The story is now revived:
Aspie John, our dear protagonist, was always the insecure child of the classes he joined. He felt uncomfortable in the presence of tall, older males and felt discomfort among the femoids who coveted them.
A.J felt discomfort when Tyrone spoke about walking four miles daily. He felt discomfort when Tall White Kid kept a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and still earned a sit-by from Anxious Jane. He felt discomfort when Anxious Jane returned to school without her glasses to impress Tall White Kid. He was an insecure aspie who felt the need to prove himself against all those "opponents" and more.
There was a class switch. A new child joined Aspie John's class: Joshua. He was 13-years of age, blonde, 5'4 compared to Aspie John's 5'2, and obviously intelligent. For a time, Aspie John felt intimidated by Joshua's wisdom and reasoning abilities. At times, the two would raise their hands and subtly "compete". Joshua once complimented Aspie John for his attempt at building a house of cards.
The next child to join was "Jacques", a 5'2 Black boy about 12-years of age. He was highly considerate of Aspie John's anxiety and made sure to speak to him. He'd also sit by him daily.
"Aspie John, how are you today?"
"Aspie John, they weren't letting you participate, were they?"(The "Sheboons" in Aspie John's class did not like his help)
"Aspie John, do you want some of my Halloween candy?"(Aspie John's (then) religion prevented him from participating in Halloween; he declined)
Even so, Aspie John chose to keep his impending class switch hidden from Jacques, given his extreme discomfort in the class and his problems with the other Black youth present. He'd clean the black pencil case with hand sanitizer and hand wipes to distract himself from his low sense of self-worth.
Years later....
Aspie John's budding companionship with Short Morena is interrupted by the appearance of a new male: Mulatto Boy.
Mulatto Boy was nearly 16-years of age, 5'5, autistic, calm, and on-par with Aspie John in terms of intellect and subjects of interest. Aspie John immediately felt the discomfort of previous years return.
As the days went on, it was evident Mulatto Boy had taken a liking to Short Morena. He started offering advice to Short Morena for her flawed thinking, something Aspie John had desired to do for months. The two made eye contact and briefly debated politics as the stutterer Aspie John watched from the sidelines, unable to participate due to severe social anxiety. A.J felt like an undesirable child once again.
