Recusant

The culprit could have been anyone, but Mrs. Regens was sure it was the boy. He was proud and defiant on a daily basis, and his family was full of delinquents. She would know; she had taught almost all of them.

She had seen the boy steal lunch money from kids when they weren't looking, but she'd also watched him protect those same kids from bullies. He never took from someone who couldn't afford to lose it, and he always gave back.

So when the principal asked the faculty if they knew who had swiped the brand new sneakers from Edward Collins' cubby, Mrs. Regens kept her suspicions to herself. She'd never been able to get through to the boy's father, uncle, or cousins, but for him, this boy, she still had hope.