Class Act

Chapter 2 opens with a splash page of Drew’s face and a girl who has a crush on him, Ashley, standing atop his head as if she owns it. Drew, Liam, and Jordan meet up outside school on the first day, and Jordan laments how little he has grown compared to his friends. Liam is glad to be back at school and away from the drama at home. Schoolmate Alexandra greets the trio, playfully smacking Jordan in the face with her snake puppet. Schoolmate Ashley appears next; she sees Drew’s new hairstyle and begs him to let her touch it. Drew tells her not to, but she ignores him, caressing his hair. He then encounters Andy, a boy he got into several fights with the previous year. He asks if they can start the year off fresh, but Andy refuses, and the two boys are preemptively broken up by teacher Mr. Roche. When Drew and his friends see senior students approach, they head the other way. A two-page splash shows giant seniors taking over the school grounds, picking up younger kids and bragging about how independent and confident they are.

Drew enters class and meets his new teacher, Ms. Burke. She offers him her support, noting that the school is “a tough place to fit in” (36). At lunch, Drew meets up with Jordan and Liam, and they all discuss their new teachers and classes. As Drew eats, a student named Ruby (a friend of Ashley’s) walks by and touches his hair. When he calls her out, she denies it, but then whispers to Ashley about how soft his hair is. The next two pages feature a comic drawn by aspiring artist Jordan, which depicts his friend Drew and the way people “think it’s still okay to touch someone without asking first” (43). This seems to be something that only happens with Black peoples’ hair, and Drew has experienced a similar pattern in his neighborhood due to being the only Black person with fine hair. The day ends, and Drew buses home to an empty house; his grandmother is working late again.

Four weeks into the school year, Andy approaches Drew and his friends at lunch and suggests that they all dress up as the Avengers for Halloween. Everyone announces who they’d like to be, but Andy interrupts Drew and says, “Guess it’s obvious who you’ll be, Drew… Black Panther!” (48-49). Drew confesses that he actually prefers Thor, but Andy continues to argue, typecasting not only Drew but the other boys based on what they look like. Andy walks away in a huff as the others chuckle at what just took place.

The next two pages feature another comic by Jordan, this time telling a story of how “the world makes [him and Drew] different” (53) even though they are very much alike. Jordan and Drew enjoy the same movies, foods, and they relate to each other because they both feel different at RAD. However, Jordan observes that the world separates them based on their skin color. He depicts this by drawing Drew as a large angry dog and himself as a small friendly dog; people fear Drew and smile at Jordan. Drew is often viewed as a threat by strangers, and teachers seem to act surprised when he performs well in school. Similarly, Jordan hears things like, “You’re not like the others, Jordan, you’re not really Black” (53).

Later on, Liam plays soccer and Drew plays football. Ashley is casting the school news and comments on how Liam is always driven to games by a man who seems to look nothing like him (Liam is blonde and white, the man is Black). Next, Ashley announces Drew’s performance in his football game, noting he played the best. Drew is shown in his football uniform with a cape, as if he is a superhero. Halloween arrives and Jordan is embarrassed, as his mother confused his request for a “Master Chief” costume (the protagonist of the Halo video game series) with a “Master Chef” costume. Jordan has a look of utter humility as he and Drew head for the school party. Drew is dressed as Lebron James, admitting he likes basketball but is reluctant to join the school team. At school, Andy is dyed green (as he dressed up as the Hulk) and shocked to see that the other boys did not dress up as Avengers.

Two days later, Drew and Jordan walk to school together, teasing each other and laughing. Drew is ecstatic because Andy has been absent for two days and Ashley baked him four cupcakes, which he promptly consumes. Andy shows up for class, but his face is still green from his Hulk costume; he admits his brother pranked him and used a more permanent dye. Students begin teasing Andy, who looks distraught as he says, “It’s not cool to tease someone because of the color of their skin” (69). As the day goes on, Andy continues to be teased and Drew seems thrilled about it. Jordan admits to feeling bad for Andy, but Drew continues making jokes. In the hallway, Mr. Roche approaches Drew and asks if he would be willing to show a few prospective students around the school along with another Black student. When Drew questions this plan (as he believes Jordan would do a better job as a tour guide), Mr. Roche admits that the other student he chose “looks more like the kids who will be coming” (75). Drew hesitantly agrees to help but walks away with a grimace on his face.

Jordan attends an interview for “The High School of Music, Art, and Mime” (78) and tells Drew he did well—but wonders how he compares to the other applicants; Drew insists that Jordan is an amazing artist. Jordan confesses that his mother wants him to stay at RAD, but his father wants him to decide on his own. Drew then heads off to give a school tour to students from Cardi De by himself (as the other assigned student never shows up), wondering how he is supposed to make the students “feel at home” (80) when he does not even feel this way at school. The students arrive, and they are all Black. They seem intimidated by the atmosphere of RAD, and Mr. Roche struggles to pronounce their names (despite their names being fairly simple, such as Tamika and Latoya). A girl named Trisha introduces herself to Drew when she finds out he is at the school on a scholarship. Trisha shows her intelligence when she makes a reference to Icarus, asking Drew, “Do they let you be smart here? Or do they try to melt your wings?” (83). Drew assures her that the school is supportive of children’s efforts to learn and excel. The teacher from Cardi De confesses to spending her own money on books for their school when her students ask her why they do not have a library like RAD’s; they also point out that their own football team still gets new uniforms.

The students start asking Mr. Roche and their own teacher why they were brought to RAD, noting that it just makes their own school seem terrible in comparison. They seem to be aware of the reality that none of them will ever be able to afford a RAD education and find it humiliating to be put in this position. They are then taken to the cafeteria for a surprise breakfast, and they are amazed at the quality of food being served (especially omelets). Mr. Roche makes a hollow speech about celebrating “the things that make us all the same” (89). The students are skeptical of his intentions, and when they are taken to the track field, they run down the track and off into the distance. Their teacher rolls her eyes, following after them. When the teacher remarks on how the day “wasn’t too bad” (95), Drew seems to sink and disappear, slowly fading away and vanishing. Hitting a low point, Drew decides to find the group of Black students who hang out together and get to know them.