Roller City

Leandro, in the fourth grade, small and missing his front teeth, was not invited to Jana's birthday party at Roller City. The Hernandez brothers were invited. David Lancaster, David Perry, and David Stanley were invited. Leandro was not. He could not understand it. Leandro was friends with Jana. He thought he was. Everyone had been talking about the roller skating party all day, even Amanda the jerk.

The students every day 15 minutes before school ended helped clean up the classroom. In 15 minutes all the students would head to Roller City after class. Leandro took a piece of paper from his desk. On his way to the bathroom he threw it under Jana's desk so she would have to clean it.

It had her name on it.

When he came out she asked him, Did you throw this note under my desk, wishing me a birthday even if I didn't invite you to my birthday party?

No.

Jana looked at Leandro in a funny way.

Yes, you did, said Amanda. I saw you do it.

Leandro hesitated and tried to think of something to say.

Jana took the paper and showed it to Amanda. They examined the paper together. Leandro's best friend Curtis came up behind.

That's his handwriting, Curtis said.

See! said Amanda. I knew you wrote it. I caught you! I caught you, you little shit! I fucking caught you! You tried to lie to us and tell us that you did not put this note under Jana's desk but we found out the truth and the truth is that you did put this note under Jana's desk and that you are a lying sack of shit! And that no one will ever love you! Nothing good will happen to you and when you die, no one will notice! You will be a disgusting smear on a wall in a homeless shelter one day and no one will notice you because you are in a homeless shelter and there are thousands upon thousands of disgusting smears on the wall at a homeless shelter! Understand this now and plan out your days as such, when nothing will be gentle to you and nothing will be soft again!