"Cut it out!" the driver shouted. He might have said it again, but I couldn't tell for sure over all the noise.

In a weird way, I was having fun. When some of the kids around me started laughing, I laughed too. I reached for the ball of paper that had landed on the floor and threw it as hard as I could toward the back of the bus.

"Hey, new guy!" a voice called. "You pitch like a girl!"

I bristled. It was my own fault; I'd called attention to myself.

I knew whatever I did next was important. This was what my mom would call a defining moment. She says life is all about defining moments, only most people miss them. They're too busy doing other stuff.