Lines on Paper
During his first week at the new school, Amir ate lunch at the end of the long table and kept his sketchbook closed on his lap. At his old school, everyone had known him as “the map kid.” Here, nobody knew him at all.
On Thursday, the sketchbook slid off his knees and fell open. Zoe picked it up before he could reach it. Inside was a hand-drawn map of an island, with mountain ridges shaded in pencil and tiny labels in careful capital letters.
“You made this?” Zoe asked. Amir shrugged and held out his hand for the book, staring at the floor.
“Our group needs someone to draw the setting for our class story,” she said. “We've been arguing about it for days.” She slid onto the bench beside him. For the first time all week, Amir opened the sketchbook on purpose.