or do anything at all to embarrass him when she dropped him off for his first day Since Beverly was already late for work she’d only said a quick goodbye as her grandson got out of the car But now Jordan was regretting not asking for a hug Just a small one For courage Jordan watched the other kids on the schoolyard as they buzzed together in clusters of friends laughing and talking in what sounded like a whole different language Their excitement only made him feel more lonely like he was a visitor from a faraway planet Like he was the only one of his kind True he’d felt like an alien at his old school too but at least there he knew what to expect He knew the kids who thought his hair was funny because it hung almost to his chin and the kids 2
who teased him about his belly which stuck out in front of him and was the palest shade of white He knew exactly what time to leave at the end of the day to avoid his worst critics in the schoolyard and which teachers he could complain to about having a stomachache the ones who would let him go down to the nurse’s office until he felt better or until it was time to go home whichever came first This new school was an unknown world There was one kid Jordan noticed who hadn’t clustered up with anyone else He sat at the top of the playground slide scribbling in a notebook and looking much too busy to care about anyone else He had dark skin and a cloud of curly hair a pair of mirrored sunglasses 4
and a flower-print button-up that opened to reveal a T-shirt with words Jordan could read from all the way across the yard NO THANKS Just looking at those words sent the party in Jordan’s stomach into a frenzy It felt like a very bad sign 5
