Stephanie Seahorse swam
toward them. “Hey, Joy—I just spotted a rip tide!”
“Yes!” Joy exclaimed. She and Muriel chased after Stephanie. Bogart’s face fell, but he followed
as well.
“Cowabunga!” Stephanie hollered. The rip current pulled the animals along. Bogart, being slower, jumped
in far behind the others, who laughed and tumbled in the underwater roller coaster.
“That was way cool!” Muriel said after the ride.
Bogart puffed up again. “One time I rode a rip current all the way to New Zealand,” he said proudly.
“Really?” Stephanie asked incredulously. “That must have taken you days to get back.”
“Oh, no. A whale I know gave me a ride back.”
“A whale?” the seahorse asked.
“Oh, yes,” Bogart replied. “He gives me rides all the time.”
“A whale giving a blowfish rides?” Muriel questioned.
“Umm-hmm,” Bogart nodded. “In fact, I have to run and meet him now. He’s going to take me far
out to sea for a ride.”
Stephanie frowned and looked at the others.
“Alright, I’ll catch you guys later,” Bogart said and then swam off.
Stephanie looked at Muriel and Joy. “That blowfish is the biggest blowhard I’ve ever met! He doesn’t
know any whales!”
“Yeah!” Muriel agreed. “He is such a bragger, puffing up like that all the time!”
“Hmmm,” Joy said, perplexed. She wrinkled up her brow. “You know, Bogart was far behind us in the
rip current,” she said. Stephanie frowned. “And he missed the first bubble blast,” she added. Muriel looked
away. “Perhaps he is only bragging because he feels left out,” she whispered. Her friends hung their heads, ashamed.
“A true friend is one who waits for another,” Joy said thoughtfully, half to herself and half to her companions.
As if remembering a ghostlike white creature from another place, she added, “true friendships are worth waiting for.”
The next day after school, Stephanie approached Joy and Bogart. “Hey, guys—do you want to play hide and
seek in the kelp beds? Muriel is over there waiting for us.”
Bogart looked hopefully at the little seahorse. “Me, too?” he asked timidly.
“Why, of course!” Stephanie said with a grin.
The blowfish lifted his head and smiled.
“Oh, and how was your whale ride?” Stephanie asked with a mischievous grin. Joy shot her a chastising glance.
“It was great. But if it’s all the same, I’d much rather spend time with you guys,” Bogart
said humbly.
Joy and Stephanie exchanged a knowing smile and the threesome swam off toward the kelp beds. From that day forth they
never failed to include Bogart, and the bragging blowfish was no more.
