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NEW KID

Mrs. Jenkins was chalking the homework assignment for math on the board when the classroom door opened.

Todd Rumble turned in his seat. One of the secretaries came in, followed by a skinny kid wearing ratty jeans and a really strange colored shirt. It was purple and orange, with a big parrot printed on one side.

"New kid," Melvin Banks hissed from behind Todd. "Weird one, too."

Melvin was never nice to the new kids. Todd knew that, all too well. It had taken him two whole years for half the popular boys to even talk to him.

"This is Josh Larson," Mrs. Jenkins announced after talking with the secretary for a moment. "Who will volunteer to be Sunshine School Buddy for Josh's first day?"

Susan Rogers's hand flew up. Susan volunteered for everything.

"Teacher's pet," Melvin hissed behind Todd. Todd glanced around. His friend had his head lowered, avoiding the teacher's eye.

No one else volunteered. Mrs. Jenkins had Brenda Duncan change seats so the new kid could sit next to Susan. Then she started the whole math class over again so Josh would know what they were doing.

Todd barely heard her words. He sat, feeling miserable. The kid did look strange, but Todd couldn't forget how lonely he'd been when he'd first moved here.

"I've only now made good friends at Sunshine myself," he told himself through the rest of math and through reading. When the bell rang for lunch, he joined his friends at the door and trooped down the hall with them.

No one even mentioned the new boy at lunch. Josh didn't act very happy, either, sitting at a table with all girls. It looked like only Susan was talking to him.

Todd squirmed in his chair. He took one bite from the sandwich on his plate, then put it down. And he usually loved grilled cheese.

"You sick over there, Rumble?" Melvin asked, eying the sandwich and the completely untasted fries.

"Don't touch it, Banks," Todd said. "I'll eat it. I'm just not hungry yet."

"We only get twenty-five minutes in here," his friend reminded him.

Todd nodded. He looked at Melvin and the other boys at his table. They'd all become good friends this year. Would he lose everything if he left the table and asked the new boy to join them on the playground?

He squirmed in his chair again, but made himself eat. The food tasted like straw.

Then Susan got up. She and the new kid started for the door. Melvin and another boy made rude comments about the boy's shirt when he passed their table.

Josh's eyes were on his battered shoes. He looked more miserable than ever.

The last fourth of the grilled cheese just wouldn't make it down Todd's throat.

"Here," he said, plopping it across onto Melvin's plate. "I-there's something I have to do."
Quickly he stood. It was certain-sure he'd be an outcast again, too. But he just couldn't act like his friends.

"Hey, Susan," he called. "Wait up! I know how hard a new school can be. I'll be Josh's Sunshine School Buddy, too."

"You crazy, Rumble?" Melvin gasped.

"No," Todd said firmly. "I'm not crazy." He gave a shaky smile. "Try to think how you'd feel if your parents decided to move in the middle of the year."

Melvin looked surprised and Todd knew the idea had never, ever, crossed his mind.

"Uh, yeah. I guess it would be pretty tough," he said at last. Then he got up, too. "So okay," he said. "Let's get the new guy in our ballgame this noon. He's a little, scrawny thing. Maybe some of the clothes I outgrew would even fit him."

"My mom did up a box of my outgrown stuff, too," another boy said. "I'll ask if he could use anything."

"Wait up!" Todd called again, and he was smiling. "Josh has just gained a whole lot of Sunshine School Buddies!"

Learn more about this author, Margaret Shauers.
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