xaboo

last year, my principal made me cry one day during second period. i had a conference with him outside of my door, and i walked back inside, turned my back to the students and silently tried to get control of myself. of course, the students are smart - and second period was smarter than most. they picked up on the change in atmosphere almost immediately. xaboo (mad-wicked-smart, extremely sensitive and overall great guy) was one of the first to realize that i was upset. while all of the other students stayed in their seats, he came over to me, put his arm around me and tried to comfort me. a minute later, i had offers from the children to talk to the principal on my behalf or to jump him. i literally had to talk some of the guys in second period out of jumping the principal.

when i got my class list this year, i was relieved to see that i had xaboo again. a week before thanksgiving, he was awarded "student of the week" for second period (which he's in again). he had the highest average in the class (107%). when i started going to church with some of the students, i settled on his church. whenever i went, he and some of the other football players would sit with me. he made sure to stand by me during the prayer circle so that he could hold my hand. when the preacher called for new members, he teased me about being shy and not wanting to go sit on a chair in the middle of the church. he and the other two seniors that i went with told me repeatedly that they loved me and made me feel that they did.

over thanksgiving, he got into a fight with one of the other students who didn't mind fighting dirty. after a blow to the head, he went into a coma. he hasn't been in class for two weeks and he won't be back before the new year. so, while i sit at home watching west side story and planning for the upcoming holiday, this amazing kid, this person who has so much spark and verve, is fighting to get his life back. i wish i could transport him into a safe world, someplace where even the gangs fight while pirouetting through the streets. someplace like the nyc that belonged to the sharks and the jets.