Mark

Mark was seven years old. He talked slowly. He could not read yet. But he was a fast runner.
Mark did not have friends at school. The other kids stayed away from him because he looked different. His head was big. His arms and legs were short. People were afraid.
One day, it was time to run relay races. No one picked Mark to be on his or her team. “Run on Scott’s team,” the teacher said. Scott made an angry face.
Mark ran last. Scott’s team was behind. But Mark ran and ran. He ran so fast that he caught up to the front runner. Thanks to Mark, Scott’s team won the relay.
“Hurrah!” all the kids cried. They picked Mark up in the air and cheered for him. Now they weren’t scared. They all wanted Mark to run on their team.