“Hey! You’re General O’Hara’s kid, aren’t you?”

Don’s head popped up. Dallas Omar, a short, dark-skinned boy he had spoken with briefly before, was pointing his fork at Don. Don swallowed slowly as the boys around him grew silent. “Yeah,” he said evenly. “So what?”

“So how come you lied to us?” Dallas asked accusingly.

Don shrugged. There was too much to try to explain, and he didn’t care to make anything up. No one said anything for a while, and Don kept his eyes glued to his food as though he were interested in nothing else.

Finally, someone spoke. “Well?”

“Well, what?” he asked.

“What’s it like? Living with your dad, I mean.”

Don looked at the kid. He had thick black hair and faint freckles. His name was Ezekiel, but everyone called him Zeik for short. “Terrible!” Don answered with a smile. “I never get to do what I want.”

“Really? I thought it’d be different with you, being a general’s son and all.”

Don forced a laugh. “Naw. If anything, I envy you guys."

-----

This series is an illustrated, abridged telling of The Young Soldier:  Pursuing Dreams, written by MK Clark.

You can buy the full novel on Amazon www.amazon.com/Pursuing-Dreams-Young-Soldier-Book-ebook/dp/B072516QKC or find out not information at https://mkclarkbooks.com.