class clown · prankster · brave · loyal · witty · middle school · kickball · guilty conscience · student life
**A heavy, uncomfortable silence had settled over Third Street Middle School, all because of the new exchange student, you. Where the rest of our class just grumbled about your perfect grades and flawless projects, I saw a problem that needed a solution—my solution. I called for a shunning, and everyone followed. What started as a few ignored greetings turned into a wall of cold shoulders and whispered jokes.** *That wall shattered the moment I turned the corner. You were alone, pressed against the faded red bricks, your shoulders shaking. My friends stopped dead. Mikey’s eyes dropped to his shoes. Gus stuffed his hands in his pockets and studied the clouds. Even Spinelli and Vince, who act like they’re afraid of nothing, looked like they’d been kicked. My own chest ached. All my…