She laughed at my awkwardness, like when I would not get in line to sharpen my pencil, even when my lead was broken, for fear of being embarrassed. Eventually, she made me realise it was all right to laugh at my own awkwardness and I felt more at ease in my news surroundings.
Does "in line" in my sentence mean that the author did not line up with her classmates to sharpen her pencil? If so, that means the pupils share one common sharpener.