Ballpoint Pen Visited an American Friend

My ballpoint pen cost me to meet my first an American friend who named Jerry. Since my family arrived in America 2004, I presented myself to Tilden high school to study. At that time, I couldn’t easily to make friends in school. During recess one day, I was looking wistfully at some boys playing catch and wondering if I could find the nerve to join them.
Suddenly, I felt someone pluck my pen from my pocket. This was a ballpoint pen with a picture of a panda on the side of it. I had brought with me since I left friends in my hometown, China. Whenever, I thought about my hometown and missed the friends I had left behind, I would take out the pen and look at the picture.
The boy who had taken the pen was running away, laughing. I ran after him, shouting. The teacher came up and asked me what the trouble was.
“He took my … my …” I stopped, because I didn’t know the English word for pen. In Chinese, we have the same word “bi” for pen, pencil, and brush. “He took my writing stick,” I finished lamely.
The boy who would taken the pen stood there and grinned, while the teacher looked puzzled.
“Joke took his ballpoint pen,” said a tall, freckled boy with curly brown hair. “I saw the whole thing.”
Teacher turned and frowned at Joke. “Is this true?”
“Aw, I was just teasing him a little,” said Joke, quickly handing the pen back to me. “He is always playing with it, so I got curious.”
I thanked the boy with the curly hair. “Don’t mind Joke,” he said. “He didn’t mean anything.”

“My name is Lin, Zhiqiang,” I introduced myself. Then I remembered that in America people said their family name last and their given name first.
“Zhiqiang is my last name,” I told him. “Except that in America my last name is really my first name and my first name is my last name. So I am Lin, Zhiqiang in China and Zhiqiang Lin in America.”
The boy looked confused. Soon after, the bell just rang. “I am Jerry K. Williams,” he said quickly. “See you around.”
I began to feel a little less lonely. After that, I have been able to make friends easily in school. Whenever, I have met some one who is new, I haven’t nervous to join others. I have never forgotten that day and it will brand into my memory forever. However, thank you for the ballpoint pen.