Odd man out

It's an every day occurrence, for me to ask the boys how their days were at school.  Today was no exception.  On the ride home from their MeMe and Gandy's (they keep them on Tuesdays and Thursday's so I can work in the office & focus on APC Construction business stuff), I asked them about their day - I got the typical "good".  Then out of nowhere, Lil A.P. says "I learned today that 10 to 1 isn't really a bad thing."  I wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about, so I asked him what he meant.  He said that 10 kids were against him today, playing soccer.  I asked him why it was 10 against just him ... and y'all, my mama heart kinda got a little cracked.  He said "they told me I couldn't be on their team, that I had to be my own team".  I asked him if that kind of hurt his feelings, and he said "yeah, but I just went along with it and guess what, I beat them!".  See the mama heart cracking?  I asked why they were being so mean, he said he didn't know.  I asked exactly how it went down.  He said "well I was carrying out the chair..." I asked him what chair?  He said "Mrs. Boice's chair, I carry it out for her, it's my task.  I offered to carry her chair for her one day, and now it's my task.  Ethan H. carries it on the days I'm not there, but every other day it's me." ... Well, I was now a rejoicing Mama.  I said "A.P.! That. Is. Awesome!!  I am so proud of you for being such a gentleman!!"  He said, "yeah, but that's why I don't usually get to be on the team I want, because I'm later getting to the field."  I told him I understand now, and asked exactly how the kids told him he couldn't be on the team.  He said "they said HA, too late, you're on your own team".  I asked him if one of his longtime BF's responded like that, and he told me his BF was just really quiet like always.  He also disclosed that it was the longtime BF's team that everyone wanted to be on. I asked him how he reacted when that happened, to which he replied "I said, lets play then and we all started playing and they let me get the ball at half field and keep it for a while - it was awesome.  I scored on them... a lot!".  Y'all ... the way he dealt with that made me so proud.  I never want him to feel like the kid that gets left out, none of us want that nor want that for our kids; but the way this dude responded to being treated like, that made me realize that even though he struggles to show self-control at home, dude definitely gets it!  He also showed his true character ... my man is gonna be just fine!!  Adjust and move on baby boy ... that's how we do.  Now, am I going to pray like the mama bear that I am that they won't treat him like that again, fo sho!  But until then, I shall continue to pray for the heart of a warrior in that boy.  Love that kid some kind of good.