Unexpected Stranger
Chapter 1.
The first day of sixth grade was supposed to be about starting over.
At least, that was what everybody kept saying.
New school. New teachers. New lockers. New everything.
Lina Dosal didn’t really care.
She stood outside Chippewa Middle School with her cousin Faby, her black hair pulled into the usual messy bun on top of her head. A bandana was tied around her left wrist, like it always was.
Faby looked at the school doors.
Then at Lina.
Then back at the doors.
“We’re early.”
Lina shrugged.
“We’re always early.”
“No, we’re stupid early.”
Lina glanced at her watch.
They still had almost forty minutes before band practice.
Faby sighed dramatically.
“I don’t want to go.”
“You’re the one who wanted to do band.”
“I know.”
“You’re the one who plays saxophone.”
“I know.”
“You’re the one who—”
“Lina.”
Lina smiled.
“Okay.”
They stood there for another few seconds.
Then Faby looked across the street.
The public library sat quietly on the other side, practically begging them to do anything except sit around waiting for band.
Faby raised an eyebrow.
Lina already knew what she was thinking.
“No.”
“Come on.”
“We’re supposed to be at band.”
“Exactly.”
Lina tried not to smile.
Faby grabbed her arm.
“Let’s go.”
“Faby—”
“Five minutes.”
“You always say five minutes.”
“Because it sounds innocent.”
Lina laughed.
And just like that, they crossed the street.
The library smelled like old books, carpet, and air conditioning.
There were only a handful of people inside.
Faby immediately headed toward the computers.
Lina followed, looking around.
They had been inside the library plenty of times before, but something about being there when they were supposed to be somewhere else made it feel more exciting.
They weren’t doing anything bad.
Technically.
They were just...
Not at band.
Faby sat down at one of the computers.
Lina pulled out the chair beside her.
“So what are we doing?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why did we come here?”
“Because we’re not at band.”
Lina shook her head.
“You’re an idiot.”
“I know.”
They both started laughing.
That’s when someone walked up to them.
“Hi!”
Lina looked up.
A girl stood there with the biggest smile Lina had ever seen.
She had light brown hair, glasses, and the kind of face that looked like it was permanently halfway through a joke.
She looked at Faby first.
“You’re Faby, right?”
Faby looked at her.
“Yeah.”
“I knew it!”
“How?”
“Because everybody knows everybody.”
Faby laughed.
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense.”
The girl grinned.
Within about thirty seconds, she and Faby were already joking like they’d known each other forever.
Lina sat quietly beside them, listening.
She wasn’t uncomfortable.
She just didn’t feel the need to jump into every conversation.
Eventually, the girl looked at her.
“What about you?”
Lina raised an eyebrow.
“What about me?”
“You’re her cousin, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s your name?”
“Lina.”
The girl smiled.
“I’m Esperanza.”
She held out her hand.
Lina looked at it for half a second before shaking it.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
Esperanza didn’t let go immediately.
Instead, she looked Lina straight in the eyes.
“We’re friends now.”
Lina blinked.
Faby burst out laughing.
“Girl, she doesn’t even know you!”
Esperanza shrugged.
“I know her now.”
Lina couldn’t help it.
She smiled.
“Okay.”
Esperanza finally let go of her hand.
“Good.”
And just like that, it was decided.
Lina had a new friend.
She just hadn’t been asked.
Faby leaned toward Lina.
“See? You didn’t even get a choice.”
Lina looked at Esperanza, who was already talking about something else as if the three of them had been hanging out all morning.
She shook her head.
“Nope.”
And somehow, Lina knew this wasn’t going to be the last time she saw her.
She just didn’t know yet how much that one girl with the giant smile was going to change her life.
