In a restaurant not far from the school cafeteria, Nero, the campus bully, was staring through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the regular cafeteria. His greasy face was crammed with a pair of narrow, squinty eyes, making it hard to see his pupils.

Sitting with Nero were three other boys, all of them watching the cafeteria intently.

The sizzling sound of grilling meat filled the air, but none of them seemed to notice or be in any hurry to eat.

Nero leaned in, lowering his ...