North Carolina EOG Reading Grade 7 Practice Questions - North Carolina End-of-Grade Reading Test - Grade 7 Exam

Read the passage and answer the question. Maya clutched her lunch tray and scanned the cafeteria. Every table seemed to have its own invisible wall, a force field that kept strangers out. She recognized nobody from her homeroom, and the faces she had known for years were three hundred miles away in Columbus. A group of girls near the window laughed at something on a phone, and Maya's chest tightened with longing to be part of that easy laughter. She chose an empty table near the door and sat down, pretending to study her schedule. "Is this seat taken?" A girl with short braids and a bright green jacket stood across from her, holding a tray piled with french fries. Maya shook her head, too surprised to speak. "I'm Destiny," the girl said, sliding in. "You're new, right? I saw you in Mr. Okoye's class. Don't worry, he's strict but fair. First week is always the hardest." What does the phrase "invisible wall, a force field that kept strangers out" most likely suggest?