The Legend of the Valentine, Page 1
Daddy
was in jail. It was all Marcus could think
about. Daddy was in jail, and he hadn’t done
anything bad.
At the next desk, Davey was coloring
hearts orangey-
red like his hair. He’d drawn fourteen and crossed out
five. “I’m counting down to Valentine’s,” he told
Marcus. “Can I borrow a skin-color crayon?”
Marcus ran his finger over his
crayons, wondering
which one Davey wanted. He handed over a pinkish one,
then pulled out a brown for himself.
“That’s the wrong color.” It was
Travis. Marcus kept
coloring. Behind him, Travis spoke louder. “Everyone
knows that’s the wrong color for skin.” He laughed as if
it were funny.
Marcus kept his eyes on his paper.
“There’s no
wrong color for skin,” he said. But he said it quietly so
no one would hear.
