Shadow and Brent sat in the Dean’s office, matching bags of ice held to matching black eyes. Food stained both boy’s clothes and they each had macaroni and cheese in their hair and scowls on their faces.

“Let me guess,” the Dean ventured, “this was all about a girl.”

“He called her fat and ugly, I was merely defending her honor!” Shadow defended.

“He stole my girl!” Brent whined.
“She dumped you!” Shadow was outraged at the lies.
“She’s an idiot!” Brent snapped.
“Boys!” the Dean silenced them. “Shadow, you are serving detention after school for the next week.You may go. And Brent, we’re gonna have a talk.”

Shadow met Claire after class. “I have detention for a week, but Brent is in big trouble!”
“Good, he deserves it for being such an egotistical…”
“Claire! Let’s not talk about him, okay?”

“Okay. That was a cool move you did with the tray! Flipped it right on him!”
“Yeah, I learned that last week.”
Claire pecked him on the cheek and they smiled and went to their last class together, fingers entwined.