THE PHONE@RINGS - The Plan - Teddy-Bear Boy - New Information

Sep 29, 2026

A college freshman named Ben struggles with shyness and embarrassment on his first day, especially after meeting Lauren Taylor, a girl with long dark hair and green eyes. Friends Mike and Lucy turn Ben’s nerves into a playful plan using mobile phone updates and the “teddy-bear boy” disguise. As new information about Lauren appears, Ben changes his approach, follows the clues, and finally feels joy when Lauren notices him.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time31 min

AccessFree to download

The Plan

Teddy-Bear Boy

New Information

THE PHONE@RINGS P E N G U I N R E A D E R S F EvoshamCouege Library w的r3 曰 ≤ 1 The Plan It was Ben's first day at college.He was in the cafe withhis friends,Mike and Lucy. 'What do you think of the college?'Mike asked. 'It's a big place,'Ben said. 'I like it,'Lucy said.'We’re going to meet a lot ofnew people.Don't be nervous,Ben. 'But I went to the wrong room for English.Andthen I was late.I didn't talk to one person all morning.I am nervous,'Ben said. ‘Oh,Ben.It's going to be OK,Mike said.'Look atthese friendly faces. Suddenly,the door opened.A girl with long darkhair and beautiful green eyes came in.Ben watchedher.He felt hot. 'Are you OK,Ben?'Mike asked.'Your face is veryred.' 'Mmm,'Ben said. Lucy looked at the girl and then at Ben.'Ben,you'rein love!'she said. 'What?" 'Ben,what's my name?'Lucy asked. 'I don't know,Ben said slowly. 'What's your address?" 'I don't know. 'He is in love,'Lucy said to Mike. 'Ben!Listen to me,'Mike said.'Go and talk to her!' 'Who?'Ben asked. 'The girl with green eyes and long brown hair! Ben watched the girl.He felt hot. 'I can't,'Ben said.'She doesn't want to talk to me.' 'You always do this,Ben,'Lucy said.'You see aninteresting girl,and what do you do?You sit there.Goand talk to her!' 'I can't!'Ben said.'I don't know her.I don't knowher name.What am I going to say to her?' Lucy thought about it.Then she smiled. 'Mobile phones!'she said. 'What?' 'We've got mobile phones,Lucy said. 'And?What are we going to do with them? 'Mike and I are going to watch “The Girl”.We'regoing to get information about her for you.Then wecan ring you on your mobile,'Lucy said. ‘And what am I going to do with the information?'Ben asked. 'Who knows?Perhaps you can talk to her one day,Mike said,and he smiled. # Important Information At two o'clock,Ben's phone rang. 'Hi,Ben.It's Lucy.“The Girl”is in my English class.Her name's Lauren Taylor.' 'Lauren Taylor!'Ben said.'That's a beautiful name!' 'And she likes teddy bears.' 'What?' 'Teddy bears.She loves them.She's got pictures ofthem on her books.And she's got a little teddy bear onher school bag,too'Lucy said. Ben thought about Lauren Taylor and teddy bears allafternoon.Then he went home.His sister was in frontof the TV. 'Hannah,Ben said,have you got any teddy bears?' 'I've got a lot of teddy bears.You know that.Why?'Hannah asked. 'Can I have one for a week?' 'Why do you want a teddy bear?'Hannah asked. 'It's for college,'Ben said. 'For college?What's wrong with you?You've got asilly smile on your face.Are you in love?'Hannah asked. Ben looked at the floor.How did Hannah knowabout Lauren Taylor? 'I don't understand boys.But take a teddy bear.Taketwo.Take ten'Hannah said. 'Thanks,Hannah,'Ben said quietly. He went to Hannah's bedroom and put a big yellowteddy bear in his school bag. 'This is silly,Ben thought.But then he remembered:Lauren Taylor. # Teddy-Bear Boy In the morning,Ben and his teddy bear went to college.People in the street looked at them.Students and teachersnear the college looked at them.Why did a sixteen-year-old boy have a big yellow teddy bear on his back? 'This is very,very silly'Ben thought.'Who goes tocollege with a teddy bear?' Ben's phone rang.'Hello?'he said. He put a big yellow teddy bear in his school bag. 'Ben!It's Mike.Where are you?' 'I’m at the bus stop.Why?' 'Lauren's here.She's with a friend.They're sittingunder a tree near Mr Baker's office,'Mike said. 'I’m going there now,'Ben said.'Thanks,Mike. Ben walked to the two girls. 'What do I do now?'he thought. The girls looked at the teddy bear and then at Ben. 'Hi!'Ben said. 'Hi!'Lauren answered. ‘Er...'Ben walked away quickly.His face was redagain. 'That was clever,'Ben thought.'Lauren is never goingto talk to me now. He rang Mike. 'Ben,it's OK.She's going to remember you now,Mike said.'You're famous.You're the boy with the bigyellow teddy bear.

FAQs

Why is Ben nervous on his first day at college?

He went to the wrong room for English, was late, and didn’t talk to anyone all morning. He feels embarrassed and worries he can’t connect with others.

How do Mike and Lucy help Ben talk to Lauren?

They use mobile phones to share information about “The Girl” and coordinate when Ben should approach her. They also encourage him to participate in the plan rather than avoid it.

What clues about Lauren do Ben’s friends share later?

Lucy tells him Lauren is in the bookshop buying a whale book to save whales, and she had a boyfriend before. Mike later adds details about Lauren’s current food choices and that she is vegetarian.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West