Sit Next to Me
By Diana Eid • Illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Once again, Myra sat alone on the bus. Even after two weeks at her new school, Myra had not made any friends.
At recess, she played alone.
In art class, she drew alone.
At recess, Myra played alone.
In the lunchroom, she ate alone.
And on the bus ride home, she sat alone.
Myra could not figure out why no one wanted to be her friend.
Other kids joked and laughed with each other. But none of them joked and laughed with her.
Just thinking about it made her head hurt and her stomach feel funny.
The girl looked lonely, too.
One day, as Myra sat alone on the way to school, she looked at the seat across from her. She saw a girl sitting all by herself. The girl looked lonely, too.
Myra wondered if she should say hello.
But what if the girl didn't want to be her friend? Maybe she already had a lot of friends.
What if the girl ignored her? What if she laughed at her? Myra stared at the floor of the bus. Finally, she took a deep breath and smiled at the girl.
The girl smiled back.
Myra said, "Hi, I'm Myra. Do you want to sit next to me?"
The girl's smile grew. "I'm Nadia. Yes, I'd like to sit next to you."
In the lunchroom, they ate together.
At the next stop, Nadia slid into the seat next to Myra. They joked and laughed the whole way to school.
At recess, Myra and Nadia played together.
In art class, they drew together.
In the lunchroom, they ate together.
And on the bus ride home, they sat together.
"I'll see you tomorrow!"
When it came time for Myra to get off the bus, she turned to her new friend. "'Bye, Nadia! I'll see you tomorrow!"
Nadia smiled. "Good-bye, Myra. I'll save you a seat."
Myra hopped off the bus and ran all the way to her front door. She turned around and waved to Nadia. Then she watched as the bus drove away.
A big smile spread across Myra's face. She had made a friend. A friend who was going to save her a seat tomorrow. She could hardly wait.
