Libby, Amir, and Tim were not excited about their school trip to the zoo. That morning at school, they were put in a group together, and Mr. Tomzin was their leader. The three of them were not happy about this. They stood quietly in line, ready to get on the bus to the zoo. You could see they were not excited by how far apart they stood in line.
Libby thought Amir was annoying with his endless stories about his pets. “He talks about his rabbit like it’s a superstar,” she thought while rolling her eyes. Amir thought Libby was a bit rude and too confident. She always seemed to think she knew more than everyone else. Tim, the third group member, loved sports and wished he could be with his friends from the football team instead of Libby and Amir. Libby and Amir thought Tim was really shy because he hardly ever talked to them.
They got on the bus in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The rest of the class was talking happily, but Libby, Amir, and Tim felt different. Amir tried to start a conversation by telling a story about his rabbit’s trip to the vet.
“I’m not interested,” Libby snapped, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep.
Tim didn’t even try to talk. He fell asleep almost right away, which annoyed the other two. Libby looked at him, rolled her eyes, and stared out the window at the passing scenery.
A shake of the bus showed they had arrived at the zoo. Mr. Tomzin looked at the trio he was responsible for and said, “Ummm… you three… it’ll be great, okay? You’re all great people. Maybe this will… um… be the start of a new… hmmm,” his voice trailed off as he saw the glare from all three of them.
The class got off the bus and gathered at the entrance to the zoo. It was a bit chilly outside. Mr. Tomzin felt it matched the mood of his group.
The zoo worker waved for the group to enter the zoo. They walked through the entrance, mostly excited about the day ahead, except for Mr. Tomzin’s group. As they passed the cheetah exhibit, Tim's eyes lit up. The sign talked about how fast cheetahs could run. “I bet I can outrun them!” he shouted suddenly, surprising both Libby and Amir.
He took off running, trying to match the cheetah’s speed. His funny running and silly sound effects were so unexpected that Libby and Amir couldn’t help but laugh.
“Who knew Tim was so funny?” Libby said while giggling, starting to see him in a new way.
As they continued their tour, Amir shared his knowledge about the animals. He talked about how giraffes eat and how penguins stay warm. Libby and Tim found themselves really interested. Amir wasn’t just talking about his pets; he knew a lot about all kinds of animals.
At one point, Tim tried to jump like a kangaroo but tripped over a rock. Libby hurried to help him, showing a kind side that Amir had never seen before.
“You okay?” she asked, offering her hand.
“Yeah, just lost to the kangaroo,” Tim grinned sheepishly as he took her hand.
Mr. Tomzin smiled to himself at the scene. Maybe his words to the group on the bus were more helpful than he had thought.
As the day went on, the trio began to bond. They shared funny moments and learned even more about the animals. They admired the lions, fed the friendly goats, and even took a group picture with the parrots. Libby realized that Amir’s stories came from a real interest in animals. Amir saw that Libby’s confidence could also be kind. Tim, who had seemed shy, turned out to be funny and full of energy.
On the way back to school, everything had changed. Libby, Amir, and Tim were chatting excitedly, remembering their favorite parts of the trip and laughing at Tim’s attempts to outrun the cheetahs. There was no doubt about it: they had become friends.
What started as a day of reluctance and low spirits ended with laughter and new friendships. Libby, Amir, and Tim looked forward to more funny, interesting, sporty, and kind moments together as a trio.