W. Bruce Cameron: One Tough Kid

Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2007.

I went to what was considered the third-toughest junior high school in the area, not counting the private schools but including the school for the musically gifted. As such, there were always a lot of fistfights between the boys who were insecure in the pecking order, something I didn’t participate in because I knew I was a coward.

When boys at the very bottom of the hierarchy challenged me to a fight, I would affably concede the contest on the spot, giving them a bye so they could move to the next level without delay.

Then...