As the school announced a hiking trip last week, Leo came home with that rare spark in his eyes and said, “Sam wants to go too… but he’s not sure his parents will let him.”
He dropped his backpack by the door and added quietly, “If Sam doesn’t go, I don’t think I want to go either.”
His mother looked up from the kitchen counter. “This is the trip you’ve been excited about for months.”
“I know,” Leo said, hesitating. “It’s just… Sam’s never been on anything like this before. He said he’d feel left out if everyone else went without him.”
A pause filled the room.
Then his mother softened her voice. “So what are you thinking?”
Leo shrugged, but his eyes gave him away. “I was thinking… maybe I can convince the teacher to give him another chance. Or I don’t go either.”
Outside, the wind rattled the window gently, as if waiting for the decision that would change everything about the trip.
