Despite the warmth from the living room's fire keeping little Noelle warm, her heart remained cold as she sat at the small dinner table. She rest her chin on the table and tightly clutched her teddy bear, waiting for her mother to finish cooking. After dinner was ready, Noelle's mother laid two steaming bowls of stew on the table. “Wait a second for it to cool off.” she said. “Okay.” replied Noelle. “Did anyone talk to you at school today?” asked Noelle's mother. “No one wants to talk to me.” she responded, further tightening the grip on her teddy bear. “Baby, you know that's just not true,” said her mother. “Why don't you try starting a conversation with someone?” “I'll only embarrass myself,” Noelle looked back down at the table. “Even if they don't say anything, I can tell they just don't like me.” “You can't have that negative attitude, Noelle,” she raised a spoon of stew to her mouth and blew on it. “There's no chance that every kid at that school doesn't like you. If you don't say anything, you won't give them a chance to think anything of you.” Noelle sat her teddy bear on her lap, and began to eat. Her mother let out a sigh. “Do what you want.” said her mother bitterly. “But don't complain when you won't do a thing to fix it.” Noelle and her mother continued to eat, having small talk in-between bites. When they were done, Noelle grabbed her teddy bear and walked to her room, while her mother rinsed their dirty bowls. After their tasks were finished, Noelle laid in bed, hugging her teddy bear, and her mother tucked her in. “Goodnight. I love you.” she said, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead. “Love you too.” Noelle responded and turned to the other side of the bed, holding her teddy bear under her chin. Her mother left the room and closed the door behind her. Noelle laid awake with her eyes wide open, staring at the wall. She wondered, for a second, if her loneliness was actually her fault as her mother had said, but quickly brushed it off. She was helpless, there was nothing she could do besides hope and wish for a friend. Wish, yes, that's right, she would make a wish! Noelle hopped out of bed with her teddy bear and swiftly yet lightly ran to the back door of her house. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened it, and as she got it wide enough to go through, she ran on to her back porch. She slowly walked to the edge of it, loosening her grip on her teddy bear as she got a clearer view of the starry night sky above her. She examined each star, looking to find the brightest one- the north star. When she found the star, she stared directly at it, admiring its beauty, then closed her eyes and made a wish. “I wish for a friend.” is what she thought to herself. She opened her eyes, expecting something grand to happen, but became quickly disappointed when she saw the sky had remained unchanged. She began to tighten her hold on her teddy bear again, when all of a sudden, the north star began to shine brighter and brighter. Noelle walked closer toward it, and realized, the star wasn't getting brighter, it was coming closer! Immediately thinking the worst, she panicked, and stumbled backward, dropping her teddy bear on the ground. She froze in a mix of fear and excitement, and, unlike normal, had no urge to pick her teddy bear up. The star came closer and closer, lighting up the entire porch, and started to take form of a young girl as it landed. Noelle picked herself up, amazed by the magic unfolding in front of her eyes. The young girl walked up to Noelle, possessing a calm expression and demeanor. “Who are you?” asked Noelle, dazed from the situation. “I am the North Star,” said the young girl. “I have come to you in this form because you have made a wish that puzzles me.” Noelle became even more confused. The star stepped closer. “You wish for something that you simultaneously don't need, and already have.” said the star. “But,” Noelle hesitated, but eventually spoke determinedly. “I don't have any friends, and who are you to say I don't need any?” “I've told you who I am,” the star responded. “To further expand, you've confused desire with necessity. You are too focused on what you lack.” “I don't understand any of that!” shouted Noelle. “I thought you would've come here to be my friend, if anything.” “I already am your friend,” replied the star. “Though you can only see me at night, it doesn't mean I have disappeared. I'm always there for you, you need only remember it. This is what I mean when I say you wish for something you already possess.” Without any further words, the girl disappeared, and the North Star reappeared in the sky. Noelle awoke in her bed, not remembering anything else from that night. She got dressed, talked to her mother, ate breakfast, and headed out the door to school. “Noelle, wait!” shouted her mother. “You don't have your bear. I can't find it. Do you know where it's at?” “It's okay,” said Noelle with a relieved smile. “I don't need it.”