He took the PSAT sophomore year, and the SAT and ACT this year. He didn't have to go far for his SAT prep classes, which were held in his living room by his mom, Janna, and a friend; they started a small SAT prep business after seeing what else was available.
Henry began his junior year without a clue where he might want to go to college. After talking to the school nurse, a UC Santa Barbara graduate, he decided it sounded like a good place, because he likes the beach.
On the day that Henry was scheduled to take the PSAT, Flecha led a visitor to the classroom where students were working on the test. Flecha didn't spot Henry. The teacher looked around. No Henry. Flecha returned to his office, crestfallen.
Reached at home, Henry explained that his family had out-of-town relatives. Flecha slumped into his chair. "Isn't that something?" he asked. "All in a day's work around here."
Later in the fall, UCLA sent mentors to Jefferson to help students prepare their college application essays. Henry, whose grades have mostly been A's and Bs, with some lapses, called his "The Rollercoaster," writing about family tensions and his frequent moves. "The major problem was, I could never get used to something. I would always think it would get snatched away."
Not long after, Henry's parents told him they were returning to Texas -- in less than a week. On Jan. 27, the family piled into a car attached to a rental trailer. They made the 1,500-mile drive in two days. About half an hour outside Houston, Henry began to cry. "It really got to me," he said.
Henry now has his own room in a new five-bedroom house owned by an aunt. It's in an ethnically diverse, middle-class subdivision in Spring, a bedroom community on Houston's northern fringes. Spring is not as affluent as La Canada, but its upwardly mobile Sun Belt vibe feels light years from South L.A. Henry's new school, Klein Oak High, seems more La Canada than Jefferson, with an airy suburban feel, a diverse student body of 3,400 and a tradition of academic success. Most students graduate, and of them, 85% to 90% will go to college, Assistant Principal Joyce Wells said.
"I think it's a nice school," said Raul Ramirez. He thought it was a big improvement over Jefferson.
Henry didn't much care. He liked the new house but wished it were in L.A. He thought the school was fine, but his friends weren't there. He seized on something that most teenagers would see as a plus -- the laptop he was assigned -- and decided that he hated it. "Work sheets are easier," he said.
Still, there were students who remembered him from his previous sojourn in Texas. Walking out of class one day not long after arriving, he was greeted by a girl who threw her arms around him in a hug. He smiled, shyly.
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The school year's ending. You probably won't run into each other this summer -- although Henry, who seems to be feeling OK about Texas, is hoping to come to L.A. to hang with his old friends. Kyle will be at baseball camp and community college, fulfilling a high school arts requirement. Same city, different circles. Different boys, similar dreams.
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mitchell.landsberg@latimes.com
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latimes.com/columnone
An audio slide show of Kyle and Henry, along with previous Column One articles, are available online.
