Thursday’s vote to admit Baxter was unanimous. But just so you know, he was the least qualified candidate of the three. With him, every climb up the branches was a performance. Every answer about treehouse history felt rehearsed. I wanted to scream at the gang: Be real! But Baxter had already aced the test. What could I do? Put him as my second and watch him become a bigger superstar to spite me?
© Copyright 2016 Jonathan Blum. All rights reserved.
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Jonathan Blum is the author of the novella Last Word. He teaches fiction writing workshops in Los Angeles.
They say kids can be cruel, but I think the cruelty only comes from fear.
Good men surround themselves with better men from whom they can learn from their superior talents and thus become a better man. Envy does the opposite.
I love how concise this piece is — with the merest mention of treehouses, gangs and boys, the reader still gets the whole picture.
Kids learning at a young age that holding on to number 1 is always a challenge.