Secret Saturdays by Torrey Maldonado

go,” the guard said.
    Sean pushed the swinging exit door open and him, the guard, and Manny disappeared into the stairwell.
    Somebody patted me on the back and said, “Yo, your best friend laid Manny out.” But all I could think was that the Sean who had just left wasn’t my best friend. That was the new Sean. The old Sean never lied and never fought. This new Sean was a liar and let a dis faze him so much that he made Manny’s nose bleed.
    Dissing was about finding something wrong with someone and blowing up their spot. Did Manny find the right thing wrong with Sean? Because Sean had exploded. Was Sean gay? Was his father gay? Suddenly I realized something. Lately Sean’s disses were almost always about kids’ dads.
    What happened with Sean and Manny got Ms. Feeney so angry, she grabbed a red Sharpie marker, pointed it at three trips on her wall calendar she had planned to take us on, and said, “Class, you see this trip, this one, and this one? They’re all canceled.” She X’d each one out. Most kids got mad because they couldn’t wait to go on those trips. Big deal. I was thinking about Sean.
    â€œAfter what I just saw here,” Ms Feeney said, “forget trips and guest speakers. You want to jump on chairs, yelling, ‘Fight, fight.’ ”
    She called the names of the kids who had done that.
    â€œYou all have after-school detention today and we’re calling your homes.”
    Then she made them get their loose-leaf binders and write two-page apology letters to the speaker.
    â€œMake sure you explain what was wrong about what happened, how you should’ve behaved, and what’s the right thing to do the next time you see a fight.”
    She complimented the few kids who hadn’t done anything bad, then told the whole class to read for the rest of the period. Then Ms. Feeney and that gang guy sat at her desk and talked quietly for the rest of the time. About what? I couldn’t hear and didn’t care. Before his fight with Manny, I told Sean we needed to speak because I wanted me and him to get right with each other. I wanted to tell him I was angry at him but he was still my boy. That I still had his back. No matter what, I needed to show him that now.

Even Crazier
    ADVISORY ENDED and I rushed to my homeroom class for my coat, then jetted to the main office. It was packed with kids and adults. The secretaries were busy giving bus cards to students and speaking with teachers.
    I snuck past the busy secretaries to Principal Negron’s office and peeked in. Sean and Manny were at his conference table. Principal Negron was yelling at them. His face wasn’t sad for Sean anymore. It was hard-cop mean. Even more now that Principal Negron had shaved off his white beard. The only thing left was a white goatee that made him look like evil Santa. Sean and Manny had their arms crossed, and their tight faces looked at the floor. From the corner of his eye, Principal Negron spotted my head poking into his doorway.
    â€œJustin!” he said. “Come in.”
    I walked in feeling dumb because he had busted me peeking. But at the same time I was happy too. Maybe I could talk to Principal Negron and get Sean out of trouble.
    â€œRemember what I said the consequence was if something happened with Sean again?” Principal Negron asked me.
    I nodded.
    â€œWell, I just handed Manny and Sean suspensions for the week after Christmas break. Their parents are coming up to get them.”
    I talked fast. “Can I say something? It’s not fair that Sean gets the same punishment as Manny. Manny disses on Sean every time we in Advisory. Plus, today, Manny started first.”
    Principal Negron smiled at me, half hard and half soft. I didn’t know what that meant.
    â€œJustin, you’re absolutely right. That’s where fights begin, don’t they? With disses. So maybe I should double Sean’s suspension?”
    Sean looked at