Xiao Hong Lee, or Xia for short, is just your run-of-the-mill 13-year-old girl living in Toronto in 2002, with a loving family, amazing friends, and good grades. She wants to make the most of the year and show everyone her true self that is willing...
People frequently remark that your family is who you cherish most in life. They advise you to respect your kin. They are the first to help you survive, toiling and making great sacrifices to provide you everything you need, from a roof over your head to food on your plate. A huge quantity of food. The least you can do in exchange is to comply with all of their requests.
Naturally, some people will caution you, saying, "Be careful. Honoring your family sounds great, but if you take it too far, you might forget to honor yourself." Fortunately for me, I don't have that issue.
Hello, everybody. My name is Xiao Hong Lee, but everyone calls me Xia. This is due to the fact that they all think of me as the sunrise that frequently brings them delight. I've been doing my best to be true to who I am ever since I turned 13 a few months ago. I try to say what I want to (though there are times when I have to restrain myself), dress what I want to, and act however I want to, and if I'm feeling very joyous, I won't hold back!
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My family is practically without flaw. It just so happens that I live with my cousin, who is also my best buddy! Meilin Lee is her name, but I always refer to her as Mei. Although we have always been close, our relationship as cousins and friends has never been closer since my parents and I relocated from Rochester, where I had grown up, to Toronto. My parents, Ai and Chiang, as well as my aunt Ming and my uncle Jin, who also happen to be my dad's older brother, have always been the kind grownups I imagined them to be. They limit Mei and I's activities to a reasonable extent, are always there for me when I need them, and give wise counsel.
Not to brag, but being thirteen means Mei and I are officially grown-ups! Well, at least according to the Toronto Transit Commission.
Life at school for me is just as amazing as life at home since Mei is not my only friend. We have a whole friend group that we hang out with! The members are Miriam Mendelsohn, Priya Mangal, Kendra Burnham, and Abby Park.
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Because she always has the best advice and takes good care of us, Miriam is the group's maternal figure. In addition, of the five of us, she is the tallest.
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Priya is totally enamored by dark, spooky tragedies. She is the one who is quietest and most enigmatic—in a good manner, of course.
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The fashionista of the bunch, Kendra consistently wears the newest styles that she sees in stores and commercials. She has some environmental awareness, mostly because her mother works at the neighborhood zoo.
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And without a doubt, Abby is the most vocal member. She shouts a lot and may be angry, and if somebody bothers any of us, she'll be fantastic and give them a lesson.
My school life is also working out perfectly for me and Mei. The two of us study a lot and our intelligence unlike any other as we both get an A+ on almost every lesson.
I know, it's a lot. But this is grade eight. Neither of us have time to mess around! I guess you could call us...
"Mei is a very enterprising, mildly annoying young lady. Her cousin Xia is a bit reserved but can be overly ecstatic sometimes." according to our teacher.
"Mei is a major weirdo but Xia is... okay, I guess..." according to the goth girl of our school.
"Mei's an over-achieving dork-narc and Xia is a bit better, but still weird because she hangs out with her cousin." according to Tyler, our friend group's main adversary. Don't tell anyone, but I have a crush on him.
Both Mei and I accept and embrace all labels though, so neither of us get offended.
Anyways, who cares what bullies or anyone else think? This will be our year. And nothing will stop me, nor Mei.
