The Bluestone Review 2025

The Bluestone Review

As I stood there in the warm light, Jacob Eaton walked out of the door below me. I had never had so much as a real conversation with him, but I thought he was handsome and polite. As Jacob passed the circle of smokers, Benny Kinder called to him and motioned for him to join the group. Jacob did. I couldn’t hear the words being said then, but Kinder had his hand on Jacob’s shoulder and was jabbering and motioning with his other arm while the others in the group – all but Jacob, that is – were dutifully laughing. Kinder then offered Jacob a cigarette, which Jacob declined. Jacob started to walk away. Kinder followed him, yelled something, and grabbed him by the shoulder and tried to bring him back to the group. Jacob slipped Kinder’s grip and continued to walk away. Kinder, red in the face now, came at Jacob again and Jacob turned and faced him and shook his head at Kinder. But Kinder kept coming. The next thing that occurred happened so fast that I had to mentally reconstruct it to be certain of what I’d seen. Jacob stopped, planted his feet, and punched Kinder in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. I saw the cigarette and spittle fly from Kinder’s mouth. Then Jacob walked away. My immediate reactions were, to say the least, mixed. I hate violence. But I love justice, and I admire bravery. I did not want my image of Jacob Eaton to change. I knew very well how the gossip mill worked at my school, and I was sure that the next day would surely bring a wave of breathless talk that Jacob Eaton was the new school tough guy. The dragon slayer. But there was no word of it, ever. The cycle was broken. This was an even greater surprise to me than the punch, and certainly more endearing. I may have started to fall in love with Jacob Eaton

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