“You’re late! Sit down,” says Ms. Kemp slapping a folder on her desk.

“No, I do what I want to do!” I say looking at her with a little grin.

“Don't talk to a teacher like that!” she says clenching her fists.

“Geez, ok,” I say looking at my friends laughing at the teacher. Although I'm a “bad” kid, everybody chanted me on. I know Ms. Kemp. She doesn't really get mad. She doesn't have the time or energy to get up and give me a scolding. Instead, she sighs, sits down, and gets the class to start class again.

Rrrrrrring!!! It’s recess time. While I’m running down to go to recess, I glance up, and there is a teacher waiting at the door. I fall down behind a few 8th graders. They laugh, but I didn't mind, I was just trying to hide. While I am attempting to crawl down the stairs, Russel Brussel, a kid in my grade, kicks me and tells me to get up. Everybody stops, they see me, jaws dropped. Nobody does that to me, not to me. Everyone is glaring at me.

I walk outside the school waiting to spot Russel. As I give a small glance up, I spy Russel trying to climb a tree. I wait, to make him feel safer, but he knows he’s not safe, he knows it. I wait a little longer until everyone has came, walk up to the tree, shake it a little and wait. He screams to stop, but I threaten him even harder, until he falls on his back. “What’s up buddy,” I say sarcastically. “Are you ready? You knew it was coming, didn't you?”

“What are you doing, stop it!” he says

“You know exactly what I’m doing, so lets just end it quick,” everyone starts chanting me on. As I raise my fist, I punch him in the face, blood rushing down his nose and mouth. He howls just as a pack of wolves would do. I go in, one more time, kicking this time. I strike through his shins, hearing a little crack. Also, seeing red goo being shot out of his legs now. I hear him bellowing. He drops to the ground like a man being shot.

I stop striking him, I can't, but I do. I understand how he feels, the same as when my father abuses me. He drove my mom off our house when I was 6 and she took my sister with her. He wails, he cries, he needs help, and he needs help now. I stop, and walk away. I can't help him, not now. Not now that I have hurt him so badly.

The next day as I walked into the building, everyone looked at me, turned away, and started whispering to their friends. I am horrible, I'm an idiot. I can't even explain what I've done. I need to talk to him. I need to apologize.

At recess, I try to join in with my old friends, but they reject me ,and send me back to my corner. I sat down against the “wall of the dead”. There was gum all over it with graffiti that has curse words and sexual references. It also has drawings of middle fingers and there's dumps of food around it. I know this is the place I should be sitting though. I deserve it.

As I am sitting, I see the person I've always had a crush on join me. Her name is Valentina. She has a long, curled, blonde hair. She is just a bit shorter than me, and she doesn't act like those girly-girls that doesn't care about anything except their appearance. In fact, she usually wears jeans that are a little bit ripped. I don't really know her that much, but I know that we both like the band 5 directions of summer.

She always sees the best in people. About a year ago, she shared her food with me. After that moment I've always liked her a little bit. Also, another time I was playing kickball with my friends and from the field she said that I did a great job kicking the ball once.

“Why are you sitting here?” asked Valentina arms crossed?

I'm super uncomfortable sitting talking next to her, so I gave her a little shrug, hoping for her to leave. “No, seriously Saber. Why?” she replies.

“I just feel really bad” I say not sure if I regret that or not.

“Oh, come on, get up,” she said suggestively. I didn't reply, so she grabbed my arm and pulled me up a little. “See, much better,” she says. I nod and just go along. She soon brought me to her seat with all her friends. She asked, “Do you want to sit with my friends or not? It’s okay if you don't want to,” she says.

“No thanks, I can go back,” I replied

“No way, that’s not what I meant. I meant do you want to come with me to talk with my friends or do you want it to be just us?” she says.

“Do I have to choose one,” I say.

“Yes you do!” she says.

“Fine, I guess just you and me,” I say.

“Okay, let’s go sit at a table this time,” she says giving a little giggle. As we walk to an empty table, she gives a little wave to her friends. I see her friends whisper to each other and give a little glance at both of us.

“Hey! Don't laugh at your friend,” I say to her friends.

“Wow! Look who’s talking. The boy who has issues,” They say.

“Just ignore them,” Valentia says. We sit together and she says, “So why’d did you do that thing yesterday.”

“I have no idea, I'm just a complete dummy”, I say.

“Don't say that! You aren't. You just made a mistake,” she says.

“Yeah, like the worst one ever made in history!” I say.

“No! You just have to focus on being really nice to him and others now!” she says.

“Like you?” I say.

“Just be nice,” she says. “Give compliments, be nice, and especially go up to him, apologize and check on him.”

“I’ll try my hardest,” I say desperately. “Thank you! This really helped me.”

After school I walk up to Russel. I can't make this long. I already feel super bad. I quickly go up to him, with a red face, and sweat falling from my face. I go and say, “Hey Bruce, I'm really sorry.” Then I run off.

I walk home and fall on the couch. I think about everything and start crying. I want my mom. I want my sister. I want my real family. My mom, her name was Shaquisha. She had pitch-black hair. Suddenly, my mom’s deepest quote popped in my head. She always said that there is no reason there should be war over religion. She said that everyone's religion should be kindness. And my sister, she was Aurelie. She had long eyelashes, long curly black hair, and a truly kind soul. One night my mom woke my sister and ran away. The last time I saw her was when I was 6.

I'm shivering in my bed I’m looking up at the sky, I gaze upon the moon as it struggles to shine through the thick clouds that cover its glow. My thoughts are stopped completely by the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my 13 years of life. A shooting star races across the sky, first one I've ever seen.

The next day, at school, I stay in for recess. I have to talk to all the teachers, and go to the office. I am suspended for 3 days because of what happened. I had a long conversation that if I ever do this again, I will be expelled and I will have to go to Juvie for 2 months. I understood and promised myself to be very nice to others.

Ding Dong! The teachers give me my grades for the second term. I quickly rip it open to find myself with D’s and C’s in all my classes. I do not want to show this to my dad. He’s going to be outside the school waiting for me. All the parents are going to be there today because we get our grades. As I walk outside my face tenses up and I start crying. I see people I haven't seen for 7 years.

I run into the brightest red car I've ever seen. I run as hard as I can and jump in. I see my mom and sister. I cry, kiss, hug, them until my energy tank is at 0. I show them my grades.

“What the hell! What did you do!” my mom says.

“Well, I sorta failed.”

“Good cuz’ I don't give a damn! I just saw you after 7 years,” she says ripping the card in half and driving off to my real home. With mom and Aurelie.