Starting off at a new school is always stressful no matter what age or how confident you may be. Whether going to first grade, middle school, high school, college, or moving to a whole new area, having to navigate your way through foreign buildings and hallways filled with new people on the first day of school is daunting. On top of being unsure of where you’re going, there’s the ever-present social pressure of wanting to fit in overshadowing the whole experience.
High school tends to be the most anxiety-inducing time in a person’s life. There are so many changes going on all at once and teenagers don’t make it easy on one another. However, there are many kids out there who really care about their fellow students and who won’t hesitate to help someone in need.
Fifteen-year-old Tom O’Brian from Liverpool, England is one of the good kids. After the first day of classes, he was taking the bus home from Holy Family Catholic School and chatting with friends and other students about their day. Tom soon noticed an eleven-year-old boy crying at the back of the bus and instead of ignoring him, he asked what was wrong. Explaining through tears, the boy told him how he had accidentally gotten on the wrong bus and was lost. He had no idea how to even get home and had no cell phone to call someone to help him.
Tom and two of his friends quickly stepped in to help the younger boy out and they all got off the bus at the next stop. They were near one of the boy’s house, so they headed there to wait for a taxi they’d called to bring the lost eleven-year-old home. When the cab arrived the boy explained that he had no money to pay for it and without hesitating, Tom gave him ten pounds to cover the fare.
A fellow student had overseen what happened on the bus and how the group of friends had rallied around the lost boy to help him out. When he got home, he mentioned it to his mother and she ended up posting about it on Facebook, saying that their thoughtful gesture had restored her faith in people. She mentioned that if anyone knew the boys or their parents to let them know that they’d raised a great child. The story spread and Tom’s sister eventually saw it and confirmed his identity. She also said that the school had called Tom to thank him and that he probably wouldn’t like all the attention for doing something that seemed so normal. If only more people shared his mindset the world would be a much better place.
In the end, the taxi driver even heard the story of what happened and dropped the fare money off at the school, saying that it should be returned to Tom. The lost boy eventually made it home safely as well and figured out the proper bus to take home. It just goes to show that stepping up and doing the right thing can be very easy and rewarding.
Watch the video below for the full story:
