It was his first day at his new school, and Naved had butterflies in his stomach.

His dad got a new job in California, and he and his mom ended up moving three weeks into the school year.

He wished he was back home with his own friends, learning from his own teacher.

Posters of science were shining in the bright fluorescent light. Students pored over their projects in groups; they were making bridges out of popsicle sticks.

Ms. Evans, the teacher, looked up and saw Naved. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. "You must be the new student from Michigan!"

Naved gave Ms. Evans a half-hearted smile and nodded without saying a word.

"Class! We have a new student. What’s your name again?" she said as she looked at Naved.

All eyes in the room turned to Naved, and he swallowed.

"Naved," he whispered, his voice barely making it out of his throat.

"Let’s welcome Naved to our classroom boys and girls!" Ms. Evans started clapping, and the students joined, all except for one.

Umar sat in the corner of the room, looking at Naved skeptically.

Ms. Evans placed Naved in a group and got him started on project. Naved felt homesick and couldn’t keep the frown off his face.

The bell rang, and the students rushed to lunch.

Naved was fasting for Ramadan and was the last to leave.

As he was walking out the door, he tripped and fell, landing on his hands and knees.

"Watch out Nerd-Ved!" Naved looked up to see the face of Umar, who snickered as he looked down at him.

Umar’s friends elbowed each other and laughed. "Nice! Nerd-ved!"

Naved stood up and looked at Umar before walking toward the cafeteria.

Umar ran after him and pushed him with his shoulder before walking in through the cafeteria doors.

As Naved walked in, he tripped again, falling flat on his face. Umar burst into laughter.

"What’s wrong with you Nerd-ved? Did you lose your balance on the plane?" he mocked.

Naved looked at Umar and said, "I’m fasting," and walked away.

When Naved came home, before his mom or uncle could ask him questions, he rushed to his room and flopped onto his bed.

He almost started crying with thoughts of his friends having fun in Michigan.

A short while later, Naved’s mom knocked on the door. "Sweetie, we’re going to the masjid for iftaar. Get ready!"

The small mosque was filled with people.

As Naved sat with his uncle, a man came up to their table, and his uncle greeted him. "Assalamu alaikum!!"

Naved’s heartbeat quickened as he looked up to find Umar standing next to the man.

"Wa alaikum assalaam!" responded the man. "Who is this young man you have with you today?"

"Oh, this is my nephew from Michigan. He just moved here with my sister, and his dad will be joining them shortly."

Naved’s uncle looked at Umar. "Hey, Umar, you should get to know Naved. You know, he loves basketball just as much as you do!"

Umar’s face was red with embarrassment. He sat down next to Naved.

Umar’s dad and Naved’s uncle were lost in conversation within seconds.

Umar sat quietly next to Naved.

"Pistons, huh?" said Umar after a few minutes.

Naved looked up and smiled. "Yeah. They’re gonna cream the Lakers."

"No way, man!" Umar said. "What’re you talking about? Lakers are going all the way this time!"

"Yeah, OK. The Pistons are gonna eat the Lakers up for breakfast!"

Soon, Naved and Umar were lost in conversation.

The adhan brought them back, and they broke their fast together then prayed standing next to each other.

After prayer, Umar turned to Naved. "I’m sorry about school today. I can’t believe I behaved like that, especially while we were fasting."

Naved smiled. "It’s OK. I’ll just have to school you in ball sometime soon."

As the two made plans for after-school basketball, for the first time in a while, Naved felt at home.