Free Catching Whitney by Amy Hale Page A

explains his small stature compared to the other kids, and his memories of his mother are faint. Aidan was hesitant to say much in front of his son, so the discussion was cryptic and sort of pieced together in a way that wouldn’t upset Caleb. I’m looking forward to learning more about her from Aidan, once he’s comfortable sharing that kind of information with me. We agreed to start over and give this friendship thing a real try, so I’m having to slap myself mentally every time I think of him. There is just way too much going on in my head where he is concerned.
    I watch Caleb approach the swings and quietly wait his turn. Once a swing is vacated, he sits down and begins to rock back and forth until the motion is fluid and smooth. For the first five minutes or so he seems to be enjoying himself, but once a small group of children approaches the swing set, he slows down and decides to walk away. I try to be casual as I position myself a little closer to the children, hoping to hear their conversation.
    I realize Kara is front and center of this little faction, and she’s obviously unhappy with Caleb. “Where are you going, cry baby?”
    Caleb looks down at his shoes. “Nowhere.”
    She grins. “That’s right. You’re going nowhere because you’re a loser, just like your dad.”
    Caleb glares at her then. “My dad is not a loser! You take that back!”
    I decide I’ve heard enough, and as I walk toward them I hear all the kids in this small mob start singing, “Caleb’s a loser!”
    “All right, children, that’ll be quite enough.” I work to keep my tone even, without injecting the anger and hurt I feel over how they are treating him. “No one is a loser, and you all owe Caleb an apology.”
    Kara crosses her arms defiantly. “You don’t know, Miss Dawson. You don’t know what his dad is like. He’s an awful person. He lies about other people.”
    I manage to catch Caleb just before he decides to lunge in Kara’s direction, his little arms swinging out to hit anything in their path.
    “Kara Mathison, I want you to listen to me closely. The same goes for all of you that are standing here. It is never okay to make someone feel bad about themselves. I don’t care what reasons you think you have, acting this way will get you labeled as a bully. Is that what you want? To be a bully?”
    Most of the kids display some form of regret on their features, and a few even pat Caleb on the back, saying they are sorry. But Kara and two other boys, Josh and Brent, are adamant in their stance against their classmate.
    Kara sticks her little nose in the air. “Now you are making me feel bad about myself, Miss Dawson. Does that make you a bully?”
    Her tone and attitude catch me off-guard. Of all the snotty, spoiled children I’ve dealt with, she takes the cake. She’s actually accusing me of bullying her because I corrected her behavior? Unbelievable.
    “No, I’m not bullying you. I’m explaining why it’s not okay to behave in such a way. Now, recess is almost over. Apologize for being unkind, and I don’t ever want to hear this kind of talk from any of you again, do you understand?”
    The children nod and mumble their apologies, although, I have a hard time believing Kara is truly sorry for anything she’s said. Her entire demeanor screams that she doesn’t appreciate this exercise in kindness, and she has no intention of backing down. I wave them all away and take Caleb’s hand.
    “Hey, buddy. Sorry about that. Sometimes people say things, and they don’t understand how hurtful those words can be.”
    His frown was frozen in place. “They don’t know my dad. He’s a good guy, right, Whitney? My dad isn’t a loser or a liar.”
    I decide not to correct his use of my first name, even though we are on school property. Right now he’s hurt, and he needs his friend more than his teacher. “Yes, Caleb, your dad is a good man. I’m sure Kara got her wires crossed somewhere.”
    Caleb sniffs, and I