The Boy Under the Cap

The hallways of Maplewood Secondary smelled like floor cleaner and old lunch trays. Caleb kept his head down, black cap pulled low, and walked fast.

His hair spilled out from under the brim anyway — long, tangled waves of brown and red that brushed his jaw and slipped over his eyes. He shoved it back. It fell forward again. It always did.

He slipped into his first-period seat just before the bell.

The classroom buzzed. Chairs scraped. Someone threw a paper ball that hit the back of his head. He didn't look up.

His phone screen lit up on the desk — a text from his cousin Clyde: *"You good? Haven't seen you in a minute, little man."*

Caleb typed back: *"yeah im fine"*

He wasn't fine. But explaining that felt way harder than just existing.

He tucked his hair behind one ear and stared at the whiteboard.

The Parrot Problem

The bell for lunch rang, and Caleb moved fast — first out the door, down the hall, into the boys' bathroom before the crowd caught up.

He needed two seconds. Just two.

He splashed cold water on his face and looked up at the mirror. His hair hung everywhere — over his eyes, past his chin, tangled in every direction. He shoved it back hard.

That's when the door banged open.

Three people walked in. A girl with long nails painted orange — Foxy — and behind her, Jaiden and Diamond, both grinning like they'd been waiting for this.

"Oh my gosh," Foxy said loudly, pressing her hand to her mouth. "I walked into the wrong bathroom."

Jaiden snorted. Diamond pulled out his phone.

"That's a boy," Diamond said, filming. "I think."

Foxy tilted her head. "You sure? Look at the hair."

Caleb's face went hot. He grabbed his bag off the floor.

"Smile," Diamond said, still recording.

Caleb shoved past them and burst out the door — and ran straight into someone's food tray.