Punch!

Ray knew two things for sure. The first was that some adult would always pick him up after school. The other thing was that if it was his mom, there'd be baby carrots.

"They're so good for you, honey."

If I was your pet rabbit.

His mom rummaged in her gym bag and pulled out a bottle of warm water, which she handed back to him. "Gotta hydrate. You need water, water, water!" She was still shiny and a little PE–smelly. She hadn't bothered to towel down after yoga class before she came to get him.

"You need water. I need a raspberry slushie. And maybe some onion rings. With ketchup."

"Don't talk to me about onion rings, Ray. I wasn't going to say anything, but I saw you eating cookies with those kids. You know that's not on your diet." She caught Ray's eye in the rearview mirror. "Who were they?"

"Tim and Erin. I met them in suspension. They're twins."

"Wonderful. So glad to hear your gaming addiction is building you a fan base."

"I'm not a gaming addict. School is boring. Not my fault." He stared out at the street passing by. "They're cool."

"Getting suspended is not cool. Cool kids do not get suspension."

Ray knew his mom wouldn't like him being friends with kids in trouble for hitting. Even though they hit Margret, who even the grown-ups knew only bothered to go to school to make other people's lives a misery. "Impulse control," she'd call it. He rummaged in his backpack and said, "I don't know why they're in."

"Uh huh. Well, if you see them again tomorrow, you ask, mister."

When they pulled up in front of his mom's apartment she turned around in the seat, hanging onto the sides and looking serious. "Ray, today I went after yoga and signed you up for taekwondo. My yoga teacher's son is going, and she says it's a great program. You need discipline. Your father and grandmother…well, I haven't been too successful with you either. I know the divorce changed a lot of things for you, but really, you can't go on this way."

In his head Ray heard Erin's voice. "Taekwondo."

"Ray? Ray, say something."

Be casual. Don't make a big deal. "So, they have a class for kids?"

"You're too old for the kids' class. They put your age in with the adults. My teacher's son is in there, like I said, and she says there's another boy and girl, too."

Bingo. She said it was close. It sounded just like how Erin had described the twins' taekwondo school, right down to the three "Marshmallows."

Ray shrugged, threw the door open, and pulled his backpack over. "I guess. Whaaaatev. Who cares what I think? If anybody cared what I thought, there wouldn't be a divorce…"

His mom looked sharply at him.

"…or carrots."

He got out of the car and followed his mom up the steps. She didn't see his grin, or his hands hanging onto his backpack, grabbing with full strength.

Taekwondo!