He hears the whispers when he steps onto Jacob’s floor. Someone laughs. A boy in the hall stops and stares. The kid is wearing boxers, no shirt, but he wraps a towel around his chest when Avery glances his way, like he’s got anything Avery wants to see.
On his way to Jacob’s room, another boy pushes past him. “Get off me,” the kid mutters. His elbow catches Avery in the ribs.
Avery ignores him. He’s good at that. He’s found that bullies tend to lose interest if he doesn’t fight back. That’s part of Jacob’s problem, he thinks. Jacob can’t tune others out. If someone says something to him, he has to talk back. If they shove him, he pushes back harder. Avery wonders if the boys snickering behind him say anything to Jacob. He hasn’t gotten in a fight since the first week of classes and Avery
