High school can be a rough experience, especially for teens who have trouble making friends.
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Caleb Wrenn is no stranger to walking the hallways alone. And he’s used to being picked on by his classmates. So when the 14-year-old began his freshman year at Reidsville High School in North Carolina, he wasn’t surprised by the rude comments about his height. But he certainly didn’t appreciate them, nor did he enjoy sitting alone at lunch.
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When Caleb’s older sister, Leah Edwards texted to ask about his first day, the teen couldn’t lie. It broke Leah’s heart to read that Caleb’s peers called him a loser just because he’s short.
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So, like the amazing big sister she is, Leah took to Twitter, rallying her followers to support her little brother and let him know that despite what bullies say, he is a cool kid.
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And she was completely stunned by the response. Not only did people immediately jump in to offer their company to Caleb…
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…but members of the school’s football and basketball teams made sure Caleb would never eat alone again.
“We decided to catch him off guard at lunch and have lunch with him and show him around the school and make sure he was okay and give him new friends,” said senior Demontez Canada. When he and his friends saw Leah’s tweet, they had to act.
“I felt like I had to make a stand and make sure he was okay because he is a freshman and he shouldn’t have to go through this his first year of high school. The message that I want to send is that you should always be humble, no matter what the situation is, no matter what everybody is going through, you should make sure they’re okay.”
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In an updated tweet, Leah wrote that the gesture meant to the world to her – as it did to Caleb, who said it was “probably the best experience of my life.”
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“It felt really nice to know that there are people who care,” the teen added. “I’ve always been used to kind of being the outsider, the loner, the outcast, but it feels kind of good to have friends.”
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And regarding his bullies, Caleb has truly been the bigger person. He’s quick to forgive and quite mature for his age, not to mention very understanding. Now he hopes his story will encourage others to reach out to anyone who needs a friend. After all, he’s learned having just one person on your side makes all the difference.
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Learn more about the group of compassionate teens below, and help Caleb spread the gift of friendship by sharing this story.
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