Danny's bellowing voice carried across the field. "No! you need to pass the ball! Stop cradling it and pass!" Danny was the team captain of the lacrosse team. He was one of the best players in the league. He was good, but he could be malicious. That morning, my playing technique was taking the brunt of Danny's harsh criticism.

"You really need to learn to pass better, Finn. you're letting the team down!"

Practice ended, and as Danny strode swiftly back toward the changing rooms, I hung my head and looked down at the green grass of the field. At the start of practice, the lush, green grass had made me smile. I relished being outside and playing lacrosse with my teammates. Sure, many of them were better than me, but I enjoyed the game and being part of a team. I was always the one cheering the loudest for my friends when they threw the ball across the goal line. I wished Danny would cheer for us instead of shouting callous things. It was starting to ruin the game so much for me that I was thinking of quitting.

Just then, there was another loud shout from across the field. This time, however, it was a shout of agony. I looked up and saw Danny. He was lying on the concrete ground in front of the change rooms, clutching his scraped knee. Without thinking twice, I ran to Danny's side to help.

"Are you okay?" I asked, bending down to comfort him. "Here, use my jersey to help clean your knee."

Danny looked up at me in surprise. He wasn't used to people being kind to him. Danny took the shirt as our coach arrived to help. The coach lifted Danny off the ground, steadied him on his feet, and helped him hobble into the change rooms. As I followed the others into the building, I realized that Danny hadn't even said thank you.

The next morning at practice, Danny was still in pain. He was limping and kept complaining of fatigue. The coach had suggested that Danny sit out of the practice games, which was making him meaner than ever. The other boys were trying to keep their distance from Danny, but I had an idea. My dad had taught me to be kind no matter what. He said kindness wasn't always in style but assured me that it was one of the most important things in life.

I walked over to Danny and the coach and said, "Coach? Maybe Danny can play goalie today. That way, he doesn't have to run, but he can still play with us. He's one of our strongest defenders, so I bet he'd make a great goalie!"

Surprise spread across Danny's face, followed quickly by a big smile.

"That's a great idea!" Danny exclaimed, looking at me with appreciation. "Please let me play, coach!"

The coach agreed, and Danny pushed himself off the bench gingerly. He shuffled over to me and extended his hand.

"Thanks so much, Finn," Danny said.

It was my turn to be surprised.

"You're a great teammate," Danny said. "I really need to try to be more like you. I just really want our team to be the best!"

"Me, too," I said. "If we look out for one other, I think we can be!"

Select the evidence from the story that shows how Danny's early actions affected Finn's feelings.

a
Danny took the shirt as our coach arrived to help.
b
I hung my head and looked down at the green grass of the field.
c
My playing technique was taking the brunt of Danny's harsh criticism.
d
Without thinking twice, I ran to Danny's side to help.