shown up by a girl. Everyone’s eyes were on her as she picked up the chalk and started to solve the problem. Amrita waited for the whispered negative comments but there were none as she quickly wrote out the solution to the problem.
“Very nice Amrita. You may sit down,” Ms. Wilton said. “Who would like to show us how to solve the next question?”
Amrita smiled at the unexpected praise then scurried back to her desk and sat down. She quickly did the math problems again, writing out her work on the paper this time. While she was watching the other students do the problems on the board, Tom handed her a note.
“You’re really good at math!” the note said. Amrita smiled. Math was one of her best subjects and she was proud that she was better than most of the students at her old school.
“Thanks,” Amrita wrote below Tom’s message then handed it back to him.
Before he could reply, the bell rang. “Read over the third chapter and do the even numbered problems on page twenty-two,” Ms. Wilton yelled over the students standing up and rushing out the door for lunch.
Tom waited for Amrita to get her books together and they walked out of the class together. He took Amrita to her locker then showed her to the cafeteria. “I’m going to sit with my friends. You’re welcome to join us,” he offered as he pointed out a crowded table towards the back of the cafeteria.
Over the loudspeaker they heard, “Amrita Yadav, please report to the main office.”
Amrita looked confused. “It’s just down the hall on the right,” Tom said, pointing in the right direction. “They probably just have some papers for you to fill out or something like that. When you’re done, come join us.”
She nodded her head then followed Tom’s directions to the main office. Ms. Denton, one of the two guidance counselors, was waiting for her. “Welcome to our school Amrita,” she greeted warmly then led her into her office. “Have you been having any trouble getting around?”
“No, a nice boy has been helping me.”
“Ah, yes, I heard. Tom has been late to most of his classes today. At least he has a legitimate excuse this time. As you have seen, our school is probably quite different from what you are used to. If you have any questions or are having trouble with anything, please stop by my office. If I’m not here, leave me a note and I’ll catch up with you,” Ms. Denton said.
“Can you get me another schedule of my classes? I seem to have lost mine,” Amrita asked timidly. She was grateful to Tom for helping her out but she knew she was going to need to get around on her own eventually and would need her schedule.
“Of course,” Ms. Denton replied. Amrita watched as the older woman typed her name into the computer then hit the print button. “You might want to tape it to the inside of your binder.”
“Yes, thank you.” Amrita accepted the schedule then folded it and put it in her pocket.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, that is all.”
“Great! Well, welcome again and I hope you enjoy the rest of the school year!”
“Thank you Ma’am,” Amrita replied. She picked up her lunch from her locker then made her way to the cafeteria. She tried to find Tom and his friends but there were too many people so she sat down in the first empty spot she found.
Amrita pulled a container of rice and beans out of the bag as everyone at the table stared her. No one in high school brought a lunch to school. She quickly ate her food then put the container back in the bag. As she was standing up Tom spotted her and came over.
“Let’s go back to the lockers now to beat the rush then I’ll show you to your next class,” he suggested. Amrita nodded her head in agreement. The other kids at the table looked at the two of them with shocked expressions. The cafeteria was buzzing with rumors as they walked out.
“I am sorry you are getting in trouble,” Amrita said when they got to her locker.
“Nah, it’s okay. I’m always late anyway,” he replied. “It is nice to have a reason.”
“Thank you for helping me,” she said as she pulled out her notebook. “The schools in India are not so crowded and are smaller.”
“You’re really from India?”
“Yes. My family only moved to the United States a few weeks ago.”
“We don’t have many people in town that weren’t born here,” Tom said as he led her to his locker so he could get the books for his next class.
“That is true of where I lived in India. Most of the families in my village have lived there for hundreds of years.”
“Why did you move here?” Tom asked as the bell rang. The halls filled as students rushed to their next class and talking was impossible. Amrita was relieved not to have to answer the question. When they got to Amrita’s class he told her he’d see her afterwards and sprinted down the hall to his class.
The rest of the school day was much the same as the morning. Tom showed up at the class as soon as it ended and showed her to her next class. At the end of the last class, he walked back to her locker with her.
“Hey, I can give you a ride home after football practice and we can talk about math,” he offered.
“Thank you but my family are picking me up,” she replied.
“Oh, okay,” Tom said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. She instantly felt badly for her answer. “Well, I have to get to football practice. See you tomorrow!” Tom waved then disappeared down the hall. Amrita watched him walk away and smiled. At least she’d managed to make one new friend.
Copyright 2013 by Nancy A. Cavanaugh
