Burning Hearts and Breaking Bridges

Different isn't always special.

The group around him laughed. Tim forced himself to laugh along, even though he didn't find humour in the girl's joke at all. Something about couches and roosters.

There had to be at at least twelve people around him, chattering away, gossiping, and 'spilling the tea,' as the girls would say. There was no denying it: Tim was cool.

For SPED kids, cool almost always meant 'yo-we-won't-bully-you-cause-that's-messed-up-so-we'll-all-pity-you-and-treat-you-extra-special.' Not with Tim. They actually liked Tim for Tim, not for his disorder. He was dyslexic. You never heard about dyslexic kids being abused by teachers or killing their parents. They were just the kids that couldn't read right.

It was mean, but in an unspoken sense, it was true.

People say that you mirror people's actions for them to like you. It made sense. You're nice to the SPED kid, they're nice to you. Soft-spoken friend? Boom, you whisper now. Weird kid gets bullied? There goes your cliche trench-coat school shooter.

Tim believed it as he saw it. He found these kids nearly all identical, from their jokes to their clothes. From their smiles to their hair. It was one big clique, and Tim learned that by acting just like him, he could fit in perfectly.

Tim decided to try a joke of his own, since he hadn't spent an hour on google last night for nothing (yes he googled jokes. Shhh)

"Hey guys," he started. They quieted down. That's what he did like about them. They had respect for everyone in the group. Even Amy, the girl with the prosthetic leg. She lost it in some sort of accident.

"So.. how many girls does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

One guy, who Tim was sure was named Darius, spoke up. "How many, Timbo?" Timbo was his nickname.

"None. They're too busy in the kitchen making sandwiches."

The whole group laughed. Even the girls, who understood the nature of the joke. Tim decided to laugh along.

Sanjay, another guy in the group, spoke up. "Bruh, how long does it take for Tim to read a dictionary?"

"How long?" Amy played along.

"I don't know, he's still trying to read the cover!"

They all laughed again. He never got mad when they poked fun at his disability. It didn't make him happy, but he wasn't mad.

Sheyla piped up. "Tim is named Tim cause he's not special enough to be named Ed!"

Another laugh. Tim politely chuckled along.

They kept making little jokes about Tim for a while, with Tim occasionally roasting them in return. At one point, a guy stopped to listen, and laugh.

"Hey, I got one!" he grinned. "What does a downie and Tim have in common? A basic vocabulary!"

They grew silent, nobody laughing. A downie was a slur at their school for kids with Down Syndrome. There were some things you didn't say, and that was one them. Tim was even a tad offended. He had classes with a few kids that had fallen victim to those extra chromosomes, and they were some of the sweetest people he knew. Except Chad. Chad threw a stapler at him for not letting him cheat. But the rest were amazing people. Dorothy, one of his friends in his special education group, and was probably just as smart as he was.. Maybe smarter.Dorothy was also Sanjay's baby sister.

"What the hell is your problem man?" Sanjay growled, standing up. He was very protective of her, as was Tim and the rest of the group.

The kid stepped back. "Bro, it was just a joke, chill."

Nobody told Sanjay to chill. As captain of their school's hockey team, people usually knew better. Not this boy.

Sanjay shoved him. "Piss off! And if I see you any more today, there'll be an imprint of your face in your locker. And stay away from Tim!"

He ran off, leaving Sanjay there, who took a few deep breaths. Tim got up and threw an arm around him.

"You didn't have to do that, Jay."

He nodded. "I did, T. He can't talk about my friend or Dory like that."

Tim almost smiled, remembering that this wasn't his old school. He had friends here.

"Yeah... Well, thanks."

"Anytime."

Author's Note: yo! Its J here! I know this is a first chapter, and believe me, i hate it too, but there's a good reason.

You see, I was working on a story and getting really into it, k? Well after a few hours i get 1300 words typed, i'm content, but nowhere near finished with the chapter.

I discover a new problem, nothing will italicize. So i leave, come back the next day, change the font and try again. Boom! Success! So I save and close out. Around my study hall i decide to show a friend how its coming along. As i pull up the book, i realize something's wrong. Instead of the chapter name, the title matched the books title. I began to panic as i opened the chapter.

1300 words... gone.

I plan on rewriting it, and i'll treat you peewees to it in a month or so. Excited?

*3 of my 0 followers leave*
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