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  I pause, look around the room. I glare at Parker, stare at Ladd, then say, “Betrayed.”

  They look at each other like they’re trying to come up with something that would make me feel differently. “You’re my son. I’m still your father.”

  “It was hard for Calvin,” Colonel Parker adds. He’s not helping.

  “Justin, I can’t tell you how you should or shouldn’t feel about this, about anything,” Colonel Ladd says. “But because I’m still your father I am going to tell you what you’re going to do, so listen up.”

  As if by instinct, my head goes high and I stay still.

  “First, you’ll apologize to Eric. Second, you’ll get a job so you can pay for replacing my windshield, and third, you’re going to get your act together going forward, understand?”

  I nod my heavy head.

  “And here’s what you’re not going to do,” he continues. “You’re not going to bully Jimmy, Anton, or anybody else ever again because you think they’re different. You went through that, so you should know better. You’re not going to make any girls feel unsafe because it makes you feel manly. You’re not going to retaliate in any way against Calvin for making clear what I couldn’t.”

  Colonel Parker jumps in. “Or I’ll put you in a sugar hold that will have you crying.”

  I stare at Colonel Ladd, my dad. He’s right, he’s right, he’s right. But harder than any fight is admitting when you’re wrong.

  “Have I made myself clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  “So we know where we stand. Are you going to keep acting like this or will you…”

  “Man up,” I finish his sentence. For the first time in a long time, Dad and I both smile.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Patrick Jones is the author of more than twenty novels for teens. He has also written two nonfiction books about combat sports, The Main Event, on professional wrestling, and Ultimate Fighting, on mixed martial arts. He has spoken to students at more than one hundred alternative schools, including residents of juvenile correctional facilities. Find him on the web at www.connectingya.com and on Twitter: @PatrickJonesYA.