“Robbie, you don’t have much in common with your generation now, and I doubt you ever will. I doubt they’ll ever catch up to you.”

“But I’m still a good guy,” Robbie said defensively. “I just wish they’d get to know me. I can be really fun to hang out with.”

“Yes, but they don’t know that,” Sebastian countered. “They have a different perception about you, and their perception is their reality, whether it’s real or not.”

Robbie tilted his head to express his curiosity at the assertion. “All right,” he said. Then, as if sensing there was more to the story, he prompted, “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“First, you know you’re not going to be like most of the other students,” Sebastian said. “You’re not going to change what you wear and how you live your life.”

“No,” Robbie agreed. “I know I’ll never fit in with them.”