I need some help!! Jonathan’s Journey

1 Jonathan exited the classroom and wandered down the hallway leading to the cafeteria. He grimaced, remembering that lunch, which used to be one of his favorite times of the day, now painfully reminded him of his loneliness. Although the food was delicious at this school, with his mood thoroughly soured, Johnathan didn’t care much about eating.

2 Jonathan had recently moved from his life-long home in South Carolina to Texas. After being laid off from his job, Jonathan’s father searched for months for a position. He finally found employment in Texas. While Jonathan was glad for his father, it was painful for him to leave behind his close friends when he moved.

3 As he passed a pair of boys conversing in the hall, Jonathan overheard one asking the other, “Hey, Tom, do you want to play baseball with me and the others after school?”

4 Tom quickly replied, “Sure, Scott. That sounds awesome!”

5 The two boys didn’t even look in Jonathan’s direction. He thought, “Of course, I wasn’t invited to play baseball. Sometimes, I feel like I must be invisible. I’ve been here almost two months, and still, no one ever pays attention to me.”

6 Jonathan trudged down the hall. Within a few minutes, he reached the cafeteria. He joined the queue of students waiting for their meals and stood behind a group of friends who were joking and laughing together. Within minutes, another group walked into the cafeteria and positioned themselves in line behind Jonathan. This second group of friends talked and laughed as much as the group in front of him. Jonathan sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He was sandwiched between two groups of friends, but he was a part of neither, so he had nothing better to do than to browse his phone.

7 Jonathan made it through the line after a few minutes and was sitting at his usual table in the corner of the cafeteria. Just like every other day, none of the other students offered to sit with him. Unfortunately, Jonathan was too nervous to sit at one of the tables that held a group of people.

8 Picking up his fork, Jonathan sighed and idly stirred the food on his plate. With a pang of depression, he realized that lunch had become the most dreaded part of his school day. At least when he was in class, Jonathan didn’t have to be constantly reminded of his loneliness. He muttered to himself, “Well, at least my family loves me. Hopefully, that won’t ever change.”

9 Jonathan glanced at a nearby table with a group of chattering students. Unfortunately, family wasn’t the same as friends. Jonathan had come to realize that he needed both family and friends if he was ever to be fully content. As he was mulling over these thoughts, one of the girls sitting at the table nearest Jonathan suddenly pushed back her chair and stood up. Looking in Jonathan’s direction, she grabbed her tray of food and began walking toward his table. Jonathan had not expected this. He had been attending this school for weeks, and no one had ever joined him for lunch.

10 The girl reached Jonathan’s table and smiled at him. “Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked, gesturing toward the seat across from Jonathan.

11 Jonathan’s heart raced as he replied, “Oh, of course not. I’d like that very much!”

12 The girl grinned and plopped herself down across from Jonathan. “My name is Maria, what’s yours?”

One Year Later

13 Cindy sat in her usual spot in the corner of the cafeteria, slowly eating her burger and fries. It wasn’t as if the food was bad; she just didn’t have much of an appetite. Sitting alone in the cafeteria, being reminded of her lack of friends, usually squelched her appetite.

14 Cindy scanned the cafeteria, noticing several friend groups and cliques where other students were laughing and chatting loudly. She sighed, wishing she was at one of those tables, taking part in the conversation. Suddenly, at the table nearest her, a boy stood up and glanced in her direction. After mumbling goodbye to his friends, he picked up his tray of food and strolled toward Cindy’s table. Cindy’s heart began to race. She had not expected this. After more than a month at her new school, no one had ever offered to sit with her during lunch.

15 The boy reached Cindy’s table, smiled at her, gestured toward the seat across from Cindy and asked, “Do you mind if I sit here?”

16 “Of course not! I’d love to have some company!” Cindy quickly replied.

17 The boy grinned and sat down across from Cindy. “My name is Jonathan, what’s yours?

Which event contributes most to Jonathan’s conflict in the selection?

A) Moving to Texas

B) Not being invited to play baseball

C) Lunchtime at school

D) Watching a girl walk towards him