Bystander

As Eric enters the school cafeteria, he feels the isolation of being a new student. However, Griffin asks Eric to sit with him and his friends; Eric accepts the invitation. Griffin tells Cody, the weasel-faced boy, to move over so Eric can sit next to him. Cody reluctantly moves to another seat.

Griffin starts an amiable conversation with the lunch aide, Mrs. Rosen, inquiring about her dog Daisy. Mrs. Rosen tells him that Daisy had to be put down. Griffin puts on “a sympathetic face” and says, “Oh, too bad. [...] Daisy was a great little dog” (41). Eric thinks Griffin’s tone is off: “Too cheerful, too sweet. The wrong note” (41).

After Mrs. Rosen walks away, Griffin smirks and calls the woman an “old git” who has “more money than Oprah” (41). He tells Eric that her dog was “a stupid animal” that just “barked and barked,” and that “the world is a better place” (41) without it.

Griffin announces that he’s still hungry and asks Cody where Hallenback is. When Cody informs Griffin that Hallenback is not in the cafeteria, he helps himself to Eric’s chips without asking.