Covered in dust and paper scraps.
I stared, unable to say a word.
The last string of my sanity snapped.
I could still hear Ashley saying, “If you needed
money, you could have just told me, Nate.
Why go this route?”
But I couldn’t listen anymore. I took a deep
breath and kicked the desk.
The grating sound cut her off.
I glared at her, my voice full of
disappointment.
<
“Ashley, yeah, my family’s poor.”
“But I don’t steal!”
The autumn rain was biting cold.
Clutching my lunchbox, I sat on the bleachers,
eating in silence.
There wasn’t much left. It had mostly spilled.
Ashley came with an umbrella. Her voice was
tight with anger.
“Why are you running off? Don’t eat that. You
don’t know where it’s been.”
“Nate, are you listening to me?”
“It’s just pot roast. Is it that big of a deal? I’ll
Г
Ashley rarely got angry with me.
I’d normally try to cheer her up until she
begged me to stop.
But now, I just wanted to finish this food in
peace.
I clutched the lunchbox, not wanting to let go,
not wanting to share her umbrella.
As Ashley came closer, I moved away.
“Are you avoiding me?” Her pretty face went
blank for a moment.
I didn’t answer.
Ashley stared at me, her expression
く
unreadable.
As I ate the last bite, the rain got heavier.
Ashley spoke up.
“About the watch, I’ll…”
“Don’t bother,” I interrupted. “I’ll take care of
it myself.‘
“I said I’d help you,” Ashley said, sounding
confused. “How are you going to fix this?
With your budget?”
That made me want to laugh, but I couldn’t.
“Think what you want.” I carefully packed the
lunchbox and stood up to leave.
Ashley’s voice faded in the rain. I thought I
heard her calling my name.
But I ignored it.
That was the last time we talked.
Ashley stopped coming to school.
That night, Chad dropped the charges.
But the rumors didn’t stop.
The teacher pushed up her glasses and told
me sternly that she would investigate.
When I got back to the classroom, someone
saw me and instinctively shoved their wallet
into their desk.
<
I froze, my throat tight with pain.
I worked my butt off to get into this school,
staying at the top of my class. I never
imagined I’d be treated like a common thief.
On parents‘ day, I heard people pointing and
laughing at my dad outside the school gate.
I heard bits and pieces of their words.
“Hey, isn’t that the dad of that Nate kid in 7th
grade? I heard his leg was broken because he
was…”
“Like father like son! No wonder Nate took
Chad’s watch.”
In the cold wind, I saw my dad freeze.
For the first time, I was ashamed to face my
dad.
Rumors were a terrible thing.
Those silent looks felt like a thousand little
cuts.
That was the worst day of my life.
When we got home, my dad spent half the
night chain–smoking.
I whispered, “I didn’t take the watch. I
remember everything you taught me.”
My dad didn’t scold me or press me.
He only asked me sadly, much later.
“Did you get piamea because of me? ̈
I saw my dad give a sad smile from the
shadows.
“I’m sorry, son,” he said hoarsely. “I made you
ashamed.”
He told me about his past.
Lalready knew the truth.
I was adopted.
“was useless, and you got really sick. I
Scraped together every penny I could, but I
was still a thousand dollars short.”
I saw my dad lost in memory, his eyes filled
with years of pain.
“I didn’t know what to do, and I did what I
did.”
“Once you cross the line, the shame gets
etched in your bones. You can never shake
it.”
My dad’s voice got quieter.
Lost in the night air.
Finally, I didn’t know if he was asking me or
himself.
He wondered if my life would be better if a
different person had found me.
My dad’s health suddenly took a turn for the
worse.
<
I panicked and took time off school.
I didn’t want to go anywhere but the hospital.
When I went to get lunch, I saw Chad in front
of the room.
I froze. My already awful mood plummeted.
Chad had met my dad before.
With Ashley.
At my dad’s food stall.
I didn’t remember the specifics. I only
remembered his sarcastic, disgusted tone.
“That roadside food stand looks so gross.
How can you eat that?”
“You can, but do you have to force Ashley to
eat it with you?”
I saw Ashley take a bite, her pretty eyebrows
furrowing.
She chewed a few times, and spat it out.
My dad was on the side of the road.
The cold wind blowing.
He stared blankly at the rich kids.
Ashley and I had a fight that night.
