The kid in the back of the class would rather live in Sparta. He cited "great men" as the reason. The jocks murmured in assent. I don't think they know that they actually disagree.
Sandra wants to turn around and ask him if he feels alone, but to do so would be to isolate him further. She wants to address his individuality, but to do so would be to expel him from the crowd. She wouldn't do that.
People spend their whole adolescence trying to fit in, and only realize afterward that it's probably better to stand out. She writes it on the edge of her notes, so that when she studies for her test alone in her room, trying to earn the same grades as her classmates so she can graduate with the same degree and go to work every day to the same job so she can buy a house in a subdivision full of perfect little white-picket houses and maybe, someday, retire to the same place as all her peers.
The poor kid in the back of the class. He doesn't know how lucky he is.
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This! This.
ReplyDeleteI really like this. It is sad, but weirdly hopeful, but also I resonate with it, and stuff, and there are things it makes me want to say and things it doesn't.
I don't know. Just generally, I like this.