snapshot #3

“Class, please welcome our new student.”

He stood before the class, eyes darting around the room as he shuffled his feet. He was clad in the typical denim jeans that all fourteen-year olds at Blackwood seem to wear. In a room full of sixteen year olds, he stood out the most. What with his tangled mess of chestnut hair and lanky frame, he wasn’t exactly meant to be at high school right now. But hey, a science prodigy is a science prodigy. He nodded in greeting, albeit shyly, and practically ignored the curious looks from his new classmates.

A guy from the front row, one he had seen once too many times in middle school, snickered. “Why is his name so American? He’s not even from here. Get lost and out of our country, Asian.”

The class laughed collectively, growing louder and louder regardless of the teacher’s yelling. He felt like disappearing into the blackboard behind him. Why was this happening again? His eyes were glued to the floor, refusing to look up at the taunting teenage faces. Humiliated, utterly humiliated. He cursed. How could you even think of fitting in?

There was a guy, decked out in a varsity jacket, at the far end of the class with a megawatt smile on his face. He pushed himself out of his seat, pressing his palms on the desk as he rose with perfectly raised eyebrows. The entire class hushed; he had never seen anything like it. The control the guy exerted was incredible. And yet, the churning and twinge of his gut told him to fear that very man.

 “Come on guys,” he grinned, spreading his arms wide. “We shouldn’t be like this – it’s a bad image for our precious America. Let’s welcome our new friend with open arms, hmm?”