On the other side stood Leslie, the school's loner. He'd always had a problem—people picked on him because his name sounded feminine. The first day of school was no different. As Leslie climbed into his old truck, heading to school, he was flagged down by the neighborhood bullies. Bracing himself, he got out of his truck and asked what they wanted.
One of the bullies shoved him, sneering. "You don't look so tough. I thought you'd put up a fight."
Leslie clenched his fists, fighting the urge to retaliate. He knew better than to start a fight he couldn't win. Just as he turned to get back in his truck, one of the bullies smashed his side mirror, grinning with satisfaction. "What's wrong? Gonna cry? Go home and tell Mommy?" they mocked, laughter echoing around him.
In that moment, Leslie snapped. Grabbing a small pry bar from his truck, he lashed out, managing to push the bullies back. They stumbled away, bruised and surprised, muttering insults as they left. One of them, still winded, managed to spit out, "What kind of guy are you, taking on all of us?"
Leslie didn't respond. Shaken, he put the pry bar back, took a deep breath, and drove off.
All he could think about was Emily, the girl he'd admired from a distance. Maybe this year would be different. Maybe he'd finally work up the courage to talk to her. When he reached school, his heart sped up as he saw her, laughing with her friends across the parking lot.
This is a new year. I'm going to give it my best, he thought, feeling a surge of confidence.
He hurried over to the school board to find his class assignment. His friend spotted him and said, "Hey, I heard Emily was excited to be in Class C this year."
Leslie grinned. "Then I'll put all my effort into making sure I end up in Class C too."
His friend shook his head. "No need. I already checked. You're in 2D. Guess you didn't do too well on the entrance test."
Annoyed, Leslie gave his friend a light shove just as a teacher walked by. The teacher chuckled. "You're lucky you even got in, kid. Those were some of the lowest scores I've seen."
Leslie rolled his eyes and sighed. Maybe things wouldn't change so easily after all—but he'd keep trying. One way or another, he was determined to make this year different.