After recently moving countries, Guest was finding it quite hard to make friends. Not many kids her age spoke English well, so communication was a problem. So, having no friends meant she was stuck inside and calling her friends back in the United Kingdom, instead.

But her parents insisted that she’d go outside and try to make friends, because it’s not ‘healthy’ for kids to be inside so much. If she refused, she’d get a whole lecture about how her parents would never be inside, how they’d go out on bike rides with their friends everyday.

It’s not fair. It’s different.

But, reluctantly, Guest put her shoes on and left the house, walking down the street, kicking pebbles on the sidewalk out of boredom. Living in Germany without knowing much German isn’t exactly ideal.

After walking for a while, Guest spotted four boys playing together, who seemed to be around the same age. Hopeful, she jogged over to the small group and tapped one of the boys on their shoulder. The one with dreadlocks.

He turned around, and Guest’s first question was if they spoke any English. To their surprise, the boy nodded his head.

The boy, who was apparently called Tom, asked. Then the other boy, who had black-reddish hair, butted in.