Joey always had trouble making friends with other kids at his school.
BusStop
No one was ever mean to him, but they all just acted like he didn't exist. Joey was sad. He was happy that no one was outright mean to him, but on the inside. He longed for a friend, but no one was able to tell.
Hey, can I sit here?
Uh... Sure.
Marnie was the only one who noticed how much Joey needed a friend. She would see him sitting alone and understand how he felt. She would never be the one to talk to him, though.
It only got worse and worse throughout the year. Marnie knew she had to step in and reach out to Joey before something bad happened,
Marnie stepped in and talked to Joey the next day. Joey was originally unsure, but then he was overjoyed that someone wanted to talk to him. Marnie explained to Joey that she understood how she felt because she had been there before. She had felt like no one in the world paid any attention to her, and she said the pain was unbearable, and it took just one kind person to reach out and drag her out of that place.
Marnie put herself in someone else's shoes and it resulted in her making a new friend. Joey was in the worst state of his life and it felt like he was drowning in loneliness, but because of Marnie's empathy, he finally felt happy and seen.