Team8s and Counting

89. Thread's New Friend

As school continued for Thread, she was making a lot of progress. Saw had watched her confidence grow and her education flourish over the past month.

As far as the wheelchair went, the kids never really minded. Sure, they occasionally gave her looks from time to time, but they were just curious children; none of them had anything against her.

However, Thread was having some trouble with one aspect of preschool: her socialization. Thread had hung out with a couple of kids from time to time during recess or in class activities, but unfortunately, none of them had made it past her wheelchair for the most part.

This made Saw upset; she had known Thread since birth, and knew how amazing of a kid that girl was. After watching Thread's mood start to sadden as she realized that the kids only came up to Thread because of the wheelchair, Saw was determined to find Thread a friend to play with.

There was another bright student in Saw's preschool class that was also having the same struggles as Thread. Her name was Flare, and she was quite a quiet girl.

One day, during recess, Saw noticed that Flare was playing by herself as usual with some chalk on the blacktop. Usually, Saw understood that sometimes she wanted to be left alone, but today, she decided it was time for her to start socializing with her class.

Saw approached Flare, crouching down to her level, "Hey Flare, having fun with some chalk?"

Flare nodded, "Yes Ms. Blades," she said softly, her eyes focused on the intricate patterns she was drawing on the blacktop.

Saw smiled warmly. "Those are some beautiful drawings. You know, I've noticed you like to color alone a lot, don't you sweetheart?"

Flare glanced up, "Yes, I do Ms. Blades. No one else seems to really want to color with chalk like I do." Flare glanced back down, focusing on her artwork.

Saw then decided this was the perfect time to get the two girls to socialize, "You know, Flare, Thread over there loves to color as well! I've seen her color a lot, and I think you two would have a lot of fun coloring together."

"Thread?" Flare asked, "You mean the girl in the wheelchair?"

"Yes, that's right," Saw replied gently. "Thread is really kind and fun, and I think you two might have a lot in common besides coloring."

Flare hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, Miss Saw. I'd like that."

Saw's smile widened. "Great! Let's go say hi."

The two of them walked up to Thread, who was wheeling around the blacktop like she usually did during recess.

"Hey Thread," Saw went up to her, "You know our classmate Flare here, right?"

Thread nodded, "Of course I do, Ms. Blades."

Saw smiled, "Well, I noticed that Flare was coloring over on the blacktop with some chalk, and I thought that it would be fun for you two to color together, since I know how much you like to color!"

Threads eyes lit up, "I would love to color with you, Flare!"

Saw was so excited that she was getting the two girls together, "That's awesome! Let me get you onto the ground, Thread, and you two can color away together!"

Thread was really excited at the prospect of having a friend to play with; wheeling around the blacktop could get very boring at times. Most of the other kids liked to play tag with each other, but Thread and Flare.

"There you go, sweetie," Saw said, giving Thread an encouraging smile. "Have fun, you two!"

Flare handed Thread a piece of chalk, her earlier shyness starting to fade. "Do you want to help me finish this drawing?"

Thread nodded eagerly. "Sure! What are we drawing?"

Flare pointed to the large, colorful design she had been working on. "It's a garden. See? These are the flowers, and here's a little path."

Thread's face lit up with excitement. "That's so pretty! Let's add more flowers over here!"

The two girls quickly became absorbed in their drawing, adding flowers, butterflies, and even a small pond with fish. Their laughter and chatter filled the air on the bright sunny day.

Saw watched from aside, and felt like she had just won the lottery! She was excited to watch the two girls getting along, and was glad to see that they were no longer alone at recess.

Eventually, as all good things do, recess came to an end, and Saw had to gather the kids back into the classroom. She went over to Thread and Flare, picking Thread up to put her back in her chair.

"Awwww," Thread frowned, "we were just getting started, Ms. Pickets."

Flare chimed in, "We aren't done with it yet!"

Saw chuckled, "Sorry girls, but it's time to head back indoors. We have some fun activities to do once we get back in class."

Before heading inside, Thread looked back over at Flare. "Want to color again tomorrow?"

Flare nodded, "Of course Thread, I had a lot of fun with you today!"

Saw pumped her fist in victory, as she gathered the rest of the kids indoors. She knew how important it was for children to form meaningful friendships, and seeing Thread and Flare connect made her heart swell with pride.

As the day continued, Saw could tell that both Thread and Flare were in a whole different mood throughout class. Saw couldn't wait to tell Coiny, Pin, and Needle about Thread's accomplishment, but for now, she enjoyed the presence of her students, and was reminded of what made her job much more worthwhile. 

..........................................................

My favorite chapters are the short but wholesome ones, and this one is no exception. And if anyone was wondering, yes, Flare is a fanchild of two BFDI characters (and no, it's not Firey and Leafy), and her parents are defiantly important to know for this story (they will be revealed eventually so stay tuned)! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

- Sunny