Black Swan Green

Jason’s suspicions were wrong: He was spotted going to the movies with his mother, and his classmates won’t let him forget it. Ross Wilcox, Gary Drake, Neal Brose, and Ant Little tease him mercilessly, imitating his stutter. The entire class seems to turn against Jason, laughing at jokes made at his expense, mocking him when he gets a math equation wrong on the board, affixing stickers that say “Maggot” to the back of his shirt.

In PE, Ross Wilcox, Gary Drake, and another boy are punished for illegally tackling Jason. They are made to run to the bridge and back but decide to take off on a little adventure and return 40 minutes later. As they await the punishment from their substitute PE teacher, the boys compose a song about their teacher with dirty lyrics. The headmaster steps in to punish the entire class, which is made to gather in the old gym during lunch. Jason reflects that the old gym is the scene of a suicide of a boy who was bullied so badly, he hung himself by his necktie. The punishment is a week’s detention, but Jason feels only relief: This is a week where he won’t be bullied during lunchtime.