دوستان جدید گوئن

Gwen’s New Friends

Gwen walked into the gym for her next class. Coach Peeves said, “Today, we’re playing basketball. The custom is to let you choose your own teams. However, we’re going to do things differently.”

The coach assigned each girl to a team. There were six girls per team. Gwen glimpsed at her teammates. She didn’t know any of them. All of her friends were on the other teams. She couldn’t believe her misfortune. “I feel sick. May I go to the nurse?” asked Gwen.

The coach could see through Gwen’s excuses. It wasn’t the first time Gwen tried to leave class. With a stern voice, the coach said, “No.” Gwen was vehement. “I don’t know any of these girls! Let me play on another team. Please!” she pleaded.

“Gwen, don’t be disobedient. I don’t want to hear anymore negative comments from you.”

Gwen had no choice. Then a girl smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Stephanie. I was in your English class last year,” she said. Gwen remembered her. “For the sake of the team, please try your best. I know you’re a good player,” said Stephanie.

When the game started, Gwen played as best as she could. She took a long shot. The ball sailed through the air and went right through the hoop!

“That was awesome!” said one of her teammates. Later, Gwen fell with a loud thump.

“Are you OK?” asked her teammates. They were worried. She had ripped her pants. She had scraped her knee and had a small bruise.

Gwen told her teammates, “My knee is fine, and I can stitch my pants later. Let’s keep playing!”

By the end of the game, Gwen forgot altogether that she hadn’t wanted to play, and her team won! The victory bound Gwen’s team together. She had made a lot of new friends, and she could foresee that they would be a source of happiness for her for many years.