oblivious to everything going on around me.
Now, though, my earphones aren’t in, and I’m with someone who is willing to talk to me. I feel lost. And I’m getting kind of claustrophobic.
I can’t help it: at the familiar sight of a hallway full of lockers and kids on the first day back at school, I freeze up. Even if I am in a whole different state, the scene is all too raw. I remember that first day back at school when Jenna wasn’t there anymore.
I was running late to homeroom. I was so nervous about the first day back, without my older sister looking out for me, I had hidden out in the bathrooms, locked in a toilet cubicle. I didn’t care if I got a tardy slip; I just wanted to avoid people.
It didn’t work.
I was bumped into my locker, an elbow digging into my spine. “Watch it,” said the guy who barged into me.
I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t mean to say it aloud, really, but I muttered, “You could’ve gone
around
me. You don’t have to walk right through me.”
Unfortunately they heard me. Some girls started giggling. I didn’t care who the guy was, because they were all the same. Bullies. I caught a glimpse of the letterman jacket, though, telling me it was a jock. Of course it was.
“Go around you?” he said, laughing in a way that made my stomach churn. “Pretty hard to do when you’re taking up the whole freakin’ corridor, Fatty Maddie.”
My cheeks almost flamed, but I kept my gaze fixed on my locker, taking steadying breaths. I wouldn’t let them see how much they got to me. I wouldn’t. That was what eggedthem on—tears wouldn’t help me now, and they’d certainly gain me no pity from anyone.
“Oink, oink,” he snorted. I cringed and balled my hands into fists. My one earbud wasn’t enough to drown them all out, oinking and snorting at me, trying to get some kind of reaction. When they saw that I wasn’t about to burst into tears, they gave up and sauntered past. Shoulders and elbows dug into my back, and someone hooked a foot around mine so that I fell forward against my locker. I was on the verge of hyperventilating. All I wanted to do was run to the bathroom, or maybe home. But I didn’t. I collected some books I’d left over the summer, closed my locker door, and put in my other earbud, turning up the volume on my iPod.
Now, I am overwhelmed by the urge to flee to the bathroom, or maybe even our new home.
I don’t.
I take a breath and fall back into step beside Bryce, who is greeting people and hasn’t even noticed I’ve lagged behind.
“Bryce! Hey, man, how’s your summer been?”
“Yo, Bryce!”
“Hey, Bryce!”
I expect him to ditch me and talk to these people, but all he does is nod and call hello back, saying he’ll catch them later. He stops at what I assume is my locker. Since I don’t have anything to put in it, I don’t bother to open it.
The bell rings, and the throngs of kids start to disperse to homeroom.
Bryce looks at my schedule and then says, “Up the stairs and take the corridor on the left. Room 27B.”
“Well, okay …”
“You don’t sound very sure,” he laughs.
“I’m not.”
“Do you want me to walk you there?” he offers.
“N-no,” I stammer, and then someone bumps into me and I lose my balance, toppling over into the lockers. I gulp. “No,” I repeat. “It’s fine.”
Bryce grabs my forearm. “Come on, I’ll walk you there.”
I let him guide me toward a staircase off the hallway. The crowds thin out as we go up the stairs and turn down the corridor, and he stops as we reach 27B.
“This is you.”
“Thanks,” I say, a rush of relief spreading over me. “Seriously, I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. Hey, I’ll, uh, catch you later, okay?”
He shoots another of his grins at me, and I find myself grinning right back at him. “Sure. Yeah. Thanks again.”
“Anytime, Mainstream.” There’s a chuckle in his voice when he says that, and then he walks back the way we just
Now, though, my earphones aren’t in, and I’m with someone who is willing to talk to me. I feel lost. And I’m getting kind of claustrophobic.
I can’t help it: at the familiar sight of a hallway full of lockers and kids on the first day back at school, I freeze up. Even if I am in a whole different state, the scene is all too raw. I remember that first day back at school when Jenna wasn’t there anymore.
I was running late to homeroom. I was so nervous about the first day back, without my older sister looking out for me, I had hidden out in the bathrooms, locked in a toilet cubicle. I didn’t care if I got a tardy slip; I just wanted to avoid people.
It didn’t work.
I was bumped into my locker, an elbow digging into my spine. “Watch it,” said the guy who barged into me.
I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t mean to say it aloud, really, but I muttered, “You could’ve gone
around
me. You don’t have to walk right through me.”
Unfortunately they heard me. Some girls started giggling. I didn’t care who the guy was, because they were all the same. Bullies. I caught a glimpse of the letterman jacket, though, telling me it was a jock. Of course it was.
“Go around you?” he said, laughing in a way that made my stomach churn. “Pretty hard to do when you’re taking up the whole freakin’ corridor, Fatty Maddie.”
My cheeks almost flamed, but I kept my gaze fixed on my locker, taking steadying breaths. I wouldn’t let them see how much they got to me. I wouldn’t. That was what eggedthem on—tears wouldn’t help me now, and they’d certainly gain me no pity from anyone.
“Oink, oink,” he snorted. I cringed and balled my hands into fists. My one earbud wasn’t enough to drown them all out, oinking and snorting at me, trying to get some kind of reaction. When they saw that I wasn’t about to burst into tears, they gave up and sauntered past. Shoulders and elbows dug into my back, and someone hooked a foot around mine so that I fell forward against my locker. I was on the verge of hyperventilating. All I wanted to do was run to the bathroom, or maybe home. But I didn’t. I collected some books I’d left over the summer, closed my locker door, and put in my other earbud, turning up the volume on my iPod.
Now, I am overwhelmed by the urge to flee to the bathroom, or maybe even our new home.
I don’t.
I take a breath and fall back into step beside Bryce, who is greeting people and hasn’t even noticed I’ve lagged behind.
“Bryce! Hey, man, how’s your summer been?”
“Yo, Bryce!”
“Hey, Bryce!”
I expect him to ditch me and talk to these people, but all he does is nod and call hello back, saying he’ll catch them later. He stops at what I assume is my locker. Since I don’t have anything to put in it, I don’t bother to open it.
The bell rings, and the throngs of kids start to disperse to homeroom.
Bryce looks at my schedule and then says, “Up the stairs and take the corridor on the left. Room 27B.”
“Well, okay …”
“You don’t sound very sure,” he laughs.
“I’m not.”
“Do you want me to walk you there?” he offers.
“N-no,” I stammer, and then someone bumps into me and I lose my balance, toppling over into the lockers. I gulp. “No,” I repeat. “It’s fine.”
Bryce grabs my forearm. “Come on, I’ll walk you there.”
I let him guide me toward a staircase off the hallway. The crowds thin out as we go up the stairs and turn down the corridor, and he stops as we reach 27B.
“This is you.”
“Thanks,” I say, a rush of relief spreading over me. “Seriously, I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. Hey, I’ll, uh, catch you later, okay?”
He shoots another of his grins at me, and I find myself grinning right back at him. “Sure. Yeah. Thanks again.”
“Anytime, Mainstream.” There’s a chuckle in his voice when he says that, and then he walks back the way we just
Similar Books
