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Midday light streams through high windows of the school library. Ava crouches behind a tall shelf, clutching 'Dragons and Daring Deeds,' while Max stops dribbling his basketball, leaning forward with a wide grin.
Ava tucked behind a library shelf at recess, quietly reading. Max dribbled by, sneakers squeaking. "Hi," he called. "What are you reading?" Ava peeked out, whispering, "Dragons and Daring Deeds."
On the sunny playground track, Ava sits on a bench reading aloud from a paperback while Max stands beside her, spinning a basketball on one finger and clicking a stopwatch, both laughing with determined faces.
Field Day announced a reading relay. Ava gulped. "I can't read aloud fast," she murmured. Max grinned, spinning his ball. "We'll practice together," he said, and they timed laps and pages, cheering.
During a blustery morning on the school field, Ava grips her fluttering book at the starting line as pages whip, while Max lunges forward, catching a flying bookmark, both eyes focused and encouraging smiles exchanged.
On relay day, wind flipped Ava's pages. "Oh no!" she squeaked. Max dashed, catching the fluttering bookmark. "You've got this," he said. Ava breathed steady, reading clear while Max counted beats.
Late afternoon light warms the library courtyard where Ava and Max sit side by side on concrete steps, munching granola bars; Ava lifts a book and Max balances a basketball on his knee as they laugh in relaxed victory.
Afterward, they shared snacks by the library. "Reading felt like a sport," Ava said. "Teamwork felt smart," Max laughed. They planned weekly book-and-ball meetups. Two unlikely friends felt braver together.