"Cheerleader today, eh?"
Jon looked up from the sidewalk to see that he'd been joined by Karyn, his long-time friend. He could feel the shame turn his cheeks red as she looked him up and down, trying to hold her smirk. She had been very good to him through this ordeal, but even she caught herself giggling once and a while, if only briefly.
Forcing his eyes back to the ground he replied, "Yeah, she said she wants to swap clothes after school when she goes to practice."
"Bummer."
They walked on. Jon wondered how long it would be before the insurance money came to renew his wardrobe. It had already been over a week of humiliation. The last time he mentioned it at home his father had muttered something about the paperwork being misfiled; he hoped the situation would remedy itself. A few minutes of silence later, Karyn started up again.
"I mean, it's nice of her to lend you clothes and all, but she could at least be a bit more accommodating."
"Karyn, she's being more accommodating than anyone else I know, including you! Thanks to Sarah I'm at least not going to school naked. You think you're so much better than her, but compared to you, Sarah's a saint!"
Jon stormed off toward the school, pleated skirt flapping with each stomp on the pavement. He was glad that Karyn didn't follow him, as he was sure he'd start crying if she confronted him over what he'd said. Until he had said it he didn't realize that he had felt that way.
Since the fire he'd felt so alone, so abandoned by his friends and family, but now it occurred to him that he wasn't alone. Sarah, in her own way, had been there for him the whole time. A resolution formed in his mind. From this moment on he would treat Sarah with the respect and gratitude she deserved. She was all he had.
