The entire classroom counted down the final seconds of the school year and a deafening roar accompanied the final bell. That was it, the 5th grade was officially over and the hallways were full of people laughing and celebrating. Everyone huddled up to sign each others yearbooks, t-shirts and folders. I never had enough money to buy a yearbook and there was no way I was going to let someone write on my crisp white t-shirt. I navigated through the hallways with a quickness and reached the playground basketball courts to the cheers and whistles of my crew.
Around town we were known as the Strays. We were always roaming the streets looking for something to do. We never caused problems but we always seemed to raise concerns. People always wondered if we had parents. We did have parents but the majority of us only lived with one. So basically we were the kids you were supposed to stay away from. You know the rules, don’t ever bring a stray home.
We waited for the crowds to leave so we could rummage through the lost and found on the way out. I was hoping to find a baseball glove or something cool but all I found was a book. I held it up in excitement and showed them that it was a book about us! “The Outsiders”, I’m keeping this. I looked inside to see if there was a name. What does Ex Libris mean? At that moment the voice of our principle rang out. “Gentlemen, why are we still here”? He held his hand out letting me know he wanted to see what I was holding. He asked me if it was mine and I said that it was now…Finders, Keepers. He laughed and told me to keep the book. He also told me that I should put my name under the Ex Libris part because it meant that I was the owner. He shook our hands and told us to hurry home.