Emma and the Cutting Horse by Martha Deeringer Page B

school, Emma told Hannah and Katie about
Miss Dellfene and the man who wanted to train her to be a cutting
horse. She was careful not to talk about it where other kids could
overhear and looked over her shoulder often to be sure no one was
listening. She was having enough trouble with Candi and her friends
without giving them more to talk about. No more graffiti had
appeared on the bathroom walls or drawings on her locker door, and
Emma was beginning to hope that Candi’s interest in tormenting her
was winding down. In whispers, other kids described their own
harassment at the hands of Candi and her friends.
    “Everyone hates her,” Barbara Anderson told
Emma. “Even her so-called friends hate her, but they’re afraid if
they don’t go along, her poisonous tongue will turn on them. ” Barbara was overweight and shy and had taken her
share of abuse until Candi and her friends grew tired of her and
selected another victim.
    * * *
    “Emma Dean...please come to the office,” a
voice over the intercom announced just before school was out. Emma
was just finishing a test over To Kill a Mockingbird , a book
she had loved. The essay questions had been a breeze, and she
quickly finished her conclusion and turned in her paper. On the way
to the office she worried about the possible reasons for this
summons. She was sure her mom wasn’t picking her up early for a
dentist appointment, and the messages in the restroom flitted at
the back of her mind.
    “The counselor wants to see you,” the school
secretary said when Emma arrived at the desk.
    “Hi, Emma,” the counselor said. “Have a seat
for a minute; I want to talk to you about something.” Her sculpted
hair and stylish clothes made Emma uneasy. What could this perfect
fashion-plate of a woman possibly want with her? She
self-consciously straightened her faded jeans and slid her feet
under the chair to hide her stained sneakers.
    The counselor got up from her desk and closed
the office door.
    “I hear that some remarks about you have
appeared in the girls’ restroom. You know, they say that in high
school you’re nobody until your name has been immortalized on the
restroom wall. Have you seen it?”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Emma answered.
    “Do you know who’s doing it?”
    Emma stared at her scuffed shoes for a
minute. “I think so,” she said.
    “Do you want to tell me who it is?”
    “I...I...guess not,” Emma answered.
    “Emma,” the counselor said. “I already know
who did it. Someone else told me. Someone who thinks you’re getting
some unfair treatment. This person saw Candi Haynes stick a drawing
on your locker door. You’re not the first person Candi Haynes and
her friends have tried to intimidate. She always picks on girls who
are too nice to fight back, that way she’s sure to win. But you’re
stronger than some of her other victims. If it continues and you
decide you’ve had enough, please let me know. I’d love to make that
girl wash the bathroom walls.”
    “Okay,” Emma said, issuing a silent thank you
to Mrs. Killen, who must have been determined to help even without
Emma’s cooperation.
    * * *
    Emma cleared the table that night while her
mom loaded the dishwasher.
    “Mom...” she began, “Did you ever get teased
by other kids in school?”
    “Sure I did. Why?” her mom asked. “Is
somebody teasing you?”
    Emma told her about bumping Candi Haynes with
her backpack and the messages on the wall in the bathroom. She felt
tears stinging behind her eyes as she described the pictures on her
locker door.
    Emma’s mom put down the dishtowel and gave
her a long hug.
    “Girls like Candi have always been around,
Emma,” she said. “It makes them feel important to ridicule somebody
else in public. What do you want me to do?”
    “I don’t know,” Emma said. “I’m afraid if you
get involved it will just make things worse. I’m too old to go
running to my mama with every problem. That would give them one
more thing to tease me