Well, no, he didn't seem like a bad person, and she'd never heard of him doing anything to get into trouble that was anything worse than a quick temper when he was provoked, but he was forceful and brash and she didn't really know how to deal with that. "It's not that!" she assured him.

"I've been to the doctor," she started hesitantly. "That's why I missed so much school. I was in the hospital for awhile." It was actually kind of a relief to tell someone that, instead of realizing everyone knew it because of the teacher's homeroom announcement when she first transferred in.