Once upon a time, in a little town called Sunbeam, there was a special little boy named Alex. Alex loved going to school, and every morning, he would put on his favorite backpack and meet his friends at the bus stop. One sunny morning, as Alex was waiting for the bus, he noticed something moving in the bushes. Curious, he walked closer to investigate. And to his surprise, he found a cute fluffy rabbit nibbling on some carrots.

"Hello there little rabbit," Alex said with a big smile. The rabbit looked up and hopped over to him, as if wanting to say hello. "I'm Alex. What's your name?" he asked the rabbit.

The rabbit replied by twitching its nose and wagging its tail, as if trying to talk. Alex giggled and said, "I'll call you Mr. Cottontail because you have such a fluffy white tail!" From that day on, Mr. Cottontail became Alex's best friend. Every morning, they would walk together to the bus stop, and Mr. Cottontail would hop alongside Alex. They would tell each other stories and play games while they waited for the bus to arrive.

When they reached school, all the children were amazed to see a rabbit walking with Alex. The teacher, Mrs. Jenkins, was even more surprised. "Oh my! A rabbit coming to school?" she exclaimed. But when Mrs. Jenkins saw how happy Alex and Mr. Cottontail were together, she couldn't deny their special friendship. So, she let Mr. Cottontail join them in the classroom.

During the school day, Mr. Cottontail would sit quietly on Alex's desk, listening to the lessons and participating in all the activities. The children loved having the rabbit around, and they all became friends with Mr. Cottontail too. Together, Alex, Mr. Cottontail, and their classmates would go on exciting adventures during recess. They would have picnics, jump rope, and even organize little races where Mr. Cottontail would happily hop along with them. All the children loved playing with Mr. Cottontail, and he enjoyed making them smile.

As time went by, Alex and Mr. Cottontail grew even closer. They helped each other with homework, played games after school, and even shared their snacks. They were inseparable! One day, however, Mr. Cottontail seemed a little sad. Alex realized something was wrong and asked, "What's the matter, my furry friend? Why do you look so down?"

The rabbit twitched his nose and wagged his tail, as if trying to tell Alex something. And just like magic, Alex understood. Mr. Cottontail was homesick and missed living in the wild. Alex gave his friend a warm hug and said, "I understand, Mr. Cottontail. You miss your family and running in the fields. I will always treasure our friendship, but I want you to be happy. If you want to go back to your home, I will understand."

With a look of gratitude in his eyes, Mr. Cottontail hopped up and down, as if saying thank you. He then waved goodbye to his classmates and Mrs. Jenkins before hopping away toward the fields. Alex never forgot his best friend Mr. Cottontail and his wonderful adventures at school. Sometimes, while playing in the sun, he would still see a fluffy white tail hopping in the distance.

And from that day on, Alex always remembered that true friendship means caring about what makes someone truly happy, even if it means saying goodbye.