Classes aren't fun. I mean, who enjoys listening to a teacher drone on about Romeo and Juliet? All my other classes I enjoy, but when it comes to English, I have no idea on how to do the assignments. I'm supposed to write reports. Although, when I think about it, maybe I do understand it. I mean, I've never had any friends since I was younger. And never have I had a girlfriend either.

Being an only child, I always have the most free time out of my whole family. Well, I basically did all the chores before I got asked to do them. I was very much like an introvert before I started Cordial High. I never really thought I would have the time to make friends. Studying was all I really think about. A lot of the time though, I tended to find myself becoming more and more extrovert with my feelings, as I'm starting to know a few people who appear in most of my classes. We sit in the same small group a lot, so it's easier for me to grow into this thing called friendship. Well, I say most, as none of them appear in certain other classes. Mainly because they're self-taught classes.

The reason why I was making these friends? Well, my school had been slightly worried that I'd been studying non-stop since arriving, so they had asked my parents to introduce me to some other kids my age once my parents found out why my grades and my homework results were so high in comparison to the other classmates, that weren't really my classmates at the time. 'Too high' they'd said.

So after finding that out from my parents and after realising the social interaction known as friendship, I had taken it upon myself to learn how to make some friends. So here I am, almost a month after my arrival, with me almost getting sent off to a new campus, when two of the people I was attempting to make friends with managed to befriend and persuade my parents to let me stay at the dormitory building for the school.

It was nice of them. Nice... That's new to me. I like the feeling of friends. Of those who'd do anything to cover for you. Well, if I was to believe what I'd read about without performing some secret 'field tests' at my own accord.

Two days later, I had my books, clothes and computer kit all moved from my bedroom to my new dorm. The campus was a nice place to be, giving access to an animal enclosure near the playgrounds, three tennis courts that became either a soccer, basketball or football field, I could list all the amazing places, but I felt more at home than ever in the library. I do have to say, the statue is remarkable.

I occasionally bump into my new friends as often as I want to, as they teach me how I can be a part of their friendship group. One of them was a girl called Electra Hyris, who was always full of energy and was the friend who helped me gain four new friends. Another, Aurora Borealys, loved anything to do with the country, speaking with country-isms and a strong country accent. Hates liars, so she mostly says things out of what she says is the truth. Jesse Fassyn was the fashionista, who loved creating visual contributions to our group. She even ran her own on-campus clothes shop. Ellen Shyton was the shyest one of the group, even if her name itself didn't at least give it away, she was always the quiet one, with the kindness of her heart, she felt like someone special to have as a friend. It wasn't until I showed her my special project, a new species of animal, which I was very close to cracking, that she opened up to me. She helps run the on-site animal enclosure. Next is Shaun Boudash, the sports fanatic, who is trying out for a football game, or soccer as it's known over in the US. He's kinda grown on me since I arrived.

We sorta became our own little group, albeit one of us was an ex-bully who used to spend most of their time getting a reputation as some to watch out for, but for friendship sakes, the six of us forgave her after she'd somehow undergone some therapy during a short holiday a few weeks ago. Her name, well, it surprised me when I recognised her surname - Sonya Shimmers. MY uncle never told me I had a cousin.

Then again, maybe I wasn't listening when he had told me, I don't really remember meeting... Oh wait, yeah, so that was her. I'd been so caught up in my studying earlier in life not to connect the dots like I was doing now. Friends are like a blessing you could never get enough of.

She was the daughter of my favourite director, and my uncle, Keenan Shimmers and singer Angel Shimmers. What surprised the others, less so for me after finding out earlier this year, was that we're actually related. I love the look on their faces when I mentioned her father is my uncle. We're cousins, so I didn't forgive her just for being family, but for how she had redeemed herself, reformed even. She's definitely turning over a new leaf in my books.

Catching up on my uncle's latest progress through my cousin is a delicate thing, with all the secrecy and limited information that he's allowed to leak, but right now, we're working out things to help my cous' with her new friends. Sorry, our new friends.

Well, I've been getting ahead of myself. I'm currently thinking all this over once again, as I sit at a canteen table with my friends.

"--hyan! Rhyan! Yo, Sparks!!" Shaun speaks sternly, snapping his fingers in front of my face, making me jump out of my seat. "Took you long enough!"

"Aheh, sorry," I replied sheepishly, rubbing my hair. I like the red streaks Aurora had dyed into it. They looked cool. I turn back to my friends. "Hey, I heard that there's a nice place to grab some dinner later. Why don't we all go?"

"I'll pay," piped up Sonya, with a warming smile. "Besides, it's been a while since I've actually done something nice for people." I watched her shiver a tiny bit as she leans into her hands, mildly muffling her voice. "I can't believe I was such a jerk before."

"It's okay, Sonya," Spoke Aurora, wrapping an arm over her shoulders. "We're here for yeh."

"And besides, we've already forgiven you, sweetie," Jesse said softly, patting Sonya's shoulder. "Just know that we are always going to be here for you now."

It was very heartwarming, another new feeling since making friends, to see my cousin trying her best to redeem herself.

I'm just glad to have made these friends, but there is one last thing I need to do before our summer holidays start.

I need, with the help of my friends of course, to perform the biggest hurdle I've yet to do with my friends.

To book a holiday trip for just my friends and I.

To Everglades Forest.