Call Me Al

Call Me Al — page 3

Call Me Al — page 4 — 1 ONE The halls were crowded as Zach and I wove and bumped our way along It seemed like everybody else was moving in the opposite direction as we were They were going out to the yard while we were headed toward the office Are you sure we're not going to get in trouble I asked Al we're not going to get in trouble Zach said He half-smiled half-smiled half smirked and brushed his hair to the side with his fingers That was something he did a lot pushing his hair off his forehead We both had dark hair mine black and his brown but his was longer Well no trouble unless we get caught he added Then there'll definitely be issues Not what I wanted to hear Zach chuckled Look Al we're just going out to lunch We're not going to rob a bank We're going out to the mall for lunch which isn't allowed without our parents permission and we don't have permission He shrugged It's a stupid rule We're in grade eight not eight years old Next year in high school we can go out and eat wherever we want

Call Me Al — page 5 — SHAH WALTERS I almost said Then let's wait until next year but kept my mouth shut Besides didn't one of your people say something about how you're supposed to fight against things that are unjust One of my people I asked raising my eyebrows Yeah that guy in the pajamas You know who talked about nonviolent protest Zach said Guy in pajamas wait do you mean Mahatma Gandhi Yeah that's the dude Gandhi along with Martin Luther King Malcolm X and Thomas Jefferson had been part of a social studies unit our class worked on I frowned First off he's from India and my family is from Pakistan Isn't that sort of the same No of course not I exclaimed Second those pajamas are traditional South Asian dress And third he was talking about freeing his country from colonial rule not going out to lunch He could have done both That guy seriously looked like he needed a couple of good meals in him He actually stopped eating as part of his nonviolent protest I explained as patiently as I could That's probably why he was so skinny We stopped just outside the door to the office Darius Raj and Ryan were still standing there at the counter I knew them but they were more Zach's friends than mine Zach took me by the arm and steered me over to the side and 2

Call Me Al — page 6 — CALL ME AL around the corner to where we couldn't see them and more important the secretary couldn't see us We want to give them some space so Mrs. Baker doesn't connect us all going together Zach explained I was prepared to give them as much time as needed It meant less time away and less time to get caught Besides what's the worst that could happen if we did get caught Zach asked We might get a detention two at most I sighed I was thinking more like being grounded for life You know how strict my parents can be I know they're tough but have they ever grounded you for life before he asked I shook my head That was because I had never really done something this wrong Really I hardly did anything that was wrong I followed the rules and did what I was supposed to do It was easier that way We've been doing this once a week for a month and we haven't gotten caught he said Besides aren't you the one who spent half of last week trying to convince me to bring you along the next time we went I sighed Well I guess Zach had been my friend for years He and his mother lived in the same building we did I'd known him since we were four or five hanging around in the playground Then we were in the same elementary school and now in the same homeroom class for the past three years here at Camilla Road Middle School We always ate lunch together except for the 3

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