He cups his hands around his mouth in a cone. “Hey Freshman, you suck!” He yells from across the hall.

“Wait.” The kid I’m walking with stops. “You’re a freshman?”

“No.” I snap. “I’m a sophomore.”

“So why does he call you ‘Freshman’?”

I’ve come up with various reasons and ways of explaining it throughout the year. My mouth settles on, “because he’s a loser,” at this particular time. It’s the quickest response although not exactly the truest.