A Missing Peace by Beth Fred

you’re at it. Don’t act like you run things around here. This is my school. Got it, bitch?”
    I took another step toward her. I had to bend slightly to whisper what I didn’t want everyone else to hear, because in my tennis shoes I was still taller than Kailee and her two-inch heels. “Mess with me, and you can be the first headless cheerleader on YouTube.”
    Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, yeah right.”
    â€œTry me.”
    Kailee froze, and I laughed as I straightened up.
    â€œWhat’s funny?” she hissed.
    â€œYour heels weren’t tall enough today.”
    Our confrontation started to attract attention, making it harder to get away from Kailee and her minions. “Don’t repeat what I told you,” I said.
    â€œIf I do?”
    I drew a finger around the edge of my neck.
    She crossed her arms and glared. “Oh, yeah right. You’re full of crap.”
    I clapped my hands in front of my chest then shot them up over my head like I’d seen the cheerleaders do. “Am I?”
    â€œI’m calling the police. That kind of thing isn’t funny ‘round here.”
    â€œDo what you have to.” Zmal. If she called the police, Abrahem would kill me, assuming I didn’t get arrested first. We would have to move again. My fault. “Wouldn’t be a good idea,” I said, hoping I sounded mean. I thought I scared her. That was the thing. You didn’t have to be Muslim. You only had to look it, and people were already afraid.
    I headed for the cafeteria, but I wasn’t far from Kailee and her group, when someone behind me called, “Hey.”
    I turned around to see a fat white girl about the same height as me. She was wearing a blue dress with a matching feather boa, fishnet hose, and black boots. We’d been sitting at the same lunch table since I came here, but she’d only spoken to me twice. The first day, she said I was in her spot but it was okay. The second day she said, “It doesn’t pay to be different here, does it?” I hated that. I didn’t need another lunch loser patronizing me.
    â€œHey,” I said.
    â€œI saw you stand up to Kailee back there. That was awesome. She deserved it. I’m glad someone finally put her in her place.”
    I sighed. “Thanks, I guess.”
    â€œI saw what she did to your house. I’m sorry.” The girl was walking beside me now.
    â€œIs that why you’re talking to me now? You don’t have to.”
    The girl’s eyes narrowed into slits and her lips turned up, but she wasn’t really smiling. “Mirriam, I’ve talked to you since you came here. This is just the first time you’ve talked back.”
    I ran our previous encounters through my head. I’d thought she was angry I took her seat without knowing, and I didn’t like her pointing out that I was different. I knew that without anyone telling me, but now that I thought about it, she was different, too.
    â€œI’m sorry. How did you know my name?”
    â€œYou’re the Arabic chick.” She grimaced as she said it. “Sorry. Everyone knows your name.”
    â€œOh.”
    â€œI’m Morgan,” she said.
    â€œHow did you know what she did to my house?”
    Morgan shrugged. “Her Facebook profile picture is a garage door that says in metallic pink, ‘Ragheads Go Home!’ so when I saw you attack her, I assumed it was yours.”
    â€œShe put that on Facebook?” I wanted to go back and slam her head into her locker. And Caleb got me out of the house, so she could do this. I hated him.
    â€œSorry.”
    â€œShe makes me sick.” I lowered my voice, so no one else would hear us. “She threatened to call the police on me.”
    Morgan’s eyes popped in surprise. “What did you say to her?”
    I laughed. “Not much.”
    â€œShe tagged your door first. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
    Except