“Sabrina, have you thought of any ideas for the community service project?”

Mrs. Degan looked at her with a smile. 

“I’m thinking of collecting clothes for the Florida hurricane victims,” mumbled Sabrina.

“Great idea! Who would like to work with Sabrina on this project?”

Sabrina knew many of her classmates were already signed-up for something. She tried to get Elizabeth’s attention so she could volunteer, but before she could Mrs. Degan made a suggestion.

“Riley, you don’t have an assignment yet. Why don’t you work with Sabrina? You two will have one week to present your plan to the class.”

Sabrina gulped. She hadn’t given much thought to the project details. And working with Riley made Sabrina cringe. Riley’s family had moved into town a month ago and was living with relatives. She seemed like a good student, but Sabrina didn’t want to work with someone she didn’t know. 

A few days later a feeling of dread overwhelmed Sabrina as she meet Riley to discuss the project. 

“Hi,” said Riley as Sabrina found her in the back corner of the library.

“I wrote down some ideas. I’d love to share them with you, but I don’t want to be pushy,” explained Riley as she shyly handed Sabrina a copy of her outline.

“Wow, you were serious when you said you had some ideas. I knew creating a flier to get people interested would be smart, but I never considered hanging it all around town. This will attract interest from the entire community, not just our school,” said Sabrina as she looked up at a beaming Riley. 

“I thought your idea was great. I figured our town would want to help out too. I’m just not sure where we should keep the donations,” said Riley with a deflated look on her face.

“Our garage,” shouted a suddenly excited Sabrina. “There’s plenty of room for donations, but it’s a mess. If I could clean it up, we could advertise a Saturday morning drop-off and serve snacks and drinks.” 

“I could help you clean the garage,” offered Riley. 

Sabrina wasn’t looking forward to spending more time with Riley, but she liked the idea of using the garage.

“I guess,” said Sabrina. “What about this weekend?”

“Great,” said Riley.

That weekend Riley arrived on time and prepared for the task at hand. 

“I thought maybe a few markers and labels might be helpful,” explained Riley as she handed Sabrina a bag of supplies. 

Once again Sabrina was impressed with Riley’s planning.

After a few hours of cleaning, Sabrina was surprised at how easy the conversation flowed between Riley and herself.

“Who would have thought we both love History and hate Math,” said Sabrina after Riley complained about their upcoming math test. 

“I know,” agreed Riley. “And I never thought I would meet someone who has read Little Women as many times as I have. I thought you and your friends didn’t like me, but you seem okay.”

“At first I was disappointed I wasn’t working with my friends,” admitted Sabrina as she looked away. “But you have great ideas and you’re a good student. You seem to genuinely want to help these people,” added Sabrina.

“I do want to help. I know what it’s like to loose everything.”

“What do you mean?” said Sabrina with a confused look on her face.

“Our house burnt to the ground and my father got hurt in the fire and can’t go back to work right now. We lost everything. If it wasn’t for my aunt and uncle we would probably be living in a shelter like many of the hurricane victims.”

Sabrina was shocked and ashamed for all the negative thoughts she had about Riley.

“I had no idea. I’m really sorry,” said Sabrina with a stunned look on her face.

“It isn’t your fault. My dad is getting better and eventually we’ll have a home of our own again. Meanwhile, I’m happy to be meeting some kids at school and helping other people.”

The morning of the presentation, the girls had a solid plan in place. Riley seemed calm and confidant. However, Sabrina was a wreck. The scent of her favorite pancakes had turned her stomach and her palms wouldn’t stop sweating. 

“Sabrina, you’re a mess,” said a concerned Riley.

“Even though I know what to say, I am terrified,” gulped Sabrina as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

“Why? You know everyone in our class and you know what to say.”

Sabrina thought about what Riley had said, and about her great attitude. Even though Riley had every reason to be angry and depressed, she chose to be positive and help other people instead. Sabrina knew she wanted to do the same thing.

“You’re right. I’m excited about this project. No matter what I tell myself, I’m still going to be nervous. But at least I won’t be alone in front of the class. I’ll be standing right next to a good friend.”