A New Beginning

Ash was nervous as she walked into her new middle school. She had just moved to a different city and she didn't know anyone there. She missed her old friends from elementary school, who were all going to different schools. She felt lonely and scared.

She checked her schedule and saw that she had to go to the office first to get a tour of the school. She hoped that the person who would show her around would be nice and friendly. She didn't want to make a bad impression on her first day.

She entered the office and saw a woman sitting behind a desk. She smiled and greeted Ash.

"Hi, you must be Lily. I'm Ms. Jones, the guidance counselor. Welcome to our school!"

"Hi, Ms. Jones. Thank you," Ash said shyly.

"I'm going to give you a tour of the school and show you where your classes are. Do you have any questions before we start?"

Ash shook her head. She just wanted to get it over with.

"Ok, then follow me," Ms. Jones said and led Ash out of the office.

They walked through the hallways and Ms. Jones pointed out the different rooms and facilities. Ash tried to pay attention, but she felt overwhelmed by all the new information. She wondered if she would ever fit in here.

As they passed by a bulletin board, something caught Ash's eye. It was a poster that said "LGBTQ+ Student Safe Space". It had a rainbow flag and a list of dates and times for meetings.

Ash felt a surge of curiosity and excitement. She had always known that she was different from other girls, but she had never told anyone about it. She had never met anyone who was like her, either. She wondered what it would be like to go to one of those meetings and talk to other students who understood her.

She looked at Ms. Jones and saw that she was smiling at her.

"Are you interested in joining the LGBTQ+ Student Safe Space?" Ms. Jones asked.

Ash felt her face turn red. She didn't know what to say.

"It's ok, you don't have to answer right now," Ms. Jones said gently. "But I want you to know that this is a safe and supportive place for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, or any other sexual or gender identity. We have meetings every Wednesday after school in room 101. You're welcome to come anytime."

Ash nodded silently. She felt a mix of emotions: happiness, fear, hope, doubt.

They continued the tour and soon arrived at the library. Ash loved reading books, so she was eager to see what the library had to offer.

She entered the library and gasped in awe. It was huge and filled with books of all kinds and genres. She saw shelves labeled with different categories: fiction, non-fiction, biography, history, science, art, etc.

She also saw another poster that said "LGBTQ+ Books on Display". It had a picture of a bookshelf with various books that had LGBTQ+ themes or characters.

Ash felt drawn to the poster and walked towards it. She saw some titles that she recognized: "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda", "The Miseducation of Cameron Post", "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe", etc.

She also saw some titles that she had never heard of before: "The House You Pass on the Way", "If I Was Your Girl", "George", etc.

She picked up one of the books and read the blurb on the back cover. It sounded interesting and relatable.

She looked at Ms. Jones again and saw that she was still smiling at her.

"Are you interested in reading any of these books?" Ms. Jones asked.

Ash nodded eagerly. She wanted to read them all.

"That's great," Ms. Jones said. "You can borrow up to three books at a time from the library. Just show your student ID card at the checkout desk."

Ash thanked Ms. Jones and quickly grabbed three books from the shelf. She felt happy and excited as she held them in her hands.

They finished the tour and Ms. Jones took Ash to her first class.

"I hope you have a great first day, Ash," Ms. Jones said as they parted ways.

"Thank you, Ms. Jones," Ash said sincerely.

She entered the classroom and looked for an empty seat. She saw a girl sitting by herself in the front row. She had short black hair and glasses and was wearing a rainbow bracelet on her wrist.

Lily decided to sit next to her and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Ash. I'm new here."

The girl looked up at her and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Maya. Nice to meet you."

They started chatting and Ash found out that Maya was also in the LGBTQ+ Student Safe Space and the Equal Rights Club. She also liked reading books and listening to music.

Ash felt a connection with Maya and hoped that they could be friends.

She also felt a new sense of hope and optimism. Maybe this school wasn't so bad after all. Maybe she could find her place here. Maybe she could be herself here.

She smiled as she opened one of the books she had borrowed from the library. She was ready for a new beginning.

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