Loser

That summer, Donald does some bike riding with a neighbor kid, but mostly he plays Monopoly with anyone who will join in. His Uncle Stanley, the neighbors, and the old lady on Willow Street play. Even sister Polly plays: She always loses badly but, like Donald in his younger days, doesn’t seem to care. The family goes on vacation for three days at the beach. Mostly, he idles away the summer and is glad when it’s over.

At first, Monroe Middle School scares Donald with its large student body and constant churning from class to class. He bumps into his old friend Andrew Orwell, who now calls himself “Drew.” He answers Donald’s friendly greeting with veiled contempt, makes a show of taking out a cell phone, and rudely walks away. He joins the band, which includes marching drills. Donald has trouble walking and playing; he crashes into other players or parked cars.

Behind the school are two basketball hoops for pickup games. Gary Hobin and Drew Orwell often take charge, picking team members. Donald never gets picked.

As fall deepens, Donald the “loser” now drops further into oblivion.