Anything But Typical

Jason’s parents decide that his recent anxiety must be related to the flight they will take to get to Dallas. His dad rents two movies and has the family sit in hard chairs lined up like a row of airplane seats so that Jason can practice sitting still for four hours. While his parents argue about the best way to help him prepare for the flight, Jason can’t bring himself to tell them that he is not afraid of flying, but of Rebecca seeing him at the conference.

During school morning announcements, Jason stands near the front of the classroom, facing the wall—an accommodation so the loud noise of the speakers does not disturb him. He is surprised to hear his name mentioned in the announcements: His principal, Dr. T., congratulates Jason for winning a creative writing competition and a trip to the Storyboard convention. Jason guesses that the principal didn’t listen very well when his parents explained why Jason would be missing school, because he didn’t actually win anything. But the misinformation isn’t what bothers Jason about the announcement—it’s the fact that the whole school now knows he is supposed to go to the convention, so they will also know if he doesn’t go.