UNSPOKEN BOND

PTE

AGE AND BULLYING WHICH MAY SEEM OFFENSIVE TO READE

ASSRO

ce?" Maddie's words dripped with wicked enjoyment as she t

"Like a scared little rabbit." "You'd think th

ge sharp enough to pierce even the toughest exteriors. Not that their i

her lap to conceal a tiny trembling. She strained to block out the vicious remarks, to bu

addie continued, loud enough that Lila couldn't miss the hatred in

dents drew back, instinctively withdrawing themselves from the line of fire. No one dar

ing immediate attention and respect. With his crafted looks and easy, contag

eed for acceptance. "Did you see how we got the mute girl all wor

ixed on Lila. Even though she didn't look up, she could feel t

ged with fake pity, and each patronizing phrase was like a precisely

d in Caleb's warped charisma. He thrived on creating a captive bio

f tears. Don't show weakness, don't give them satisfaction, she told herself.

sauntering over to the tower above Lila's huddled

tormentor and was immediately entrapped by the swirl

pentine hiss. "Or are you just too scared to admit the

p mercifully broke him off as Mrs. Wilkin e

erhaps you'd like to share your insights on how To Kill A Mockingbi

the front of the room, unleashing his disruptive charm on their unsusp

ring her beneath their deadly weight. On the whiteboard before h

't abide by majority rule

pty classroom. Dried tear streaks streaked her cheeks as she gently gathe

een enough to ward off the harshest blows. But Mia was out sick that

hurried out. No one gave her a second glance; the mute girl, the target

ched into her desk, carving his cruelty into a lasting stain on h

less f

more of this could she bear? When will the never-ending barrage of anguish from h

shoulders bowed under the weight of her silence. She refused to exhibit weakness or

d jeer slashed like ritualistic slashes at her fragile defenses. By the time

of cradling broken students in search of relief. Crumpling into the fallin

for being unable to speak? Lila never asked for the disab

ned sketchbook that had been her lone companion. Its worn pages were muddled with the

er eyes dry and unfocused. What was the purpose of battling anymore? Caleb and his

mind her. Alone, without even Mia's unwavering support, her sole

ocietal vanishing. At the very least, perhaps the pain would sto

istorted charcoal strokes merging into unrecognizable an

reducing her desires and visions to scattered ashes of oblivion. Soon, the once-vibrant space lay c

le. She flinched involuntarily at the disruption, bracing h