Paul squirmed in his seat at the lunch table. His friend Ryan had spilled his drink in his lap. It made it look like he wet his pants.

But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that three of the other boys were laughing at him. And they wouldn’t stop.

Paul wasn’t sure what to do. He felt bad to say it, but he was mostly just glad they weren’t laughing at him. He tried to be helpful. He handed Ryan a napkin. But wiping the wet spot only made it spread.

Ryan’s face was getting red. Paul could tell he was trying not to cry. The laughing was getting louder and meaner. One of the boys called Ryan a wet-pants baby.

Paul knew he would never treat anyone that way. But he wondered if that was good enough? Even if he wasn’t doing something mean himself, sitting quietly while it was happening made him feel like a rotten friend.

Paul decided to speak up.

“Hey,” he said. “It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone.”

The boys kept laughing.

“Stop it,” said Paul. “You’re being mean.”

The boys looked away. They stopped laughing. They kept talking, but it was quieter now. Paul thought they probably felt bad about what they had done. But they didn’t apologize.

Ryan looked relieved. “Thanks,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” said Paul. He was proud that he had stood up for Ryan. That’s what good friends are for.