David could hardly sit still in his seat and he wasn't even enjoying the art project they were working on. Normally, he loved the fun things that Mrs. Hale taught them how to make and he couldn't wait to rush home and show his creation to his parents. Of course whenever his dad saw his artwork, he always told David that he was destined to be the next Leonardo Divinci (whomever that was), which made him laugh. Must be someone important, if his dad knew about him.

Glue and glitter on colored construction paper was hardly the stuff that hung in museums, but the way his dad admired his art projects and drawings on the refrigerator, David wouldn't have been surprised if he tried to sell them to a museum so everyone could see them.

He glanced at Andrea who was hurrying to finish her paper fish by decorating it with blue stars and green glitter.

"Wow, that's really cool!"

Andrea smiled and blushed fiercely, making David wonder if she didn't get many compliments. It was a thought that he found very sad.

"Thanks." She said, so quietly that he almost didn't hear her.

As he tried to concentrate on his art project, Andrea told him a joke that made him laugh and soon he was having so much fun that he almost forgot how nervous he was. The bell rang, signaling the end of school and he hurried to put his art project in his backpack.

Andrea was struggling to get her stuff put away, and David wasted little time in helping her. He didn't want to keep his mom waiting, but he hated to see Andrea having so much trouble. He was in charge of making sure that she was okay and he wanted to do a good job.

He waited for her to put her things away and then helped her put her fish art project in her backpack.

"Are you going to give this to your mom? It's really cool!"

"Yeah, she likes my art projects. I'm gonna go say goodbye to Miss Hale, okay? Want to come with me?"

"Sure."

They walked up to Mrs. Hale who smiled warmly.

"Hello, David! Andrea! David, I just want to tell you what a wonderful job you've been doing looking after Andrea and making sure she's getting used to her surroundings!"

"You're welcome, Miss Hale." David said politely. "Andrea is my friend and I don't want anything to happen to her."

"That's very nice of you, David. And Andrea's mother is very grateful to you. She told me how happy she was that you invited her over, and that she'll call your mother so that they can get acquainted."

"Thanks, Miss. Hale!" David said, grabbing Andrea's hand and leading her out of the classroom. The closer they got to the front door of the school the more nervous he become.

His mom and dad always liked the friends that he brought over but Andrea was different. He knew that his parents would never be mean to her but he didn't want them to treat her differently.

But he tried not to think about it and concentrated on getting Andrea out of the school safely.

The steps leading to the sidewalk were the biggest problem but he held tightly to her hand, going as slowly as possible so that she wouldn't trip and fall. And even though it took a lot longer than it would normally take him, she finally made it to the sidewalk.

When he looked up, he saw his mom's blue car and he felt the butterflies enter his stomach; the way he felt on Christmas Eve, in anticipation for Christmas morning.

Normally he would run to the car but he knew that he couldn't do that today. He had to take his time.

"There's my mom's car!"

"Wow, cool car!" Andrea said.

"Thanks. My Uncle Frasier bought it for her a long time ago because Mom got mad at him."

Andrea's eyes widened. "Your mom got a car for that?"

David had to admit it was pretty funny and he loved hearing the story again and again.

"Yeah, my mom used to live with my Uncle Frasier but back then he was just her boss and she was helping my grandpa with his physical therapy. And my mom had her own room but one day she found my dad and my Uncle Frasier in there. She was really mad-especially at my dad."

"Well they are married right? Why would she be mad?"

"This was a long long time ago way before I was born. They weren't married then but my dad really liked her."

Andrea still looked confused and David couldn't help but smile. The story still confused him and he'd heard it a hundred times.

"Maybe my parents can explain it to you better."

"They sound like fun people."

"They are. Come on, and you can meet my mom."

He held her hand and walked over to the car where his mom was waiting. He saw her reach over to open the door.

"Hi Mom."

"Hello Sweetheart." She said with a smile.

David put his backpack into the backseat and then helped Andrea with hers. Then he opened the door for her and made sure that she got in safely. He could see how hard it was for her to climb inside and the thought made him a little sad. Now he knew why his grandpa moved so slowly sometimes.

When they were all inside, he turned to his friend.

"Andrea, don't forget to buckle your seat belt! My mom's a good driver but my dad says that you have to watch out for everyone else on the road!"

She did as he asked and David eagerly turned to his mother, who had her hand in front of her mouth. But he could tell that she thought what he had said was funny.

"Mom, this is Andrea! She's from Texas!"

"Hello Andrea. It's so nice to meet you! I'm glad that David's found such a good friend! I had a very nice talk with your mum on the phone this afternoon and she is a lovely woman. She was very happy when I asked her if you could come over!"

"Thank you." Andrea said quietly. "I like David. He's been helping me at school."

"David's very fond of you too, Andrea. Now, it's just a short drive to our home and then you and David can play until after dinner. And you can meet David's father. I had a nice talk with your mum on the phone and s your mom that I'd bring you home a little later."

"The one that came into your room and made you mad?"

David turned red with embarrassment, and he wished he hadn't told Andrea that story, But his mom just laughed.

"Your dad certainly did come into me room, but I wasn't mad at him for very long. I knew he meant well and he always had such a hard time expressing his feelings for me but I'm so glad that he finally did. Because if he hadn't, we might not have David now. Niles is a wonderful man and he can't wait to meet you, Andrea!"

David was so excited that he could hardly wait until they got home and he knew his parents were going to like Andrea an awful lot.

Because he sure did.