Avi’s New Friend

Avi’s New Friend

Avi was a quiet boy who had just moved to a new town. Everything felt strange—the streets, the park, even the school. He missed his old home and his best friend, Raju.

On his first day at the new school, Avi sat alone. The other kids were busy talking and laughing. Avi kept his head down, drawing little shapes in his notebook.

During lunch break, he found a quiet spot under a big mango tree. He opened his tiffin and slowly ate his food. He wasn’t very hungry.

A few minutes later, a girl with glasses and a soft smile walked by. She stopped when she saw him.

“Is that a dragon?” she asked gently, pointing at his notebook.

Avi looked up, surprised. “Um… yes.”

“It looks really cool,” she said. “I like drawing too. Mostly trees and clouds.”

Avi blinked. “Oh.”

The girl sat down a few feet away, not too close. “I’m Nia. You’re new, right?”

“Yes,” Avi replied.

There was a short silence. Then Nia opened her lunchbox and pulled out two small biscuits. She held one out to him without a word.

Avi hesitated, then took it.

They ate quietly under the tree, both drawing in their notebooks. Nia didn’t talk much. She didn’t ask too many questions. But somehow, Avi felt comfortable.

The next day, she was there again.

“I saved a spot under the tree,” she said, smiling softly.

Avi sat beside her.

Day by day, the quiet lunches became something special—sometimes they talked, sometimes they just drew and shared snacks. Nia never made him feel like he had to say something. She just understood.

Then one rainy afternoon, when the school bell rang, the sky opened up. The yard was full of puddles.

Nia looked at Avi. “Want to try something fun?”

He nodded.

They ran through the rain together, laughing and skipping through the puddles. It was the first time Avi had laughed like that since he moved.

He didn’t feel like the new boy anymore.
Because Nia, with her calm kindness, had become his first real friend in the new town.