Leo was known as the class clown of the third grade at Sunnyvale Elementary. He had a loud laugh and a fast run, but he also had a habit that wasn't very kind. Leo loved to make fun of other students to make himself feel important. His favorite person to tease was Sam.

Sam was the complete opposite of Leo. He was quiet, wore thick glasses, and always carried a book about rocks or insects. Leo called him "Silly Sam" or "Bug Boy." Whenever Sam shared an interesting fact in class, Leo would roll his eyes or whisper a joke to his friends. Sam would usually just look down at his desk and stay silent, which made Leo think he didn't mind the teasing.

One crisp autumn morning, the class took a bus to the Great Oak Nature Preserve. Mrs. Gable, their teacher, was excited. "Today, we are going to be nature detectives!" she announced. "Everyone needs to find five different types of leaves and sketch them in their journals. Stay on the marked paths, and stay with your partners."

Leo was paired with a boy named Toby, but Leo didn't want to follow the rules. He wanted to find the most impressive leaf in the whole forest. While the rest of the class was busy looking at bushes near the path, Leo saw a bright, glowing orange leaf deep in the woods. Without telling Toby, he darted off the trail and scrambled through some thick bushes.

As he reached for the orange leaf, the ground beneath his sneakers suddenly gave way. Leo slid down a steep, hidden embankment and landed in a patch of prickly briars. "Ow!" he yelled. He tried to stand up, but his right ankle throbbed with a sharp pain. He had twisted it badly.

Leo looked up. The top of the hill was high, and the woods were thick. He tried to climb, but the dirt was loose and crumbly. He called out for Toby, but the wind was blowing through the trees, and no one answered. For the first time in his life, Leo felt truly alone and very afraid. He sat in the mud, clutching his hurting ankle, wishing he hadn't been so reckless.

"Leo? Are you down there?" a voice called out from above.

Leo looked up and saw a familiar pair of glasses peering over the edge. It was Sam. Sam had noticed Leo disappear and had followed him to make sure he was okay.

"I'm stuck!" Leo shouted, his voice cracking. "I think I hurt my foot!"

"Hang on," Sam said. He didn't sound scared at all. He looked around and found a long, sturdy fallen branch. He lowered it down the slope. "Grab onto this, Leo. I've braced my feet against a big rock. I'll pull you up slowly."

Leo grabbed the branch with both hands. Sam pulled with all his might, his face turning red from the effort. Slowly but surely, Leo slid back up the embankment until Sam could reach out and grab his hand. Once they were both safely on flat ground, Sam helped Leo sit down. He took a clean bandage out of his backpack—he always came prepared—and wrapped Leo's ankle firmly.

"Why did you come for me?" Leo asked, looking at his muddy shoes. "I’ve been so mean to you, Sam. I called you names every day."

Sam shrugged and gave a small, kind smile. "I figured you just didn't know me yet. Besides, being a nature detective means looking out for everyone in the woods."

Leo felt a wave of shame, but also a strange sense of relief. When they finally hobbled back to the bus, Leo told Mrs. Gable everything. He expected Sam to brag about saving him, but Sam just went back to his book about rocks. The next day at school, Leo didn't make a single joke at anyone's expense. Instead, he sat next to Sam at lunch. Leo learned that a true friend isn't someone who makes you laugh at others, but someone who pulls you up when you fall down.