Bix clutched his backpack straps and stared at the yellow school doors. A swarm of chattering voices spilled out.
A bouncy red ball rolled to a stop against his foot. Bix stepped back — his quills bristled.
He tried to slip into the classroom unnoticed. The door squeaked open with a loud creak — every head turned.
He pressed his nose near a row of shiny new pencils on a desk. One pencil rolled toward him.
A small fox with a mismatched sock waved from the reading corner. 'You're new!' she called.
She hopped over and pressed a star-shaped cracker into his paw. Bix looked at the cracker, then at her kind grin.
Bix nibbled the cracker. It was crunchy and sweet.
The fox pointed toward the playground. 'Come on!', she said.
They ran outside. The blue slide sparkled in the sun.
Bix left his backpack on a bench and slid down the blue slide. The other kids cheered.
Bix scrambled to the bottom and looked around. Everyone was smiling at him.
Bix picked up his backpack. He wasn't clutching it anymore.
