Weird Leonard and My Broken Leg (standard:Inspirational stories, 1191 words)
Author: Rosie Jay	Added: Sep 23 2006	Views/Reads: 3559/2246	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.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

Leonard walks in.  "Hi" he says.  He hands me my math book and looks at
my broken leg. 

"Hi" I answer back.  Since I appreciated his going out of his way like
that, I tried to think of something else nice to say.  But what? 

It hits me.  Leonard likes schoolwork.  "Thanks for bringing my math
book," I tells him. 

But Leonard wouldn't leave.  He kept standing there like his feet were
stuck in cement.  I figured maybe I should keep talking. 

"I have to study the fifth chapter.  You know, the one about fractions
and decimals?" 

He pushed up his glasses, letting me wait for his words.   "It's easy,"
he says.  "If you want me to, I can help you." 

Ah, what?  Geez, I wasn't expecting that!  And now he was waiting for my
words. 

I must have smiled.  Or did I nod?  Anyway, the next thing I knew, he
was sitting on the edge of my bed.  He opened that math book and was 
into chapter five before I had time to blink! 

Well, I was unglued.  But after I settled down I started paying
atten¬tion—and then the most amazing thing happened.  I was catching on 
to those fractions and decimals!  It seemed like the way Leonard was 
explain¬ing it, chapter five didn't seem so hard! 

It felt great, so I says to him right before he leaves, "You know,
you're really smart, Leonard.  How'd you get so smart?" 

I think I embarrassed him.  He shrugged, rubbing his foot along the
floor.  "I don't know.  It just comes to me.  You want me to come by 
tomorrow?" 

Another shocker.  But, to be honest, I wasn't sure at first.  I mean, I
never made fun of him like some of the other guys did, but I never 
really thought much about being friends with him either--until now. 

Then I made up my mind.  "Sure thing," I said.  And I really meant it. 
I don’t know if he expected that answer or not, because before he left, 
he turned and looked at me for a few seconds.  His half-smile turned 
into a big fat grin. 

But the real test of our budding friendship was yet to come--when we got
back to school.   I took a real razzin’ when the rest of the guys saw 
me and Weird Leonard acting like pals, and they wouldn't let up for 
about a week.  But for some reason, the heckling didn't bother me much. 
 Then, about a week or so later, they settled down--even changing their 
tune when they noticed my math grades improving. 

Now I get a real kick out of what came next.  When the bell rings,
Leonard always has one or two of them at his desk begging for help. 

But Leonard isn't the only good guy here.  I like to think I did
something for him as well.  It happened about three weeks later, when 
we were walking home from school.  Leonard mentioned the football 
thing. 

"I really do like football, Rusty.  It's just that I'm so...so awful at
that sort of thing." 

"Say no more," I told him.  "I'm going to be your coach." 

Well, it took awhile.  But now he's getting so good at catching a pass,
the other guys don't even tease him anymore.  Well, maybe just once in 
a while.  He still has that dumb hair. 

But he's a real good sport about it, because he knows that we know now. 
Leonard isn't weird, not at all.  He's okay and just a regular kid like 
us.  All he needed was a chance to be one. 

And sometimes I get to thinking.  If I hadn't broken my leg trying to
save my cat, I never would have found that out.  I guess good things 
really can come out of bad things that happen. 

Somewhere, I heard that once. 


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