One time when my parents were fighting, I heard my dad call my school a waste of goddamn money. My mom yelled back that she didn’t ask for much, and Xavier was where she drew the line. I guess Ma won the fight because they never moved me to public school.

I didn’t mind Xavier. The teachers were nice, and there was a huge playground with monkey bars. I was bigger and stronger than the other boys in first grade, so I always won when we raced, especially on the monkey bars. I might not have been the same as the other kids, but being strong and fast helped me make friends.

About a week after I met the ladybug girl, I was surprised to see her sitting on a swing at my school during recess. I’d never noticed her at my school before, but there were lots of kids, and kindergarten through third grade all had recess together after lunch. She wasn’t swinging; she just sat on the swing staring down at the dirt below.

“Hey, Ladybug Girl. Did you always go to my school?” I asked, coming to stand in front of her.

When she lifted her eyes to look at me, she didn’t look like the same person. For a second, I wondered if I had been mistaken, but the red sneakers and yellow jacket were the same, and I was reassured that it was her.

She didn’t say a word, just nodded.

“What grade are you in?” I asked out of curiosity, wondering how I’d never noticed her before.

“Kindergarten,” she said in a small voice.

I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but I could tell she was upset. “Are you okay?”

She thought for a minute before shaking her head.

The swing next to her was empty, so I sat down. “You want me to get a teacher?”

Again, she shook her head.

“Is there anything I can do?”

This time, when she looked at me to answer, a tear slipped down her cheek. I remembered her excitement at hunting for ladybugs and the way her smile had made me smile in return. I wanted more than anything to bring that happiness back to her face.

“Hey, Nico! Come race me! I’ve been practicing and know I can beat you this time,” one of the boys called out as he came to stand by the swings. Several more kids joined him, waiting for my answer.

“Nah, not right now. You guys race without me.”

“Come on, Nico,” pushed one of the other boys. “Don’t waste your time with her. Sofia’s being weird and won’t talk anymore. Come play with us on the monkey bars.”

I wasn’t sure why his words upset me, but they made me want to shove him to the ground. “Shut up, John. I don’t want to race with you guys anyway,” I barked back at him with a glare.

The kids walked away mumbling “fine” and “whatever” until it was just me and the girl again. We sat quietly for a minute, just watching the other kids playing as we kicked at the loose dirt below us.