Tolerance

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There is a girl. Her name is Charlotte. She is twelve. She looks like an ordinary teenager. Her dad is a lawyer and her mum is a teacher. They've just moved to a small town called Bluestone.
It's her first day at a new school and she is very nerovous. She doesn't have any friends and she is very shy. She doesn't know anyone yet but she is different from all the teenagers at school. (Poland)

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When the bells for the first lesson of the first school day rang, all the students entered the classroom. All the students, except Charlotte, were familiar to each other and they choose a seat in pairs with the excitement of starting a new school year. Charlotte was standing alone somewhere near the door and looking around to find a place to sit. After all the students settled, there were two empty seats at the back, one next to the door and another one next to the wall. Charlotte walked slowly and sat on the seat next to the wall. Although all the students were sitting in pairs, she was alone sitting at the back.

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Just after the first lesson started, Sheila arrived at the school. She was a bit late. When she knocked at the door and entered the classroom, everyone showed interest in and they welcomed her. She was the most popular girl of last year. It was her turn to find a place to sit. She noticed Charlotte sitting alone at the back.  She looked at her for a few seconds. A strange expression appeared on her face.

There were two options for her, sitting next to Charlotte or sitting alone on the seat next to window. While at the same time Charlotte was waiting with a sense of wonder what Sheila would do. She had a hope that she would share the seat with Sheila during the rest of the year. The excitement and happiness could be noticed on her face. But Sheila turned towards the other side, walked to the empty seat. Although there was place next to Charlotte she preferred sitting alone.  (Turkey)

Poor Charlotte felt more alone than ever, lost and embarrassed by that exclusion.
The morning seemed endless, but not only for her. A few desks away, Sheila was thoughtful,too: " Why has no one kept a seat next to him?"
Her confidence was beginning to waver. Last year everyone competed to have her as a friend but this morning, for the first time in her life, she felt left out.

Break time arrived and for Charlotte the anguish got worse. Along the school corridor, students in group chatted happily about how their summer holidays. Charlotte was alone! No one seemed to notice her!

Sheila was serene again: she was surrounded by her friends and felt the centre of attention again, but at a certain point her gaze fell on the new girl who was still alone in the corner. The sense of loss she had felt that morning brought up again and, for the first time in her life, she felt a surge of empathy towards someone else.