Chapter 3

As soon as she got home, Bonnie ran up to her bedroom and tossed her backpack onto the floor before darting back out.

Once Bonnie was gone, Woody unzipped the backpack and climbed out.

Trixie gasped at the sight of him. "He did go to kindergarten!" she exclaimed.

Shocked, all the toys began chattering.

"You tryin' to get Bonnie in trouble?" asked Buttercup.

"No, of course not," said Woody.

"You could have been confiscated," said Dolly.

Rex turned to Hamm. "What does that mean?"

"Taken away," answered Hamm.

"No!" shouted Rex.

"Or worse," said Jessie. "You could've been lost."

"No, no, no, guys, listen," Woody said, trying to explain. "Bonnie had a great day in class, and we're going on a road trip—"

"Vacation!" shouted Buttercup. The rest of the toys cheered.

"Yeah, but then something really weird hap-pened," said Woody. "Bonnie made a friend in class."

"Oh, she's already making friends!" Dolly said proudly.

"No, no," said Woody, shaking his head. "She literally MADE a new friend." The toys watched, confused, as he leaned into the open backpack. "Hey... it's okay," he said in a gentle voice. "Come on out. That's it. That's it. Come on, there you go...."

Forky whimpered as he peered out and saw all the toys staring at him.

Woody continued to coax Forky out until he finally emerged. Woody turned to the group. "Everyone, I want you to meet... Forky!"

"Wow!" said Jessie.

"Golly... Bob... Howdy...," said Slinky.

"Look how long his arms are!" said Rex.

Forky's googly eyes moved from one toy to the next as he wondered what was going on. He turned to Woody and asked, "Trash?"

Woody laughed. "No... toys. They're all toys ," he explained.

"T-t-t-trash?" Forky asked again.

Woody pointed toward a trash can in the corner of Bonnie's bedroom. "No, no, no—that's the trash. These are your friends!" He looked at the gang.

The toys greeted Forky, but Forky screamed. Terrified, he fell over.

"Trash!" said Forky.

"Shhh, no, no, it's okay," said Woody, picking up the spork.

Forky kept repeating, "Trash!"

The toys stood staring at Forky, confused.

"Woody, I have a question," said Trixie, breaking the awkward silence. "Um, well, actually, not just one. I have all of them. I have all the questions."

"Uh... why does he want to go to the trash?" asked Buttercup.

"Because he was made from trash," explained Woody. "Look, I know this is a little strange, but you gotta trust me on this—Forky is the most important toy to Bonnie right now."

"Trash. Trash!" Forky said. He fell flat on his face. Woody helped him get back to his feet.

"Important?" asked Mr. Pricklepants. "He's a spork!"

"Yes, yes, I know, but this spork, this toy, is crucial to Bonnie getting adjusted to kindergarten," said Woody.

Forky's pipe-cleaner arms slid down his body and rested on his feet. Woody moved them back into place, securing them with a twist.

"Woody, aren't you being a little dramatic about this?" asked Dolly.

Woody faced the group. "I know this is new to everybody, but you should see how much this little guy means to Bonnie." He paused. "Bonnie was really upset, and I swear, once she made Forky, it was a complete transformation."

"Uh, Woody?" asked Jessie.

"Just a second, Jessie," said Woody, then continued. "So we all have to make sure nothing happens to him."

"Something happened to him," said Jessie, pointing toward the trash can.

Woody turned to see Forky laughing and leaping into the trash can with joy.

"Chutes and ladders," Woody said under his breath as he rushed over. The gang watched as Woody hopped in and tried to pull Forky out.

"Oh, trash. Home," said Forky, delighted. "Trash! Trash!"

"No, no, no—you're a toy now!" said Woody, struggling. He smiled up at the gang watching from above. "Well, I guess I'll... just babysit him until he's used to the room."

The toys heard Bonnie coming and fell into toy mode as she came into the room. She went to her backpack and dug through it.

"Forky? Where are you, Forky?" she said.

Behind her, Forky appeared to fly out of the trash can and onto her bed.

She turned and smiled. "There you are!" she said. "I thought I'd lost you, silly." She climbed up next to him with her backpack, and as she turned to look through it, Forky dove back into the trash. But as if he were bouncing off a trampoline, he immediately sailed back out and onto her bed again. Every time Bonnie turned her back, Forky jumped into the trash can, but Woody was inside, waiting. And each and every time, he flung Forky back toward Bonnie.

Later that night, when Bonnie was fast asleep, clutching Forky, he wriggled out of her grip. Once again, he dove into the trash.

But Woody was still waiting inside. Woody dutifully climbed out and put Forky into Bonnie's hands.

"Big girl scary," said Forky.

"Like I said before, Bonnie's not scary," whispered Woody. "She loves you, and you need to—" Bonnie stirred. Woody froze, fearing she would wake up, but she just let out a sleepy sigh and pulled Woody close to her, hugging him. Woody settled in beside Forky and smiled. He was happy to sleep in Bonnie's arms again.