“Oh, Julian, I had no idea what really happened back then. I was a brand-new teacher and had zero instincts about anything. I took everything at face value.” He laughs. “It wasn’t until years later, after you were born, that Jeffrey came to me and told me the whole story over a beer. I was as dumbfounded as you are right now. No one in a million years would have suspected Jeffrey was capable of starting something like that. But when they messed with the bull, embarrassed one of his friends, someone he considered family back then, they got the horns.”

Figg looks like he wants to say more, but he bites his lip. I let the information settle in my chest. It feels heavy and out of place. For years, I’ve heard about my father being a hometown hero. A football star who came back to Meridien and was ready to use his skills to do some good in the community. A guy who really loved his town and wanted to make a difference. A guy who caused a bench-clearing brawl doesn’t really fit the narrative I’ve been fed my entire life.

“I don’t remember Eric Vance and my dad ever even talking when I was a little kid, never mind being friends. What happened if they were close enough to consider each other family?”

Figg sets his lips in a straight line. “I think it’s something your father struggled with for a lot of years,” he says quietly. “I’m only telling you this because I think you’re mature enough to handle it, but I think Jeffrey carried a lot of guilt for letting Eric take the heat for something he did. They drifted apart, like friends sometimes do when they take different paths.”

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, and I hurriedly pack up my things and throw away my garbage. My head is swimming with all this new information, and I’m not quite sure what to do with it all.

“Hey, Julian,” Figg calls to me before I walk out the door.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry you had to find out about this from me,” he says, looking truly sad.

“It’s okay,” I say, turning on my heel and heading toward Mrs. Nguyen’s class. “Thanks for letting me talk.”

Is it okay? I don’t know that I actually believe that. Maybe it borders on okay. Maybe it’s okay’s next-door neighbor. Or across-the-street neighbor. Yeah, that seems more like it.