Oh , Fletcher, can't you try to be friend s with him?"
"I don't want to be his friend," replied Fletcher.
"I th ink thai you two would be good friends, li e's OK
really:'
Fletcher paused and looked at her.
"OK," he said, "I'll try. Just for you."
Fil l a smiled at Fletcher. She knew how diffi cult th is had
to be for him, especially as he was the new boy. A few seconds
later, as Billy Adams walked aro und the corne r, Fletcher was
waiting for him.
"Um. Hi, Billy," he began.
Billy stopped. He had a cookie in his hand and he was
chewing.
"Yeah?" he said.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for fighting with you;'
said Fletcher.
However, Fletcher realized that Billy wasn't looking at him
because he was staring right past him. Fletcher was beginning
to find it diffi cult to be patient.
"Look, Billy, I'm tr ying to be friendly here, but if you do n't
want to be .. ."
Without saying another word, Billy began 10 run toward
th e schoo l.
"I'm not that scary, am I?" Fletcher asked an equally
sur prised Fizza.
At that moment, a big black dog ran past them. But it
didn't run past Billy - it chased him.
"Do you thi nk it's after what Billy's l'ating?" asked Fizza.
"Idon't know- whatever it is, it doesn't look very friend ly!"
said Fletcher as he dropped his bag and ran after the dog.
Billy jumped up onto a wall and ran along it but th e angry
dog ran along beside him. Billy was cornered, 'lh c dog stared