Devon just knew that his neighborhood would stink. There he was again—Jake, the boy who lived across the street. He was having a blast with his friends. The jokes and hoots Jake and his friends shared while playing street hockey or skateboarding made Devon feel lonely for the friends he had left behind. He felt so bad, it was as if someone had had walked up and punched him in the stomach.
It’s not that Devon didn’t try to meet Jake. He often rode his bike by Jake’s house, but Jake never waved. It was true, he admitted to himself, that he rode fast so he wouldn’t have to hear the sounds of Jake and his friends laughing and playing. But he knew Jake wouldn’t have waved anyway. “What’s the use?” he thought. “Jake has lots of friends. He doesn’t need one more. This neighborhood stinks.”
Devon dreaded the first day of school. He was convinced his new school was going to stink, too.
“It will be all right,” his mom said. “You just wait and see.”
When the first day of school arrived, Devon walked slowly to the bus stop, crossing the street to avoid Jake. Sweat poured from his body even though it was chilly out.
On the bus, Devon sat alone. He could hear Jake and his friends joking around in the back of the bus. “I already wish this day was over,” Devon thought.
As he stepped into his classroom, he felt like everyone’s eyes were on him—the new kid.
“Devon, come up front,” said Ms. Edwards, his new teacher.
“Devon wished he was a turtle so he could duck into his shell. His face felt too exposed, and he could feel his cheeks turning red and his ears burning.
“Everyone, this is Devon,” Ms. Edwards began. “He moved here from Lancaster. I hope you all make an effort to get to know him.” No one said a word.
Devon felt like he was going to burst from embarrassment. Just as he was about to sit down, Jake stood up and began to talk.
“Hey, everyone, make my neighbor welcome, you hear?” he called in a loud, friendly voice.
The rest of the class giggled. The chorus of hellos that followed was music to Devon’s burning ears. He gave a big sigh of relief. This new school wasn’t going to stink after all.
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