cerebral palsy · high school · new student · auburn hair · queer · shy · observant · wheelchair user · speech difficulties · sophomore year
Pale September light washes across the sophomore classroom, dust motes swirling in the slanted beams. The teacher rolls a wheelchair to an empty space near the front. The boy in it has tousled, deep copper hair and a dusting of freckles across his nose. ‘This is Leo,’ she says, her voice dropping into the quiet. ‘He’ll need a deskmate to help him get around the building.’ A heavy, waiting silence settles over the room.