I studied all my life to get here.

  I thought coming to America would change everything.

  And it did… just not the way I hoped.

  I dreamed of freedom, new experiences, and of finding love.

  I dreamed of making friends who would really see me.

  Instead, I got silence. Stares. The familiar ache of loneliness.

  Strangers had a way of looking right through me.

  I could be in a room full of people and still feel invisible.

  I missed being home with Mom and Dad.

  I missed the version of me I thought I’d find here.

  I was all alone again.

  Until she saw me.

  I didn’t know it yet, but my prince charming wouldn’t be a prince at all, but a Pepper.

  And learning her would be the best time of my life.