Weird Leonard and My Broken Leg (standard:Inspirational stories, 1191 words)
Author: Rosie Jay	Added: Sep 23 2006	Views/Reads: 3553/2242	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Rusty Riggs tells how he became friends with an outcast fellow student, all by way of an accident--his broken leg. In learning about his new friend, he sets the course for the "outcasters," helping them to see the light as well.

WEIRD LEONARD AND MY BROKEN LEG 

By 

Rosie Jay 

I never imagined, not even for one split-second, that it would ever
happen.  But it did. 

I, Rusty Riggs, actually wound up being friends with Weird Leonard--and
all because I fell off a ladder trying to save my cat from our backyard 
tree. 

It all started when I had to stay home from school a few days getting
used to the cast.  Mom had to pick up my books at school.  When she did 
that, Mrs. Purdy told her some¬thing she was surprised to hear. 

"Rusty is having a bit of trouble with fractions and decimals.  So when
he's feeling better, have him study chapter five in his math book all 
over again." 

But Mom was okay about it when she told me.  "You'll have the perfect
opportunity, Rusty," she said, plumping my pillow.  “You can sit 
quietly in your room and study chapter five and no one will bother 
you.” 

I remember feeling plenty sorry for myself that night, but I looked for
my math book anyway in the pile that was lying all over my bed.  Only 
it wasn't there.  It was on the top shelf of the coat closet at school, 
where I plunked it the day before the acci¬dent. 

And that's where Weird Leonard comes in. 

It so happened that Mrs. Purdy found it the next day.  Then she yelled
in front of the whole class.  "Who lives close enough to Rusty Riggs to 
drop it off?" 

Who raises his hand?  Yep, Weird Leonard, that's who. 

But maybe I should explain right now why that was a shocker.  Leonard
is...uh, dif¬ferent than the rest of us kids in class. 

It's not because he wears those huge, thick glasses that he keeps
pushing up with his fingers.  Or that big clump of hair on his head, 
either, that always sticks up no matter how much goop he plasters it 
down with.   I mean, hey, even I, Rusty Riggs, knows how it sounds just 
to be saying a dumb thing like that. 

It's just that...well, Leonard never talks much--to anybody.  He stays
pretty much to himself, like the only thing that interests him is--for 
real now--school¬work. 

Take football tryouts, for instance.  When the semester first started,
the rest of us guys were real excited about who was going to play. 

So I asked him.  "Hey, Leonard, going to try out?" 

He just sat there with his nose in a book.  "Nah, I don't think so," he
said.  That was it.  Nothing else. 

What gets him excited is math and science and stuff like that.  And if
he talks at all, it's when Mrs. Purdy says, "Leonard, can you answer 
this?"  Then he'll push up those glasses, take his good old time, and 
whamo!  The Leonard speaks--usually saying the right answer every time. 


But where was I?  Oh, yeah...So, there I am that day, just sitting on my
bed doodling some pictures on my cast, when mom yells up.  "Rusty, 
there's a boy named Leonard at the door with your math book.  Can he 
come up and see you?" 

Yikes! I thought.  Weird Leonard?  What's he doing here?  But I answered
real polite-like anyway because Mom always makes a big deal about being 
nice to company. "Uh...sure, Mom.  It's okay." 



Click here to read the rest of this story (80 more lines)