Wake Me Up When September Ends
The whole month of September is hard for August. He is not used to getting up early, doing homework, or taking tests. The structure of his day is new to him, and he finds it strange that he cannot stop to play when he feels like it.
The worst part of school is the staring, or rather, the way kids try not to stare when they clearly want to. In August’s classes, most kids walk strange routes around the room to avoid coming near his desk. He wonders if they think they can catch a disease from his face.
The hallways are awful, too. Every time August comes face to face with a kid who does not expect him, the kid gasps. For the first few weeks, it...