I was 12 years old when my family and I moved to a new neighborhood. I was starting my 6th grade in a new school, with new people and no friends. I was a quiet
and shy person, so I never hung out with the other neighborhood kids. Before school had started, I had met a few people who were in the same grade as me. After that initial meeting, I never saw them again until the first day of school.

For the first day of school, I asked my mom to do my hair that morning so it would look nice. She did my hair in my regular hairstyle, 5 ponytails with the barrettes on the end. I arrived to school and went into my new classroom. Everyone stopped their conversation to turn and look at me. I looked around the classroom and noticed that all the females either had their hair in one ponytail or had it pressed and curled into a style. My hair was styled like the 3rd or 4th graders at that school. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to cry!

The writer never hung out with friends because she....