Mariam rolled her eyes at him before continuing. "No, seriously. We got talking, and... he really seems to understand how messed up things were before. He told me about some of the things his family did, things he never knew about until after they left. He seemed genuinely upset about it."
I felt a spark of hope in my chest. "That's great, Mariam. It sounds like he's really trying to change."
Mariam nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I think he is. And... well, I kind of invited him to help out at the community garden tomorrow. Is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay," I said, touched by Mariam's efforts. "I think it's a great idea, actually. It'll give him a chance to meet more people, to really be part of the community."
Mariam beamed. "Thanks, Bella. I'll let him know."
As Mariam bounced off, Jaso
