The Richardsons

Video #13

"Imagine one day, being the new guy. Walking along the halls of an unfamiliar building with unfamiliar people and an unfamiliar vibe. What would you do? Would you stay alone from people for as long as you can? Or, would you find people that are just like you that you can be yourself around?"

A few days after Beatrice and Bernardo were caught cheating, there was a new guy in class. He held his books shyly and he looked to be wearing contacts. I've never seen him before.

It's not often that a new face comes into our school. Sometimes, AP kids will hop in, it all depends on your rank, if your rank goes down, you won't be able to be in AP classes anymore. Luckily, I'm in the Top 10, currently Number 6. I don't want to be Number 1, being on a pedi stool for all to see. Degrading others because they "are not smart", in reality, everybody is smart in their own way. Whether it's book smart, street smart, or money smart.

The new kid had blonde hair with big black square glasses, very skinny like a twig, and only looked down at the ground and not at us.

"Tell us your name." Mrs. Lennen said nicely to him.

"M-m-m-m-my......" his voice fizzled out.

I feel bad for the guy. First day in a new school with nobody that he knows, a whole new school, and a lot more.

"You can just take a seat." Mrs. Lennen sounded dull.

The boy found a seat in the front and sat there.

"Anyways. The new guy we have in class today. His name is Dez."

"Call me Detroit." He said with a somewhat louder tone than what he did beforehand, surprising everybody and Mrs. Lennen as well.

Detroit, what a weird name to be called.

Most of class, he was a silent kid, almost like class was the same, except without Beatrice and Bernardo making up fake arguments at an innocent kid in class.

And honestly, I'm glad that those devils are gone. However, little did I know that something was a brewing in my other classes.

Dez, or Detroit as he liked to be called was also in my Science class as well. And, most of the kids in my science class seem to hail from satan. A lot of them seem to come from parents that did one thing that changed their life for 4.5 seconds and they call it a personality trait.

I do have a "friend" in my science class, but he's kind of an ***hole. I don't curse, sorry.

Detroit walked into my class very shyly and I decided to signal him near my table when my "friend" gave me a dirty look. I just mouthed "what?" to him as he stared at me from across the room.

He sat quietly next to me.

"Thank you." He mumbled.

Halfway through class, the teacher left the room to get some extra graduated cylinders when Detroit went up to the trash can to throw out some papers.

I could hear the class snickering at him.

What was wrong with him? Was it because he was bonier and fragile compared to the others? Were his glasses weird? Was it always that satchel that he always wore around him or his loose plaid clothes?

Most of the kids come from very well off families, and poor Detroit stuck out like a sore thumb. In a way, he reminded me of how my parents were when they were my age. The kids now are still like the kids then, guess some things never change.

What started as some desk snickering started to turn into a kid or two walking straight up to Detroit and trying to shove him into the trash can. Slowly, I started to get angry and all of them. My fists clinched tightly together and I felt my eyes starting to burn a little bit.

Slowly, I started to walk to where Detroit was and I felt my mind going blank.

What happened next? One of the kids that was bullying Detroit was near the teacher's desk. It seems as if I pushed him there. I give him a dirty look.

I take a short breath.

"Do you think that this is ok? A new kid that has no friends, in a new town, and is treated just like this? You all must only care about yourselves when you treat kids like this! What did he do? He only walked into class! If you don't like him, then you shouldn't like yourself! Everybody deserves respect, we're all different! Why can't you ignorant azzholes understand?! Why is it when somebody new comes in, you see them as a threat? You are all so closed minded about everything!"

Everybody was silent, poor Detroit was afraid and stood behind me.

For the first time in my life, I felt like the bigger person, I felt like a protector, and even a little bit taller as well.

The teacher walked into class just as Detroit and I were starting to walk back to our seats.

"I heard everything, Ms. Katherine."

I locked eyes with my teacher as Detroit went back to his seat.

"To be honest, you did something that most people would never do. Kids are mean, kids are pricks, and you stood up for somebody that you barely know. I applaud you for that."

I smiled back.

"And for all of you."

I heard my teacher's tone turn harsh as he turned to the class.

"I know that most of you don't understand what this boy is going through, but you all are ignorant of other's needs. Yeah, you all might be AP students, but if your attitudes, actions, and words were a class, you would all be in Core Classes."

Everybody gasped.

I had a little smirk.

It's what they deserved.

I look back at Detroit and we exchanged smiles as everybody else was having a tantrum because they were insulted by the teachers.