Students in high schools can be cruel and we certainly refer to a young man named Matt who was in my class. We laughed at him about his 1. He was at least fifty pounds overweight.
One day he sat near me in a 2. Someone pushed him and he fell on me and hurt my foot quite 3. With the whole class watching, I had to choose either to 4 it off or have a fight with him. I chose to fight in order to keep my 5.
I 6, "Come on, Matt, let's fight. " He said he didn't want to. But pressure forced him into the fight whether he liked it or not. He came7 me with his fists in the air. With one hit, I bloodied his nose and the classroom became 8. No one dared to say a word. Just then the teacher walked into the classroom, he saw that we were 9 and sent us out to the playground.
He followed 10with a smile on his face and said, "I want you two boys to go out there and run that mile holding each other's hands." The room broke into laughter. The two of us were shy, 11 Matt and I went out to the track and ran our mile—hand in hand.
During the course of our run, I looked at him, with blood still flowing from his nose and his 12slowing him down. It hurt me that here was a person, not all that different from myself. I no longer saw Matt as fat. We both 13each other and began to laugh. In time we became good friends.
It was amazing what I learned 14I was asked to go hand-in-hand with someone for only one mile. For the rest of my life I have never 15 a hand against another person. I know it is wrong to do so.
