Elena raced across the playground after the red ball. Her loose shoelace caught, and down she went. “Ow,” she whispered.
The ball bounced once and rolled farther. Elena reached after it, but it slipped beneath a wooden bench. Sneakers thumped past her.
Children hurried toward the swings and slide. Elena stayed beside the bench, watching shoes rush by. “Please stop,” she thought.
A girl stopped beside the bench. She picked up the ball and offered her hand. “Come on,” she said.
Elena took the offered hand. Together, the girls walked toward the classroom while the whistle shrilled. “Thank you,” Elena said.
Inside, the teacher cleaned Elena’s scraped knee with a cool, damp cloth. Elena held the girl’s hand and whispered, “Thank you.”
At recess, Elena and the girl played together. They passed the ball across the grass and chased it beneath the sunny sky.
Then Elena’s loose shoelace caught again. Both girls tumbled onto the grass, burst out laughing, and raced to help one another up.