Playground

Thirteen-year-old Burton, an overweight Black boy known by the nickname Butterball, lives with his mother Shari in Garden City, Long Island, where they moved nearly two years ago after Shari separated from Butterball's father. After Butterball nearly gets expelled from J. Watkins Junior High School for attacking his classmate Maurice on the playground, striking him repeatedly in the face with a sock filled with D batteries until Maurice collapses bleeding, the school mandates therapy sessions with a social worker named Liz Jenner. Hostile and guarded in their first session, Butterball refuses to discuss the attack and insists Liz call him by his nickname. In his narration, he reveals what he withholds from Liz: He planned the assault in advance, and the watching students' stunned silence made him feel like "finally something" (11). Nia, a kind girl he likes, witnessed the attack and looked frightened of him.

When Butterball returns after his suspension, several popular boys acknowledge him for the first time. Bobbie, a tall basketball player who is second in command of a group led by a boy named Andres, high-fives him in the cafeteria. Despite these overtures, their lunch table is full, and Butterball returns to his usual isolated seat. He tells Liz that Maurice, whose wealthy parents declined to press charges, has transferred out of their shared math class. He also mentions Nia and a party she is hosting in two weeks.

Butterball's home life is strained. Shari works double shifts as an orderly at St. Vincent's Hospital while studying for her nursing degree, and she is rarely home. Her friend Evelyn, an administrator at the same hospital, frequently watches Butterball in her absence. Butterball resents Evelyn's presence. In therapy, he blames his mother entirely for the separation and idealizes his father as generous and fun, yet his weekend visits to Harlem reveal a different reality: His father ignores him for hours, mocks his weight, and provides no food. Despite this neglect, Butterball insists his father is the best dad in the world.

One Saturday, Shari is called into work after promising Butterball a day together. He wanders to the school playground, where he encounters Andres and approaches Nia, who is uneasy around him. Nia reveals that Maurice transferred to a private school because he could not cope at Watkins. Andres, Bobbie, and Darrell, another member of their group, then pull Butterball aside and pressure him to assault a boy named Terrence Jackson at Nia's party, claiming Terrence stole Bobbie's ex-girlfriend and now pursues Nia. Butterball is uncertain but does not refuse.

In subsequent sessions, Liz draws out Butterball's memories of arriving at Watkins. He came weeks late to seventh grade, was immediately mocked for his weight, and acquired the nickname on the spot. Only two students showed him kindness: Nia, who smiled, and Maurice, who sat beside him in homeroom. The two became close friends, bonding over movies, graphic novels, and shared outsider status. Maurice invited Butterball to his suburban home, a house with a yard and married parents that represented everything Butterball's apartment lacked.

During a weekend visit, Butterball's father models criminal behavior and endorses violence. He tells Butterball he is proud of the Maurice attack but disappointed his son got caught in front of witnesses, advising him to act more discreetly. When Butterball mentions the Terrence situation, his father enthusiastically supports the plan. At a sneaker store on 125th Street, his father steals a pair of limited-edition Air Foamposites while Butterball is trying them on. Butterball, in socks, runs after him barefoot for seven blocks, shredding his feet on broken glass. His father laughs and frames the theft as a life lesson.

Back in Garden City, Shari is suspicious of the expensive shoes and initially refuses to let Butterball attend Nia's party. Progress in therapy, however, opens a door. Liz notices the video camera Butterball always carries and asks about it. He opens up about his love of filmmaking, tracing it to seeing Batman Begins with his mother at age six or seven. Inspired by director Christopher Nolan, who made his first film at seven, Butterball saved and eventually bought his own Panasonic camcorder. He cries during this session without fully understanding why. Afterward, Shari gives him permission to attend the party, and the two share a rare genuine smile. Before the party, Nia asks Butterball to help keep things under control, the opposite of what Andres and the boys have demanded. Butterball agrees, feeling trusted.

At the party, that trust collapses. Andres, Bobbie, and Darrell arrive drunk and hand Butterball a battery-loaded sock. Despite his promise to Nia, he takes it and swings at Terrence, who ducks effortlessly. Terrence's friends kick Butterball on the ground, and he is thrown out within minutes, arriving home with a swollen eye and urine-soaked jeans. Later, Nia furiously cuts ties with him, revealing that Terrence has been her neighbor and family friend since childhood and had never seen Butterball before. The entire premise Andres constructed was a lie. At school, Andres and the boys publicly mock Butterball, and he retreats into total isolation.

Through therapy, the true reason for the Maurice attack finally emerges. Butterball reveals that the one time he invited Maurice to his apartment, Maurice noticed that Shari is in a romantic relationship with Evelyn. Maurice said he accepted this and suggested Butterball talk to Miss Stipler, the school's openly lesbian wellness counselor. Terrified that Maurice would expose his mother's secret, Butterball threw him out. Two weeks later, when Stipler approached Butterball in the cafeteria to discuss his eating habits and offer counseling, he interpreted the encounter as proof that Maurice had told her. He began planning the playground attack. The realization comes later when Butterball overhears Stipler deliver the identical nutrition speech to another overweight student. He understands that her earlier approach concerned his diet, not his mother's sexuality. Maurice never told anyone anything. Butterball beat his only friend for nothing, and he tells Liz so, crying openly.

As the school year progresses, Butterball's world slowly reconstitutes. Evelyn moves into the apartment permanently, sharing Shari's bedroom, and gives Butterball a used laptop for editing films, a gesture that shifts their relationship from hostility to warmth. Andres's mockery no longer penetrates. Butterball defends Malik, a young neighbor he once bullied, from an older kid demanding Malik's money. Nia witnesses the act and greets him warmly. Liz suggests he apply to the Merce Cunningham High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, a magnet school emphasizing creativity. Butterball creates a short film titled The Superhero of Suburbia, starring Malik as a quiet, friendless kid whose secret superpower is flight.

At a restaurant, Butterball, Shari, and Evelyn run into Nia and her family. Butterball introduces them openly: "This is my mom, Sheril, and this is her girlfriend, Evelyn" (302). Nia gasps, then smiles with understanding. Butterball apologizes for the party, and Nia forgives him. When he calls his father to share his excitement about Cunningham, his father dismisses the news, and Butterball resolves to stop seeking his approval. In his final therapy session, he delivers his completed application and makes one last request: He asks Liz to call him Burton, because that is his real name and what he intends to answer to next year. After Liz drives away, Burton stands alone in the sunshine, takes a deep breath, and walks home.