The Napkin

Ages 12-15

Surie folds her lunch napkin into a small square.

Across the table, a classmate smiles.

"Tell them what happened when your friend came over."

Surie puts the square beside her plate.

She can tell the part about her own sandwich. It slides off the plate, lands on her lap, and leaves a little patch of cheese on her skirt.

"The funniest bit," the classmate says. She begins the friend's name.

Surie shakes her head before the name is finished.

She turns her plate toward the others and sets the folded napkin beneath its loose edge.

"Mine went right over here."

She points to her lap.

One classmate laughs. Another waits for the rest.

Surie unfolds the napkin. She keeps her eyes on its corners while the first classmate nudges her arm.

"And then?"

She takes a bite of her sandwich.

At the far end of the table, someone asks about the afternoon's work. The conversation moves there.

The next day, her friend sits beside her at lunch.

Surie moves her bag off the empty place. Her friend sets down a plate and opens the little container beside it.

Surie spreads her napkin on her own lap.

"Did you finish the drawing?"

Her friend takes out a folded page. Between their plates, they open it together.