Austin has seventy four trucks in his room. They once were seventy five, but Derek broke one, which made Austin scream in a deafening tantrum. Austin always throws tantrums, but that one was the worst.

"It's a stupid toy!" 

Derek has never understood his brother's fascination with anything with wheels, and trucks in particular. On weekends, while Derek plays in the yard with his neighbors, Austin prefers to sit alone in his room spinning the tires of his precious seventy four trucks. While Derek plays video games with their father, Austin watches that one cartoon about  trucks over and over. 

Austin can't wear a T-shirt unless it has a truck printed somewhere on it. His bed sheet, blanket and curtains are all truck-patterned. His schoolbag too. For a boy his age, it's weird.

They both celebrated their birthday a week earlier. 

Derek has turned six.  

Austin has turned twelve. 

Derek wasn't happy when their birthday cake was truck-shaped.

"Why isn't your brother ever looking at me when I talk to him?" asks Lilly on there way home in the school bus.

"Austin never looks at anyone."

"He's a weirdo." says Michael.    

"He's an idiot!" Shouts Ben, "how come he scores A all the time?!"

"Mom says his brain works in a quite different way."  

Derek fiddles with the ribbon his mom pinned to his schoolbag, it had a pattern of colorful puzzle pieces and "Autism Awareness" printed on it.