Discovering Fun Together

Nina watched William for a moment longer, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her drawing paper. The other children were busy with their building blocks, their chatter a low hum in the classroom. But William sat quietly at a small table near the window, his crayons fanned out before him. He hadn't joined the block tower construction, nor had he been invited to the game of tag that had briefly erupted in the corner. Nina felt a little tug in her chest, a familiar flutter of wanting to help, to make things right.

She took a deep breath. It was just another boy, after all, even if he did have a special chair. She remembered how she sometimes felt shy when she first met new people. Maybe William felt shy too.

With a determined nod to herself, Nina gathered her own box of crayons. She walked over to William’s table, her heart thudding a little like a hummingbird’s wings. "Hi," she said, her voice soft but clear. "My name is Nina. Can I sit here?"