Here to Stay: Chapters 3–6

“I wanted to thank you for your kindness. Noah was a bit squeamish at the sight of my vomit-soaked shoes, but you weren’t, which I found to be quite admirable. So thank you,” she said.

“Yes! I think her involvement will really get some of the more popular students to participate. By ‘popular,’ I mean those students that fit a construct of what high school-aged peers deem to be cool. Though my father says those things don’t matter in college. I can’t wait for college.”

“I personally liked his ditty ‘Living in America’ from Rocky IV.”

“Glad to have your support, Beej!” Noah’s smile was a little too earnest.

“No! I just...you, um...I think women are great! So great!” I hesitated when I saw Elle raise her eyebrows. She either found me entertaining or couldn’t believe I was rambling the way I was.

The hallowed halls of Granger had more kids who looked like Erin and Will walking in them than kids who looked like me or Elle.

“Well, maybe I don’t blend in per se, but my photo is usually used in the admissions brochures,” I said.

Either they were in a rush or they were very aware that private-school teachers couldn’t get tenure and didn’t want to rock the boat over a mascot.

She’d eat up the whole class talking about her experience in Bolivia like she was the only American to ever visit there. Sean was always the biggest perpetrator of said strategy, especially on days when he had a quiz in another class and wanted to slyly check his index cards while she prattled on.

Drew’s jaw clenched and his brow furrowed. “Sorry about your shoes,” he said to Stephanie before he walked off.

Jessica huffed as she watched him go and then turned to direct her ire at those of us at the table.

She sauntered into the dining hall, with Jessica following her.

Coach Johnson extended his hand for me to shake. “Glad to hear it. You play like you did on Friday and we should be all set to win the New England tourney.”

Now Coach had decided to have us scrimmage, shirts versus skins.

Dude was jacked, all sinewy. He had muscles I wasn’t sure human beings were supposed to have.

The squash team had stopped running to watch. Elle looked down at me like a celestial being taking in the mortals and their foolish antics down below.

Coach then aimed his rant at me, but I could see he was cooling down. “B, you’re just starting out with us, and you’ve got a great future ahead of you. Why do you want to squander your big chance on pointless skirmishes?"

Coach then aimed his rant at me, but I could see he was cooling down. “B, you’re just starting out with us, and you’ve got a great future ahead of you. Why do you want to squander your big chance on pointless skirmishes?"

I slogged up the plowed driveway from the gym, past the snow-dusted baseball field and the ice hockey rink to get to the schoolhouse.

Will and Jessica stood near Stephanie, watching the fight as well. Will looked bemused. Jessica was biting her lower lip.

Stephanie didn’t falter. She looked past Drew at Erin.

I couldn’t wait to tell Sean that I’d been a passenger in Erin Wheeler’s supernice ride. He wasn’t going to believe me unless I could come up with a covert way to snag a selfie.

She screamed at a doctor in the hospital when he told her that my dad had died of an aneurysm.

Also in attendance: Ms. McCrea and the head of the board of trustees, Mr. Thompson. Yes, Will’s grandfather and traditional mascot advocate Mr. Thompson.

Mr. Thompson’s willful ignorance was impressive.

“I will be addressing the student body at the all-school assembly today,” he continued, turning to Mom. “There will also be a formal letter sent to all the Granger families to convey our dismay at the situation and to remind them of our zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bullying—while keeping Bijan as anonymous as possible, of course.”

Sean pulled out a chart with caricatures he had drawn of every member of the varsity and JV basketball teams.

“In those twenty-plus years,” he went on, “I’ve tried to express the values of our fair school to students and visitors. Values like integrity, community, honor, and service. I wonder if in all that time, in all the speeches, despite providing a space for students to achieve exemplary feats...I wonder if this year all of that has fallen on deaf ears.”

“In those twenty-plus years,” he went on, “I’ve tried to express the values of our fair school to students and visitors. Values like integrity, community, honor, and service. I wonder if in all that time, in all the speeches, despite providing a space for students to achieve exemplary feats...I wonder if this year all of that has fallen on deaf ears.”

He and I had history class together and exchanged pleasantries sometimes, but he couldn’t even look at me this morning.