#3rd grade

[bretzkysbs]

[yukiisastar]

[pollka1]

'Cause you know I'll be there for you

Summary - Chris gives Josh the comfort he needs when Josh's parents don't show up for a special day in 3rd grade

Genre - angst, fluff

Characters - Chris Hartley, Josh Washington, Chris' parents.

Character speech is colour coded:

Blue = Josh

Orange = Chris

Pink = Chris' mom

The cafeteria was buzzing with excitement. The air smelled of chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, the usual Thursday lunch, but today was special. It was "Lunch with Your Parents" day, and the long tables were packed with moms and dads sitting beside their children, chatting and laughing.

Josh stood near the cafeteria entrance, his tray held tight in his small hands. His heart pounded as he scanned the room, searching for his parents. Josh had talked about this day all week—how Mom and Dad would come, maybe even bring something extra special to eat. But now, as he looked around, his parents were nowhere to be seen.

A lump formed in his throat. Maybe they were just late. Maybe they got caught up with work. He took a deep breath and stepped further into the room, eyes darting from table to table. All around him, kids were hugging their parents, laughing, and trading snacks. But his spot at the table—where he had saved two seats—was still empty.

Minutes passed. Kids rushed past him, eager to get to their families, and the sound of chairs scraping against the linoleum filled his ears. He shifted on his feet, pretending like he wasn’t worried, like this wasn’t a big deal. But it was. He had been so sure they would come.

Chris, sitting a few tables away with his parents, noticed him right away. His dad was telling a story about some technology thing Chris had talked about non-stop at home, but Chris wasn’t listening anymore. He saw the way Josh was standing there, his shoulders slumping more by the second, his tray still full because he hadn’t sat down yet.

Chris glanced at his mom, who always seemed to notice things like this too. When he turned back to Josh, he raised a hand and waved. “Josh! Hey, over here!”

Josh blinked and looked over. For a second, Chris thought he might pretend not to hear him, but then he shuffled over, his face blank.

Chris scooted over, making room. “Sit with us!” he said, grinning up at him. “We have, like, way too much food. My mom made me bring extra cookies, and my dad’s telling some story about technology.” He rolled his eyes, but his tone was warm.

Josh hesitated, glancing back at the empty seats he had saved, then at Chris’s parents, who smiled at him. His chest felt tight, but he forced himself to sit down. “Thanks,” he mumbled.

Chris’ mom placed a juice box in front of him like it had always been meant for him. “We’re happy to have you here, Josh,” she said kindly.

Chris nudged his arm. “Wanna trade? I’ll give you my pudding for your roll.”

Josh looked down at his tray. He wasn’t really hungry anymore, but Chris was smiling like everything was normal, like this wasn’t a big deal. Slowly, Josh pushed his tray forward, tapping Chris’s pudding with a finger. “Deal.”

Chris grinned and swapped the food. Josh’s shoulders relaxed just a little. It wasn’t the same as having his parents there, but sitting with Chris made the empty seats feel less noticeable. And somehow, that made lunch a little easier to swallow.

As they ate, Chris’ dad kept talking, but now Josh found himself actually listening. It was something about satellites and how they floated in space. Chris’s dad spoke with excitement, waving his hands as he explained. Chris groaned. “Dad, c’mon, we’re eating! No more tech talk.”

Josh gave a small smile. “I think it’s kinda cool.”

Chris groaned again, dramatically this time, and his mom laughed. “See? Someone appreciates your dad’s nerd talk.”

Josh felt lighter, more at ease. He took a bite of his food and listened as Chris’ dad kept talking, this time about astronauts. Chris rolled his eyes but let the conversation continue, sneaking Josh another cookie when his mom wasn’t looking.

By the end of lunch, Josh had almost forgotten how badly the day had started. Maybe his parents had been too busy, maybe they had forgotten, but at least he hadn’t spent the whole lunch alone. Chris had made sure of that. And as they threw away their trays and lined up for recess, Josh nudged his friend with his elbow.

“Thanks,” he said quietly.

Chris just grinned. “Anytime.”

This one's a little shorter so I hope you like it 🙏

[paradiseyuri]

✿.｡.:* ♀ *.:｡✿｡:.* ♀ *.｡.✿ Created By:||☆3rd GRADE☆ respective credits to the creator ✿.｡.:* ♀ *.:｡✿｡:.* ♀ *.｡.✿ ⓟⒶⓇⒶⒹⒾⓈⒺ♡ⓎⓊⓇⒾ

[loz3rliterature]

I miss autumn. I miss the loud laughs from lunch tables 50 feet away from me I miss the soft small carpet I miss seeing all the other kids in their costumes on halloween I miss playing house I miss being a kid. I miss winter. I miss sharing jackets between me and my friends I miss the warm air inside the classroom I miss laughing with random kids on the playground about how cold it is I miss rainy days, where we stayed inside for lunch and watched a movie I miss being a kid. I miss spring. I miss watching the caterpillars grow into butterflies I miss picking flowers for my friends I miss painting and how it smelled I miss story time I miss show and tell I miss being a kid. I miss summer. I miss jumping into the pool without a care in the world I miss staying up all night and playing games with my cousins I miss popsicles on hot days I miss joking with my friends about how I was wearing a jacket in 80 degree weather I miss being a kid. I miss being line leader. I miss being young. I miss having no cares. I miss loving people. I miss what I used to have

[retropopcult]

third graders, 1994

[professionalreviewreviewer]

[allhailthe70shousewife]

November 22, 1979