The Buddy Bench
Kofi loves playing soccer at recess, until he notices a new girl sitting alone on the buddy bench.
At Kofi's school there was a bright yellow bench at the edge of the playground. It was called the buddy bench. If you sat on it, it meant: I would like someone to play with.
Kofi never sat on the buddy bench. He was always busy playing soccer with his friends.
One Monday, as Kofi chased the ball, he saw a girl sitting on the yellow bench. She was new. She was swinging her legs and looking at her shoes.
Kofi stopped. "Kofi! Pass!" shouted his friend Danny. Kofi passed the ball, but he kept looking at the bench.
On Tuesday, the girl was there again.
Kofi's tummy felt funny. He remembered the first day at his old school, when he had not known anybody. It was the longest day ever.
On Wednesday, Kofi walked over to the bench. "Hi," he said. "I'm Kofi. Do you want to play soccer?"
The girl looked up. "I'm Ines," she said. "I've never played soccer. But I can do cartwheels."
"That's okay," said Kofi. "I can show you how to kick. Maybe you can show me a cartwheel?"
Ines learned to kick the ball with the side of her foot. Kofi tried a cartwheel and landed on his bottom. They both laughed until their sides hurt.
By Friday, Ines was playing soccer with everyone. And when Kofi saw another child sitting on the buddy bench, Ines was the first one to run over and say hello.
⭐ The End ⭐
💬 Talk about it
- What color was the buddy bench?
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Yellow. - What did it mean if you sat on the bench?
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You would like someone to play with. - What could Ines do?
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Cartwheels. - Why did Kofi decide to go over to Ines?
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He remembered how lonely it felt to not know anybody.
