Chapter 66: Unsettled
Amari picked at the corner of his sandwich, tearing off tiny pieces even though he wasn’t hungry. Across from him, Johnny ate like nothing was wrong, barely noticing that Amari hadn’t touched his mashed potatoes.
"How’s school?" Johnny asked, like he already knew the answer.
Amari sighed, shaking his head. "Not great. I’m falling behind, and the teacher doesn’t really care." He stared at his tray, idly pushing his fork around.
"This place is different. At my old school, the teachers actually cared and pushed us to do better. Here? It’s like they don’t even expect us to try."
Johnny snorted and flicked his empty juice carton into his tray. "That’s ’cause this school ain’t like your old one. It’s for kids like us—no money, no connections." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "No one expects us to make it anywhere."
Amari stared at his tray, his appetite completely gone.
Johnny watched him, picking up on the way his jaw tightened and how he kept his hands clenched under the table. He sighed. "Man, stop thinking about the past," he said. "It ain’t gonna change where we are now." He leaned forward, voice low but firm. "You gotta focus on what’s in front of you. Here, we do what we gotta do to survive."
Amari nodded—just enough to make it seem like he was listening. But he didn’t really agree with him.
He turned back to his food, letting the silence settle. He didn’t feel like eating, but he forced himself to anyway.
Johnny stayed put, drumming his fingers against the table like he was waiting for the right moment to say something.
"You heard about the Kraft Tournament?" he finally asked.
Amari glanced up. "Only bits and pieces. People keep mentioning it in class, but I don’t really know what it is."