She was sitting on the couch in the living room when she heard the news.

“We’re moving to Frisco, Shruthi,” her father stated, his eyes on the TV screen as he flipped through the endless number of channels.

She stood quickly from the couch, her eyes widening at the sound of the news. At first, she asked many questions. Where, when, how, why, why, why, why… She had spent the past 10 years of her early life in her hometown of Keller, Texas. She knew every neighbor and every back road to her favorite ice cream shop. She knew every one of her peers, from their favorite color to their weird habits in elementary school. She knew where she was from, and knew more than anything that she did not want to leave it.

When it came time to actually pack up everything in the house, she learned how to walk in as she felt a shift in her life.

But, the day she walked into her first day of high school in a new city, she felt a sense of hope. She sat down in her first period English class, pulling out her phone, not knowing phones weren’t allowed. Another girl sat next to her. She looked to be a freshman too, holding her schedule like a barrier that would protect her against the world.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m new this year. What’s your name?”

Shruthi looked up from her phone at this stranger. She had left everyone she knew and loved in the town she grew up in. She had left her best friend, her favorite teachers, her favorite ice cream shop and her favorite home. But that didn’t mean she could make a few new favorites.

She put her phone down and reached her hand out with a smile.

“Hi. My name is Shruthi. I’m new this year too.”