“The other kids still don’t accept him, though,” Caleb says.
“I don’t know if they ever will,” I admit. “He just doesn’t fit in their world.”
Once Damian is done picking his food, he makes his way to his usual table. I call, “Damian!”
He stops walking and turns toward our table. I wave for him to join us. I’ve offered him to sit with us in the past, and he rejected it every time. I understood that it’s hard for him to be social, but I would love for him to get to know my friends. If not, I get it. Maybe he just needs time.
But to my surprise, he smiles and makes his way over. Raven scoots a few inches away and motions for him to sit down near me.
“Thanks,” he says. He leans over to press a kiss on my cheek.
“Welcome to the most amazing table in the world,” Carly tells him.
He chuckles softly. “Glad to be here.”
“You guys were so funny in English class!” Addie says. “Did you see the look on Miss Pham’s face when Sophie outsmarted her? Now that was epic.”
“It was awesome,” Raven says. “But if you guys aren’t careful, she might separate you.”
“She has no right to dictate who can partner up,” Damian says.
“Unfortunately, we don’t live in a democracy at HBA,” Caleb says. “Teachers have the power to do whatever they want.”
“You’re the principal’s kid, though,” Ryder says. “Can’t you get away with anything?”
Damian and I exchange a look. Most kids here, including my friends, don’t know that Damian doesn’t have the best relationship with his mom. It’s up to him if he wants to tell my friends the truth. But I tell him with my eyes that he can trust them.
“Actually, no.” Damian plays around with the rice on his plate. “My mom and I don’t get along. She would side with the teachers over me.”
“Darn. That sucks, man.”
I’m so glad he feels comfortable enough with my friends to open up a little. I reach to place my hand over his.
Ryder smiles at him. “Then I guess you’re one of us.”
“Oh, I’ve been one of you since the beginning.”
“Yeah, I heard rumors from the other kids that they don’t consider you part of their circles,” Carly says. “Are they just super snobby or don’t like you or something? Maybe they hate Harrington and are taking it out on you?”
Damian shakes his head and tells them a brief summary of how his parents divorced and that he eventually went to live with his dad. No one from the rich world ever accepted his dad as part of them because he came from a poor family.
“I get how you feel,” Addie says with a sympathetic smile. “I feel out of place in the rich world, too. I’m still trying to figure out how to marry my two worlds.”
“I reject that world completely,” he says.
“I get it,” she says. “It’s up to you in the end, anyway.”
Damian gets a sour look on his face as he focuses on eating his food. I know what’s going on in his head. His mom wants him to take over the Harrington Empire, and he has no desire to do it. They haven’t discussed it at length yet, mostly because Damian always pushes those kinds of topics away.
“Let’s talk about other things besides the rich world,” I say.
Once the conversation veers to more enjoyable things, the sour expression leaves Damian’s face and he’s back to smiling and having a good time. It turns out that Damian knows Caleb’s parents well, since they once did a security job for his family when he was younger.
“I remember your mom,” Damian tells him. “She was so nice. She gave me candy when I had a nightmare.”
“Really?” Caleb’s face softens with the memory of his mom. She died two years ago while protecting another family.
We talk about many other things until the bell rings. We throw out our garbage and separate to our classrooms, Damian and me to chemistry.
