Alex had a lot on his mind when he was walking to school. He had woken up and not been able to find his dog, Spot. He begged his mom to stay home and look for Spot, but she said he could went he got back from school.

When Alex got to school, he did not feel like talking to anyone. He worried about Spot and how he was going to find him. When Ms. Butler called on him, he did not have an answer. All he could think about was going home to find his dog.

At recess, Alex didn't feel like playing with anyone and stood by himself. He felt like he couldn't be happy until he found Spot. All he could think about was, "Where is Spot?, Is he warm and dry?, Where did he sleep last night?, Did he have dinner?, Did he find a new owner and forget about me?"

When Alex got home, he immediately went looking for Spot. He searched until it started to get dark and he had to go inside. He spent the rest of the night making flyers to hang up around the neighborhood.

The next day at school Alex had to sit alone because he did not do his homework. He had spent so much time looking for Spot and making flyers that he forgot about his homework. When he tried to explain to his teacher, she said that it was no excuse. This made Alex shy and upset. He was embarrassed.

That night, Alex had to do two nights of homework. He also had to study for his spelling test. He was really worried about Spot and school. No matter what he did, it seemed like no-one knew what he was going through.

The next day, his teacher sent him to the guidance counselor to talk. Alex was scared.

When Alex walked in to Mr. Smith's office, he was nervous. The guidance counselor asked him what had been bothering him. When Alex didn't respond, Mr. Smith started to tell Alex about his day. He listened and noticed that Mr. Smith also had some worries. Since Mr. Smith was able to open up, Alex felt comfortable in telling him about his situation.

"My dog ran away and I'm really worried about her. I forgot to do my homework and my teacher just yelled at me instead of helping. None of my friends have asked what is wrong. My mom is too busy to help look for Spot."

Speaking to someone really helped me feel better.

After speaking with Mr. Smith, Alex felt a little better. His guidance counselor had told him that it was okay to be sad sometimes and that he could always talk to him about anything. This made Alex feel better. Mr. Smith told him that many kids feel sad for a lot of reasons and that talking, going on a walk, or even having some alone time can help.

When Alex got back to class, it was time for lunch. Alex sat next to his friend, Gavin, for lunch. He told Gavin about his lost dog and about talking with Mr. Smith.

Gavin said that he liked talking to the guidance counselor. When his dad moved away, Gavin visited Mr. Smith a few times to talk about it. Alex had no idea that his friend had gone to see the guidance counselor too. This made Alex feel better.