Recent Literacy and Violence

I am in high school. Josh joins my English class and I am immediately besotted with him, paying him an embarrassing amount of attention and basically not paying any attention to anything or anybody unconnected with him. I learn that he did not learn to read until last year, yet he is incredibly well-read for a 17-year-old. (Note: in real life, Josh is in his mid to late 20s. My subconscious is just aware that 17 is a much more realistic age for a highschooler.) I am impressed with how much reading he managed to fit into that one year of literacy.

My cousin bursts into the classroom and jumps Josh, pushing him onto the floor, pounding on him and accusing him of beating up another relative of ours - I can't remember who, but think it was either a cousin or an aunt. At this point, we are across the classroom from where we had been before, right in front of the door. Then my parents and one of our aunts are there.

I tell my cousin to stop hitting Josh and that I know Josh would never have done something like that. I repeat this over and over again, to assure Josh and my parents that I know he didn't really do it. I really want my parents to like Josh and know that they won't if they think he beat up a relative. I also tell Josh to let himself be arrested because then he will get a fair investigation and can clear his name.