James was walking on the viaduct, with the angled barriers that prevented him from jumping into the deep valley.  He looked at the lines morosely.  They reminded him of his test score:  eighty-five.  The test was in his pocket, and had been since Mr. Flynn had returned them in class.  He hadn`t looked at it again, but anything less than ninety was a death sentence.  His self-worth was crumbling.

He walked further, and eventually got back to his school in time for the next class.

The following day, at lunch, there was a police officer in the head office, watching a live video of the cafeteria, with Ms. Shannon, the school counsellor, and Mr. Gerry, the Principal.  They saw James sitting by himself, but then he was joined by a smiling Chinese teenager, with long, wavy bangs.  The new boy, very much in contrast to James, was as light as a feather, wearing a fashionable belt of stitched leather.  James looked up at him, but his body language was depressed.

“Who`s that guy?” asked Officer Murdoch, who worked in troubled teens.

“He`s not the one we`re worried about,” said Ms. Shannon.  “It`s the other one.”

Pretty soon another Asian teen came to the table, less flashy than the other one, and the three started having a conversation.

“Who`s that guy?” asked Murdoch.

“I`m not sure what his name is,” said Principal Gerry.  “It`s James we`re worried about.  See, he got this math test back, and he only got eighty-five, which he considers a low score.  Someone told us he was thinking of killing himself.”

Officer Murdoch stared at the screen.  Soon the three at the table were joined by three more, including one pretty Chinese girl.  “That`s her,” said Murdoch.  The other two were a white girl and a Chinese boy, but the very pretty one seemed to be at the center of everything.  The three boys also stopped talking and paid attention.  “That`s Suzie,” said Murdoch, looking at the girl with symmetrical features, and beautiful skin.  “I`ve been trying to find out who her supplier is.”

“You mean she`s selling drugs?” asked Gerry.  “The reason we called you is the other boy.”

“I know.  Hey, do you think the other boy might like to help us out?”

“Be a snitch?”

“You said he was feeling low self-esteem.”

“Do you really think that`s right?” asked Ms. Shannon.  “Trying to use a troubled teenager?”

“Why don`t we ask him?” asked Murdoch.  “It could work out … he`d have self-esteem.  What`s the big deal?”

“He was our original concern,” said Gerry.  “And now you`re telling me … that girl Suzie is a drug pusher?  That`s hard to believe.”

“Believe it.”

They stared at the screen, talking it over, and a few minutes later, someone was dispatched to the cafeteria to bring James to the office.  He arrived, very curious.  He met Principal Gerry, and was introduced to Officer Murdoch, and they all went in Ms. Shannon`s office.  It all started with the comment he had made to someone about supposedly taking his own life.  He denied it, but with the three adults in the room, he confessed his self-esteem was tied to his marks.

“Why do you think that is?” asked Gerry.

James shrugged, and looked at Principal Gerry.

“Isn`t there anything else that gives you a sense of self-worth?” asked Shannon.

“No.”

“There is another thing,” said Murdoch, who hadn`t spoken so far.  “I noticed that when you were in the cafeteria there were certain people you were sitting with.  And one of them, named Suzie, is of interest.”

James smiled.  “I know Suzie.”

“We`re trying to find out who supplies her with the drugs she sells,” said Murdoch.  “I don`t suppose you would have a clue?  We could use an insider like you.  I think I could arrange a reward, in exchange for information.  Would you be interested?”

James had to take it in for a second.  “Would I be interested?”

“You don’t have to make up your mind right this moment,” said Murdoch.  “If you feel like helping the police, you just give the information to the Principal, and I`ll be sure that you get a reward.”

James nodded.

“Okay?” asked Murdoch.

“Okay.”

A few minutes later, James went back to the cafeteria, and he sat beside Cory, who was always trying to pick a fight.  But he looked at James and he didn`t, even though he couldn`t fight anyway.  “What happened?” he asked.