Hillbilly Elegy

punched him right in the stomach. He
immediately—and terrifyingly—
dropped to his knees, seemingly unable
to breathe. By the time I realized that I’d
really injured him, he was alternately
coughing and trying to catch his breath.
He even spit up a small amount of blood.
Chris went to the school nurse, and
after I confirmed that I hadn’t killed him
and would avoid the police, my thoughts
immediately turned to the school justice
system—whether I’d be suspended or
expelled and for how long. While the
other kids played at recess and Chris
recovered with the nurse, the teacher
brought me into the classroom. I thought
she was going to tell me that she’d