Free Lunch

Rex goes to Walmart to buy school supplies with his mother after Abuela sent him 40 dollars (of which Luciana took 20). Luciana complains about every item on Rex’s list, calling everything too expensive or unnecessary, and buying Rex the bare minimum. When he asks for a new backpack (as his current one has a hole), his mother refuses. Eventually, their shared frustration leads Luciana to tell him to ask his principal for school supplies instead. When Rex yells back, Luciana grabs and shakes him again. She yells at him to apologize as people stare, and Rex finally gives in, embarrassed. He looks at the other mothers in the store, who all seem “normal,” and wonders why his own mother seems to be the opposite. He thinks about how life would be better if he had money.

Pouring rain and no umbrella leave Rex soaked on his first Friday of middle school. By midday, he’s still soaked and freezing, and dries his clothes using the bathroom hand dryer. At lunch, he finds a friend from elementary school, Zach, and is invited to sit with him. Rex is thrilled until he realizes that Zach will see him getting lunch for free. Zach is notorious for making fun of people, and Rex knows he will use the free lunch against him. Rex makes up a story about forgetting cutlery and tells Zach to find a table. On his way back to Zach, he wonders if this charade will be his new normal.

Rex compares the hallways at school to rushing rapids, and often feels like a pinball being bounced around as he’s younger and smaller than most of the students. At lunch, Rex manages to get a table with all of his friends, and another boy named Derek whom Rex is certain hates him. The boys talk about football tryouts, and when Rex says he wants to try out (despite never having played before), Derek tells him that he’s too small. Rex decides to try out to spite Derek.

At dinner, Rex is nervous to ask his mother about football, knowing she’ll likely disapprove of him playing. Luciana does exactly this, but Sam defends the idea, saying football will help Rex make friends and build muscle. Luciana starts yelling, asking who will pay for the hobby, drive Rex to games, and pay for the bills “when he breaks his goddamn neck” (41). Sam says he’ll pay, and when Luciana points out his lack of a job, Sam flips the dinner table. Rex is in a daze, but returns to reality when he sees his brother Ford crying. He takes Ford to his bedroom and builds them a fort out of his sleeping bag and boxes. Rex listens as his mother and Sam become physical, punching and wrestling each other to the ground. He tries to fall asleep, believing it’s his fault that they’re fighting. The next morning, the apartment is a wreck, and there’s a hole in the wall the size of Luciana. When Luciana awakes, she glares at Rex and blames him for her injuries. Rex thinks about how much he wants to tell his mother to start acting responsible and let him do things that make him happy.

Rex talks to Liam on the way into school, and Liam complains about how much he dislikes school. Rex agrees, though in truth, he prefers being at school to home: School is a place where he feels safe from all of the obligations and stressors of home. For the most part, he likes his teachers, with Mrs. McCallister’s art class being his favorite. Rex’s English teacher, Mrs. Winstead, seems to hate him for being disadvantaged, and always looks at him as if he’s going to steal something. Rex thinks this hatred stems from his oversized clothes and half-Mexican heritage. One day during free reading, Mrs. Winstead snatches Rex’s book out of his hands and implies he isn’t smart enough to be reading a Stephen King title. Rex insists he is, so she then accuses him of reading “filth” (48). To Rex’s horror, his class watches the scene unfold. He thinks about how he prefers the world of fantasy or sci-fi, where villains are usually punished.

Rex overhears some girls at lunch talking about how their friend’s family has fallen on hard times and that they no longer want to be seen with her, finding her situation embarrassing. Rex thinks about grabbing the girls and hurting them, but immediately feels remorseful: “I wonder if I’m evil. I can’t help it though” (50). He reflects on how people seem to treat being poor as though it’s a disease. He has tried various methods to get his lunch without announcing his enrollment in the Free Lunch Program, but none have worked. One afternoon, he finds a seat with friends Todd and Zach. When asked about football, Rex lies and says he decided he didn’t like it, and the boys immediately tease him. Rex reveals a secret about Zach (that he uses makeup to cover his acne) and Zach becomes infuriated, calling Rex a “dirty spic” (53). The next day, Rex goes to sit with his friends at lunch and finds that none of them will have him; instead, they tell him the table is reserved for football players.