Tyler Nguyen-Baker was the last person anyone expected to become friends with Mei Lee and her tight-knit group of girls. In fact, for the longest time, Tyler was known more as a troublemaker than a friend. He was the kid who always had something snarky to say, the one who took every opportunity to tease Mei and her friends, especially about their obsession with the boy band 4*Town. With his cocky attitude and love for causing chaos, Tyler seemed to thrive on getting under everyone’s skin.
But underneath that tough exterior, Tyler was just a kid trying to find his place in the world. He wasn’t as confident as he pretended to be, and the teasing was his way of hiding his insecurities. He envied the way Mei and her friends were so close, how they supported each other no matter what. Tyler longed to be part of something like that, but he didn’t know how to bridge the gap he had created between himself and them.
Everything changed the day Mei revealed her secret—that she was turning into a giant red panda whenever she got too emotional. Tyler, always one to seize an opportunity, saw Mei’s transformation as something he could use to his advantage. He started blackmailing her, threatening to expose her secret unless she did what he wanted. At first, it seemed like typical Tyler—always looking out for number one, never considering how his actions affected others.
But as he spent more time with Mei and her friends, something started to change. He saw how much they cared for each other, how they rallied around Mei despite the chaos her red panda form brought into their lives. Tyler began to feel a pang of something he hadn’t felt in a long time: guilt. He realized that maybe he didn’t want to be the bad guy anymore.
One day, during a particularly heated confrontation, Mei’s emotions got the better of her, and she transformed into the red panda right in front of Tyler. Instead of running away or taunting her, Tyler stood frozen, wide-eyed with shock. It was the first time he saw Mei for who she really was—not just the girl he teased, but someone struggling with something far bigger than anyone knew.
For a moment, the bravado fell away, and Tyler spoke with an honesty that surprised even himself. “I’m sorry, Mei,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean to make things harder for you. I just… I don’t know how to be part of something good.”
Mei, still in her red panda form, looked at Tyler with surprise. She hadn’t expected him to apologize, let alone show any vulnerability. Slowly, she transformed back into her human self, the tension between them shifting into something new.
“You don’t have to be perfect to be our friend, Tyler,” Mei said gently. “You just have to be yourself. And maybe stop being such a jerk.”
Tyler cracked a small, hesitant smile. It was the first real smile Mei had seen from him in a long time. From that moment on, something shifted between them. Tyler stopped his teasing and started hanging around more, slowly integrating himself into the group. It wasn’t easy—old habits die hard—but Mei and her friends gave him the chance he needed.
The real turning point came when the group decided to raise money for 4*Town tickets by capitalizing on Mei’s red panda form. Tyler, surprisingly, turned out to be an invaluable part of the plan. He had a knack for organizing events and managing the business side of things, skills that Mei and the others didn’t expect from him. Tyler threw himself into the project with a level of dedication that surprised even himself. For the first time, he felt like he was part of something real, something that mattered.
During the fundraiser, Tyler finally opened up about why he had been so antagonistic. His parents were often busy with their careers, and he spent a lot of time alone, feeling overlooked and unimportant. The teasing had been his way of getting attention, even if it was the wrong kind. But now, surrounded by friends who accepted him despite his flaws, Tyler began to let go of the anger and insecurity that had driven him for so long.
By the time the 4*Town concert rolled around, Tyler was officially part of the group. He might not have been as loud as Abby or as calm as Priya, but he found his own place among them. He was still sarcastic and a bit rough around the edges, but now his humor was more playful than mean-spirited. He even found himself enjoying the concerts and sleepovers he used to mock.
Tyler’s transformation wasn’t as dramatic as Mei’s, but it was just as significant. He went from being the group’s biggest nuisance to one of their closest friends. In the end, Tyler learned that being part of something good didn’t mean being perfect; it just meant being there, being real, and letting others see the parts of you that you were once too scared to show.
And for Mei and her friends, having Tyler on their side made their group stronger, proving that even the most unlikely friendships can blossom when given the chance.