35. School Fight

Jack and Ben were at school. They were standing in the hallway. Jack was upset because Ben had taken his pencil. “That’s mine!” Jack shouted. Ben shook his head and said, “No, it’s not! I found it on the floor.”

Jack pushed Ben. Ben pushed him back. Soon, they were yelling at each other. Other students watched, but no one said anything. The boys’ faces were red, and they were ready to fight.

Suddenly, Mrs. Lee, their teacher, appeared. “Stop this right now!” she said in a firm voice. Both boys froze and looked at her. She didn’t shout, but her voice was serious. “Fighting is not the answer,” she said. “What’s going on here?”

“He took my pencil!” Jack said. “It’s mine, and he won’t give it back.”

“I didn’t take it!” Ben argued. “I found it on the floor.”

Mrs. Lee looked at both boys. “We’re going to solve this peacefully,” she said. She bent down and picked up the pencil. “Jack, is this really yours?”

Jack thought for a moment and then shook his head. “No, I guess not. Mine had a blue eraser, and this one has a red one.”

Mrs. Lee smiled. “It looks like we had a misunderstanding. Now, how about we apologize and shake hands?”

Jack looked at Ben. “Sorry for getting mad,” he said. Ben smiled a little and said, “Sorry for pushing you.”

The boys shook hands, and Mrs. Lee nodded. “Good. Now let’s get back to class, and remember, talking works better than fighting.”

The boys walked back to class, no longer angry, and Mrs. Lee smiled, knowing they had learned something important that day.