My Bully Next Door

l

closet finally lose a

broke out

t turn

rule nu

the only rule tha

t re

t en

do, don't let t

ed across the hall. A group of cheerleaders crowded around a phone, squealing about somet

I could hea

e called again. "I

se I he

ett Carter when he

the kind of confidence that made people pay attention automatically. Teachers smiled whe

y, he had decided that making fun o

rap of my backpac

r than usual. It was already too warm outside for sweaters,

hid t

ade me f

ast they

other voice said. "That sweate

lau

e

se it w

ing Beckett said, wheth

, but I focused on my l

get t

the l

your

o cl

a

more

w

n

it the back

row

t followed alm

a t

fr

before my hand ev

se d

rs through the dark stran

pit

iou

ond, I clos

se of the

e I wa

lievabl

ending it did

had done to deserve being

ing already counting down the

er free and stared at

he laughter

udents gla

looke

said an

y eve

e thing abo

lked about stand

rea

anked God it wasn't

ean called. "

nd of laugh

llowe

sting burned

he

e not

was to cry in front of

o the side pocket of my b

they

the hallway surrounded by his f

e he

it felt

around him. Made room

lond hair fell across his forehead in a way that somehow looked ef

tba

ula

rl

i

ssion was

st b

es were fi

Se

nybod

e

it

chi

n was the part

ed one

?" he

omething hot tw

d like he hadn'

t stood there

enjoying ever

red a

pid moment, a m

version

r versio

es down our street

g neighbors me

l turned him into some

ished as quick

you want?

out quieter t

tilted

igure out if that sweater

flicked

if yo

llowed felt like a p

ooded m

e it

everybody

verybody l

pretended d

k a

hat I al

nd survive

hing felt

use I'd ba

t before sunrise again an

from carrying around the weigh

I was sim

on

t o

make myself

directl

ty doesn't need a team

way went

tely s

ped before I c

g second, I forgo

son around Becke

h literally

wn the hall let ou

started trying to esc

id I j

s wrong

way from the locker he

disappeared

seemed to ho

st

ano

ano

de automatically

had to tilt my head back

as c

cl

y that again?"

his voice someho

ide me screame

how thi

how thi

say somet

dy woul

uld be even har

things al

art that was apparently having a death

N

e out surpri

heard me th

ence settle

aw fl

mething flashed

pri

yb

sn't

t disa

ful,

hy

narrowed

e think you're interestin

wept brief

art paying

ent a chill

wasn't enti

t usually a goo

lifted

at's your

yebro

e looking at yo

ound came from so

entire school had stopped function

ething stran

Beckett's mo

as fighti

uickly I thought

class,

lin

ha

heard

aught me comple

ed anoth

ome

eth

simply st

oment

aken, I turned

led as I spun

se gradually re

ations

moved

uld stil

ble sensation o

ing n

ing e

finally c

s and tried to fo

ll

fr

me from righ

y, I

tanding close

ends we

wd had

he h

h

?" I

ted upward to

pression cro

ng unre

reached

ct too

ched b

stopped i

irritation flashed

rected

him

misse

row

ha

poi

h

er sp

ere had been

caped me before

e anything

se ho

was I supp

id

uth ti

ed like he wanted to

he droppe

er m

e walk

like

standing th

ili

gr

unsettled than

nto my hair and fou

ng after he'd disappe

of that had

second

ed, I had convinced my

st anothe

n a very long l

ing

ing

hung low in the sk

few blocks from school, wh

felt un

school got, home wasn't

ked con

s long

s it was

e, the more I found myself

t Be

ay he had l

weird al

t he stayed after

it mad

I kept thin

ccupied any space

street, I immedi

ck

in his

next

e had been for

hit me with un

h I wanted to avo

re

uy who made my life

my ne

twenty

ays

always

ing me, he

eyes

t neither o

ing wasn

was the

at same strange l

ying to figure

ed awa

urse

ways

ront steps to my house

wei

atten

aware

ll the way to

, a thought slipped into my hea

sn't paying attention t

hing else w

possibility felt e