Bessie Wants to Be Good Friends with Levi, but Levi Doesn’t Seem to Like Bessie
Bessie noticed Levi on the very first day she arrived. He sat near the window, quiet but not shy, as if he simply preferred watching the world instead of talking to it. Something about that calmness made Bessie curious. She liked making friends, and she decided almost immediately that Levi would be one of them.
Her first attempt was simple. She smiled and said hello. Levi nodded, polite but distant, then went back to his book. Bessie told herself it was just a slow start. Not everyone opened up right away.
The next day, she tried again. She asked what he was reading. Levi gave a short answer and turned a page. No follow-up question. No smile. Just a quiet wall that Bessie didn’t know how to climb.
Still, she didn’t give up. Bessie invited Levi to join her and a few others during lunch. He shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said. Not rude, just firm. That made it harder somehow. If he had been mean, she could have dismissed him. But Levi wasn’t mean—just uninterested.
Days passed, and Bessie kept trying in small ways. She saved him a seat. She shared snacks. She included him in conversations even when he didn’t respond. Each time, Levi remained the same—calm, distant, and separate.
Eventually, Bessie began to wonder if she was doing something wrong. Maybe she was too loud. Maybe she tried too hard. The thought sat heavy in her chest.
One afternoon, she decided to stop trying—just for a day. She sat with others, laughed, and let Levi be. For the first time, she didn’t look over at him.
That was when Levi spoke.
“Why didn’t you ask me today?” he said quietly.
Bessie blinked, surprised. “I thought you didn’t want to.”
Levi hesitated. “I don’t… always know what to say. But I noticed.”
It wasn’t a big moment. There was no sudden friendship, no dramatic change. But it was something real—a small crack in the wall.
And for Bessie, that was enough to try again, just a little differently this time.
