A New Friend By ReadWorks
One day in March—not a special day for any reason, not a birthday or a holiday—Charlie woke up to the sound of panting right outside his bedroom door. Light from the sun was shining through the gaps in the window blinds, and Charlie squinted, rubbing his eyes and stretching. When he listened more carefully, he also heard squeals of delight along with the panting noises. That must be Lila, his little sister, who was always excited about everything. Their mom called Lila the Energizer Bunny, even though neither Charlie nor Lila knew what that was.
Really, though: Lila got excited about everything—pizza toppings, the mail, the first day of school, going to the park, getting a gold star sticker when she did her chores, watching her favorite cartoon, helping their mom make snickerdoodle cookies. Charlie could go on and on. He had gotten used to being the “boring one,” the kid who didn’t scream and shout and get excited about things.
Charlie groaned and rolled out of bed. I guess I have to go see what this is all about, he thought. He pulled on some jeans and a t‐shirt, and then took a deep breath before opening the door to his bedroom.
Something small and furry rushed at him and Lila started happy‐screaming (as she called it). Charlie looked down at the tiny thing that was head‐butting his ankles. He bent down and picked up the puppy, holding it a few inches away from his face. It was so small! It kept jumping forward in his arms to lick his face, and he finally hugged it to his chest and let it. Its tongue was scratchy and warm.
Wow, Charlie thought. Lila was jumping around Charlie in circles and chanting in a singsong voice, “He’s excited, he’s excited, Charlie is so excited!”
Their mom walked into the hall and smiled when she saw Charlie holding the puppy. “You like him, Char?” she asked. “I love him!” Charlie said. He rubbed the top of the puppy’s head and played with his floppy ears. His whole body was so soft and pillowy. Charlie wanted to bury his face in the puppy’s fur. “What should we call him, kids?” their mom said, picking Lila up and setting her on her hip to quiet her down. “How about Happy?” Charlie suggested. “That’s a great idea!” shouted Lila. Q
