Mirror // Van McCann

1. Gone

September 2017

I sat at the table staring at the textbook before me intently.

A hockey puck of mass 0.12 kg is slapped so that its velocity is 60 m/sec. It slides 65 meters across the ice before coming to a rest. How much work is done by friction on the puck?

I frowned. Physics is my least favorite subject. I racked my brain for the correct formula to use but my mind drew a blank. I closed the book in frustration. The MCAT was in four months and I was nowhere near ready. To prevent myself from panicking, I decided to go outside for a walk.

The sun was high in the sky and its rays beat down on me. I was only walking for ten minutes and I was already sweating. I went to sit down on a bench that was in the shade and decided to do some people watching to pass the time. I spotted my neighbor across the street walking home from school. Both his hands were on the straps of his backpack and his head was hung low. He trudged along the sidewalk scowling.

My neighbor is a strange fifteen-year-old boy who is antisocial. He doesn't have a lot of friends and is often picked on at school. I have never talked to him before—I only know this because of his mom, who takes every opportunity to strike a conversation with me. Whenever she talks about her son, she's always sad.

"I don't know why it's so hard for him to make friends. He's a nice boy—very intelligent. I don't know where I've gone wrong," she vented to me one day.

"You've done nothing wrong," I reassured her.

"I wonder if it's because...oh, never mind. Forget about it." I wanted to know what she was going to say but didn't want to pry.

"Hey Ryan, are you going to Ashley's birthday party this Saturday?" I heard someone say. I was snapped out of my thoughts and looked across the street to see two boys following Ryan. That question didn't sound genuine. It sounded like a taunt.

"Oh right!" the red-headed boy continued. "No one would ever invite you. No one likes you." The other boy with long black hair laughed and shoved Ryan forward.

"Leave me alone," I heard Ryan say sternly.

"Why should we? Are you going to tell your mommy?" the boy with long black hair teased.

Without thinking, I was already on my feet walking towards the group of boys, angry. I was never bullied myself as a child but these boys were just plain rude. No one likes bullies.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted. The two boys were shocked to see me but they quickly recovered and ran away. I tried my best to get a good look at them but they disappeared from my sight. I turned to face Ryan but he wasn't next to me anymore. He had managed to walk further down the street away from me.

"Ryan!" I shouted, running after him. By the time I caught up to him, I was out of breath. I should really hit the gym. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said quickly, avoiding eye contact. It was obvious he wanted to be left alone but I'm not one to give up so easily.

"Does your mom know you're being bullied?" I asked. Ryan stayed silent. "You should tell someone, you know. Talk to a teacher or your counselor. That'll get them off your back. How long has this been going on for?"

"Mind your own business," Ryan spat at me. I was shocked by his cold response; I was only trying to help. I frowned and stopped following him and watched as he disappeared around the corner.

"I was only trying to help, sheesh. Teenagers these days," I said under my breath.

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