“What did you do?” I asked. Jason’s voice dropped. “I told him to give it back.” My eyes shot up. “You… stood up to him?” He nodded slowly. “Yeah. I walked over and stood between them. I said, ‘Give it back.’” I waited. “And then?” He swallowed. “He laughed. He said, ‘What are you gonna do? Draw me a picture, comic boy?’” He tried a smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. Quietly he added, “I said, ‘At least Emily doesn’t have to buy her friends sneakers and game consoles to be liked.’” That one floored me. Jason continued, “Some of the kids laughed. One of them even said, ‘He’s right.’ Dylan’s face turned red like a tomato, then he shoved the lunch bag back at Emily and stormed off.” I reached for Jason’s hand but he looked down at his sneakers again, his shoulders tensing like he was waiting for something to come crashing down.Continue reading…
