Carlos

“Hey Carlos, you got twenty bucks I can borrow until tomorrow?” My friend Jason’s voice intruded into my thoughts and I looked up from the autobiography of a WWII pilot that I’d been reading in the library. It was Thursday so that meant he wanted to pay me back tomorrow.

It was Jason, though, I knew I’d never see that $20 ever again. Not from him, the kid was broke, at school on a scholarship and without a job to support himself. He’d blown through his financial aid already, but I didn’t care. He would spend the money on food, go back to his room, and dive back into...