Penny

Penny was a girl who loved to read. She was good in Reading and Language and she was good in volleyball. The problem was, she had a hard time making friends with people who weren't like her. She had one really close friend. Her name was Cara. She also liked reading, volleyball and music. She had other friends, but she had to act differently when she was with them. Other people did not like it when she read books in class. They also did not eat near her when she ate burgers. So, eventually she learned not to be herself when she was around them. She didn't read, or eat burgers, or sing songs. 

One day, her mentor approached her and asked, "Penny, wouldn't you be happier if you had more friends? Close friends like Cara. Try and make a new one."

That afternoon, she went to the library. When someone sat at her table, she felt scared. 

Was she going to tease Penny? 

Instead, she said, "Hi my name is Hannah!I love to read books!" 

Penny smiled. She said,"I'm Penny.I love to read too!" They both knew that they would both be good friends. 

The next day, Penny and Hannah met up with Cara. Penny introduced Hannah to Cara and they became friends. At dismissal, Hannah and Cara planned a surprise party for Penny. When Saturday came, they put on decorations and bought a cake. Penny entered the living room and her relatives shouted,"SURPRISE " Penny was so happy. She felt like someone had given her one million dollars! After the party , Penny had a sleepover with Cara and Hannah. They listened to music, played games and finally slept.

In the morning, they had waffles and juice for breakfast and went to the volleyball court. There, she met a great volleyball player named Lucy and instantly became friends. They all played volleyball together.

In the following months, she became more sociable and made more friends. She stopped pretending to be someone who she wasn't and people learned to accept her for who she was. She became a leader. At the end of the schoolyear, she had 3 awards: top 1 of the batch, Volleyball Varsity and Leadership. She felt happy.

- Adrienne M.