Aspie John, our dear protagonist, was always the insecure child of the classes he joined. He felt uncomfortable in the presence of tall, older males and felt discomfort among the femoids who coveted them.
A.J felt discomfort when Tyrone spoke about walking four miles daily. He felt discomfort when Tall White Kid kept a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and still earned a sit-by from Anxious Jane. He felt discomfort when Anxious Jane returned to school without her glasses to impress Tall White Kid. He was an insecure aspie who felt the need to prove himself against all those "opponents" and more.
There was a class switch. A new child joined Aspie John's class: Joshua. He was 13-years of age, blonde, 5'4 compared to Aspie John's 5'2, and obviously intelligent. For a time, Aspie John felt intimidated by Joshua's wisdom and reasoning abilities. At times, the two would raise their hands and subtly "compete". Joshua once complimented Aspie John for his attempt at building a house of cards.
The next child to join was "Jacques", a 5'2 Black boy about 12-years of age. He was highly considerate of Aspie John's anxiety and made sure to speak to him. He'd also sit by him daily.
"Aspie John, how are you today?"
"Aspie John, they weren't letting you participate, were they?"(The "Sheboons" in Aspie John's class did not like his help)
"Aspie John, do you want some of my Halloween candy?"(Aspie John's (then) religion prevented him from participating in Halloween; he declined)
Even so, Aspie John chose to keep his impending class switch hidden from Jacques, given his extreme discomfort in the class and his problems with the other Black youth present. He'd clean the black pencil case with hand sanitizer and hand wipes to distract himself from his low sense of self-worth.
Years later....
Aspie John's budding companionship with Short Morena is interrupted by the appearance of a new male: Mulatto Boy.
Mulatto Boy was nearly 16-years of age, 5'5, autistic, calm, and on-par with Aspie John in terms of intellect and subjects of interest. Aspie John immediately felt the discomfort of previous years return.
As the days went on, it was evident Mulatto Boy had taken a liking to Short Morena. He started offering advice to Short Morena for her flawed thinking, something Aspie John had desired to do for months. The two made eye contact and briefly debated politics as the stutterer Aspie John watched from the sidelines, unable to participate due to severe social anxiety. A.J felt like an undesirable child once again.
Sarah was a blonde girl and thirteen-years of age. She was an "Anxious Girl" who sometimes needed to use the "Sensory Room" to avoid meltdowns in the classroom. This girl's legs would shake incessantly during class time and she often spoke of cutting herself.
Aspie John gradually became comfortable seeing Jacques, Sarah and Joshua daily at school, though it was only Jacques who seemed most likely to become his acquaintance. They'd sit together during water breaks in the school lobby. On one lovely occasion, Aspie John and Jacques partnered together for a class assignment on "Peer Pressure", which went very well for both, though Aspie John was very coy about it.
Sadly, this was offset by bullying A.J received from other Black children in the class. Indeed, several kids were sent to the principal's office for laughing at Aspie John's autistic traits. They would also laugh at him on the school bus.
Following the death of her parents, Young Sarah was raised by her older sister, who often cried over her inability to help Sarah cope with chronic depression and anxiety.
Joshua's family life consisted of arguing with his step-mother. He often disagreed with her opinions.
Jacques came from a single-parent family. On one occasion, he joked about child abuse in the presence of a (regular) teacher and caused his family to undergo a Child Protective Services evaluation.
......
Aspie John came from a blended family consisting of himself, his mother, and his grandparents.
