“Until the joys of high school,” I pointed out. “Older Allison Blacks.”
“Ugh,” Shal muttered. “My mom’s already talking about the changes I’ll have to make. New clothes. New haircut. New…” She paused.
“New what?” Mia asked.
“Nothing,” Shal said. “Who listens to that crazy, old pageant queen anyway?”
I knew what she was about to say. Friends. I was just about to say something when Mia suddenly stood up and took off like a puff of smoke. I watched her hurry down the fence, heading for the safety of the portables. That could only mean one thing.
Allison Black was walking toward us with a group of popular kids. I glanced across the yard at Liam, and I saw him watching the impending confrontation.
“Is it too late to run?” I asked quietly.
Shal had blanched. “Definitely.”
“Hey, girls,” Allison said, not even bothering to sit down this time. Clearly she was going to get straight to the point. She looked at me. “The girls and I were out buying skirts and talking about makeup last night when we realized we were being terrible friends. We should be setting you and Liam up.”
Some of the girls snickered. Tim and another jock named Ian were there as well.
“I’m good, thanks,” I muttered.
She waved a hand in dismissal. “I doubt it. Now, we know you like him, but I’m not convinced he likes you yet. We need to make a few changes.” She looked me up and down. “First things first, you’re really going to have to stop dressing like that. Boys don’t like homeless girls, unless they’re hot, and well…you aren’t. A diet might also be nice. I’d say about forty pounds should do. You know what, I’m just going to ask Liam what he likes—”
I stood up without thinking, my hands balling into fists. Allison took a tiny step back, but she was still smiling. I knew why. If I hit her, I would be the one who got suspended and grounded and treated like a murderer. But I really, really wanted to.
“Something wrong?” she asked sweetly.
“Leave me alone,” I said, walking by her and heading for the school.
Shal stood up and hurried after me.
“It’s fine,” Allison called after me. “We’ll talk to him for you!”
I walked straight into the school and headed for the bathroom. When Portia used to really get to me, I’d go sit in a bathroom stall for awhile. Sometimes I cried; sometimes I just needed a place to cool down. Today kind of felt like a cry day.
“She’s just an idiot,” Shal said, following me in. “She gets bored and decides to…are you going to the bathroom?”
I closed the stall door behind me and sat down—well, I put the lid down first. “I just want to be alone for a bit,” I said quietly. My eyes starting welling with tears.
“Oh, cool,” Shal said, clearly not going anywhere. “I’ll just hang out.”
The bathroom door opened again.
“Oh, the mouse returns,” Shal grumbled.
“Sorry,” Mia replied.
I just sat there and let the tears spill out over my shaking fingers.
The rest of the day was more of the same. People made comments, and I pretended they didn’t bother me. When the final bell went, I quickly grabbed my stuff and hurried to my locker. I just needed to get home. People walked by, called me Mrs. Kelp and muttered “gross” and laughed, and tears streamed down my cheeks as I stuffed my books in my backpack. I wiped my face with the back of my hands, zipped up my bag, and turned to go, trying desperately to hold in the next wave of tears. I froze.
Liam R. Kelp was standing right behind me.
He was going to yell at me. He was going to tell me to stay away from him. He was going to tell me I was fat and he would never like me. I tried to prepare myself.
“Hey, Mrs. Kelp,” he said, breaking into a toothy grin. He shook his head. “What a bunch of idiots. I hope they didn’t get to you.”
“Not even close,” I lied.
“Good. Worst Photoshop work I’ve ever seen. Awesome job on the geography quiz, by the way. I’ve never lost before.” He smiled again. “I’ll get you next time.”
I flushed. “We’ll see about that.”
“See you Monday, Mrs. Kelp,” he said, and continued down the hall.
I watched him go, and I barely heard the nasty comments as people walked by.
—
That night my family went out to dinner, and as we walked through the restaurant, I saw Ashley—Allison Black’s second-in-command—sitting with her parents and two younger sisters.
There’s this weird thing that happens to bullied people. We go out with our families and we see our bullies with their families, and there’s this moment where maybe we both realize that people aren’t supposed to act like this in the real world—that it’s not really okay to spend your whole afternoon trying to make someone cry. The hostess led us right by Ashley’s table, and the second she saw me she flushed bright red and looked away. Hey. I was supposed to do that.
I realized that she probably thought I would call her out in front of her parents. Expose her for being so terrible. And that maybe, somewhere deep down, she was embarrassed. But I also knew that nothing would change at school the next day.
As we sat down, the waitress bustled about, making sure to unfold Tom’s napkin on his lap and pouring his water first. Tom always gets doted on at restaurants. People can be a little weird around him too. Like the server will say, “And what can I get you?” before realizing a blind boy wouldn’t know who they’re referring to. Then they always get a little flustered and look at us for help or lightly touch his arm. I think we forget how much we talk in looks and gestures. When you take that away, people get awkward. I kind of enjoy watching it. I know, I’m a jerk.
After finally getting our orders, the waitress—a
