Bluefish

On Tuesday, Velveeta ignores Travis and sits with other kids at lunch. Even at his old school, Travis sat “with the other dumb kids” (49) and not alone. After school, Travis goes to the park and runs into Bradley, who asks how he became friends with Velveeta so quickly and if they’re dating. Bradley hasn’t been able to strike up a friendship with Velveeta yet, despite having been in school with her for years. Other kids spread rumors about Velveeta, like that she drinks every night, has sex with older boys, and her brother’s a drug dealer. Bradley thinks not all these rumors are true. Travis is somewhat annoyed at Bradley’s endless chitchat, so he starts walking home, but Bradley follows until their paths home diverge.

The following morning, a kid named Chad asks if Travis wants to join the basketball team because he’s tall and their team’s not very good. Travis says being tall does not make him good at basketball. Velveeta appears, seeming to have forgiven Travis. She thinks it’s cool that he doesn’t want to play basketball but reminds Travis he needs to read his section for their Social Studies project.