Waverly Looks Around

Waverly is a tan puppy with floppy ears, a red collar, and a tail that almost never stops wagging. Almost.

Waverly’s best friend in the whole school is Wimble the squirrel. They play together every single recess. Every single one.

But one Tuesday, when Waverly bounded outside, Wimble was already on the swings with someone new, a little mole named Nubbin who had just joined their class. They were laughing about something. They didn’t even see Waverly.

Waverly’s tail stopped wagging. It hung down, very still.

Wimble has a new best friend, Waverly thought. Now I have nobody. A heavy, lonely feeling sat on Waverly’s back like a wet blanket.

Waverly sat down by the drinking fountain and put her chin on her paws.

Then Tortle the tortoise came slowly past. She stopped. “Hello, Waverly. You look like a puppy with a big feeling.”

“Wimble is playing with someone else,” Waverly said. “So I’ve got nobody.”

Tortle looked out at the playground. “Nobody?” she said gently. “That’s a lot of nobody. Why don’t you lift up your head and have a look?”

Waverly lifted her head. She looked.

There was Corkie, judging four-square by the fence. There were Rocco and Dabney, digging a deep hole in the sandbox. And there, under the big oak tree, all by herself, sat a little hedgehog Waverly had never talked to before. The hedgehog was rolling a marble back and forth, back and forth, and looking at the other friends every few seconds.

Waverly knew that look. It was the same look she had on her own face, just a minute ago.

Waverly’s tail gave one small wag. Then another.

She trotted over to the oak tree. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Waverly. Do you want to play? We could make a marble run in the dirt.”

The hedgehog’s eyes went wide and bright. “Yes, please!”

By the end of recess, they had built a marble run with three tunnels and a bridge made of a stick. Waverly’s tail was wagging so hard her whole back end wiggled.

And at lunch, Wimble came running over. “Waverly! Nubbin and I are playing tag tomorrow. Do you want to play too? And your new friend?”

Waverly learned something that Tuesday. When one friend is busy, it can feel like you have nobody. But if you lift your head and look around, there is almost always someone else, and sometimes they are waiting for exactly you.