Squirm

“At school I try to keep a low profile. When you move around as much as my family does, making friends isn’t practical. Leaving is easier if there’s no one to say goodbye to. That much I’ve learned.”

Billy is explaining how he manages to survive the endless shifts from school to school. His mother’s erratic habits make stable community connections impossible for him, but overall, Billy doesn’t seem particularly bothered by being uprooted every few years. He is a loner by nature, and he takes a pragmatic view of the situation. At the same time, the quote indicates a subtext of longing for a friend to bid farewell. 

“He sent her a message thanking me for saving him from the beatdown in D-5. He said nobody’s ever stuck up for him before. See, this is why I’m not on social media. Way too much human contact!”

This quote reinforces the preceding one in establishing Billy’s status as an outsider. He clearly prefers that role over getting involved in the messy lives of other people, even shunning the online chaos of social media. It is for this reason that Chin’s gratitude makes him uncomfortable. Secretly, he also fears the emotional consequences of developing concern for someone else, especially when he knows that his family will most likely be moving on again soon to pursue the next eagle nest.

“‘What—I’m supposed to turn the other way when I see something bad going down?’ ‘No, of course not, no. What you should do is immediately report it to a teacher. Or run to the office and tell somebody. That’s how cases of bullying are supposed to be handled. It says so in the school Code of Conduct.’ I have to chuckle. I’m not trying to disrespect my mother, but seriously—the Code of Conduct? Kyle the lacrosse star was punching that poor kid in the head. Come on.”

Chrissie has just lectured Billy about how he should have handled the Chin situation. While her comment is correct according to all the official rules, it is a naïve assessment of the bullying that actually occurs in middle-school corridors. Chrissie’s same short-sightedness is later demonstrated by the police officers and park rangers who uphold the letter of the law even as endangered wildlife is being slaughtered.