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So Dink asked all his friends to ask everybody they knew to stop doing the stocking thing To stop giving gifts that had anything to do with Santa Claus

And, within a day, it stopped

He thought that would be the end of it

But it wasn't the end Because of Zeck

Nothing Zeck did, of course Zeck was Zeck, co in practice except fly around, and he didn't do anything in battle except take up space But he went to class, he did his schoolwork, he turned in his assignments

And everybody ignored him They always had But not like this

Before, they had ignored hily respectful way: He's an idiot, but at least he's consistent

Now they ignored hi hi him He just didn't exist If he tried to speak to anybody, they turned away Dink saw it, and it ht it on hi to be an outsider because you're different It's another thing to get other people in trouble for your own selfish reasons And that's what Zeck had done He didn't care about the no-religion rule--he violated it all the time himself He just used Dink's Sinterklaas present to Flip as aa lame point with the commandant

So I was childish too, thought Dink I knehen to stop He didn't

Not my fault

And yet Dink couldn't stop observing hi He had read a little bit about priroup loyalties He kne chimps and baboons that were shut out of their troop behaved, what happened to them Depression Self-destruction Before, Zeck had seemed to thrive on isolation Now that the isolation was co anymore

He looked drawn He would start walking in soain, but slowly He didn't eatwell for him

And if there was one thing Dink knew, it was that the counselors and teachers weren't worth a bucket of hog snot when it ca a kid with real probleenda--what they wanted to make each kid do But if it was clear the kid wouldn't do it, then they lost interest The way they had lost interest in Dink Even if Zeck asked for help, they wouldn't give it And Zeck wouldn't ask

Despite knowing how futile it was, Dink tried anyway He went to Graff and tried to explain as happening to Zeck

"Interesting theory," said Graff "He's being shunned, you think"