Love to Hate You (Chris Evans)

You're My Best Friend

Being eleven in a strange city can be rough on anybody. But five years of not being able to make a friend was worse. Angela Wagner just wanted to go back to London. In London, she didn't have an accent. In London, she looked like everyone else, even with her copper red hair. Here in Vienna, she was different. Even going to the American school here made her stand out.

With her father being an ambassador, she was at least privileged. That's what her father called it. She called it something else. She hated that people thought less of her because of her status. Her father was the important one, not her. She just wanted a friend.

Angela decided to head down to the main lobby area of the American embassy. Her father was there making arrangements to send her to some school in New York. She was just glad to get away from Vienna where it seemed like all of the girls her age hated her. Angela took in the paintings hanging and wasn't paying much attention to anything else. At least until she ran into someone.

"Oh!" Angela exclaimed, hitting the marble floor. "I'm so sorry," said in German

"Ce puii mei? I'm sorry, îmi pare rău! Entschuldigung. Sorry, so sorry." Angela saw the boy on the floor next to her. Brown hair and blue eyes, he looked sweet but very lost.

"It's alright," she offered in English, hearing him move from English to German to another language she couldn't identify.

He looked relieved at her English. He stood up and helped her up. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, sorry for doing that. I got lost in the paintings."

"Its fine. You like art?"

"Yeah, I do. Sorry, my name is Angela."

"Sebastian, its nice to meet you." He looked to see if she had a bag. "You didn't bring papers or anything?"

"Papers? Oh no, my father is upstairs. I was just looking around." Angela stared at the papers in Sebastian's hands. "Are you going somewhere?"

"America. My mama remarried and we need a visa or something so we can go live with him."

"Where in America?"

"Uh," Sebastian squints to think, "New York, I think. The state not the city. He's the headmaster at a school. Rockland or something."

This peaked Angela's interest. "Rockland? Really?"

"Why? Do you know it?"

"My papa is trying to send me to a school in Rockland. They have a good creative arts program. That and it would be easier for him to work when he doesn't have to care for me."

"Why wouldn't he want to care for you?"

"He's an ambassador for Great Britain. I'm underfoot or so says he when he is talking with his assistants."

"You don't have a mama?"

Angela looked uncomfortable. "No, she died when I was a baby." She cleared her throat. She decided it was time to leave. "It was nice to meet you, Sebastian. Good luck." She turned to walk away.

Sebastian looked thoughtfully at the girl. "Hey wait! Astepta!" Angela stopped, curiosity of his language of choice making the choice for her. "If you are headed to the school than maybe we can be friends? ne putem pierde împreună," he stopped himself, "sorry, I meant, we can be lost together?" He smiled at her.

Angela couldn't believe that this perfect stranger wanted to be her friend. A friend. Its all she ever wanted. "I would love to be your friend." They shook hands. "Let me check with my papa to see what the school's name is and I'll be right back." Angela ran up the stairs to the office.