Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

than us.” Her eyes squinted dangerously.
    I glanced up at my friend. Goldie looked like she was ready to pounce. Her eyes fired daggers. Even I was a bit afraid of her at that moment.
    “ Don’t,” I mumbled.
    “ That girl needs to be taught a lesson,” she said through gritted teeth.
    “ This isn’t your fight.”
    We watched Annie and her followers disperse into the school. Then we made our way toward the building, not knowing what to say to each other. I knew that Goldie was seething inside and plotting revenge against Annie. But my mind was on something else.
    Were those bugs squirming around―alive―inside me?
    I hugged my stomach and retched into some bushes near the steps. My eyes streamed and I couldn’t control the tears as they poured down my cheeks.
    Goldie, my steadfast friend, rubbed my back and handed me a napkin. “You okay?”
    I sniffed and nodded.
    When the school bell rang after lunch, I steeled myself, wiped my face with my sleeve and went inside. I sat at my desk, refusing to look behind me or even acknowledge Annie. I felt her burning stare all day―a day that passed so slowly I thought I’d die from humiliation or fear.
    Goldie was unusually quiet that afternoon. She barely said a word―even to me. I caught her glaring at Annie a few times and I knew that I was lucky to have such a loyal friend.
     
    The following morning when everyone arrived at school, we were greeted with an unusual sight. Halfway up the flagpole, someone had strung up a pair of shabby floral shorts and a small white bra. They flapped in the brisk fall breeze.
    I nudged Goldie. “I wonder who those belong to.”
    “ Yeah,” my friend said innocently. “I wonder.”
    Bobbie Livingston, a blonde-haired boy from the other sixth grade classroom, nudged the boy next to him. I had been admiring the second boy from a distance for days.
    Adam Reid.
    Goldie had once told me that Adam’s mother was native, but that his father was white. That explained Adam’s permanent tan.
    He was a few months older than I was, tall, athletic and very popular. He had a mop of wavy hair, the most unusual golden eyes and the cutest lopsided smile. When he grinned at me that first day after he’d thrown the paper airplane my way, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. At eleven years old, I was already half in love with him.
    “ I think those are Annie’s,” Adam said. “That bra’s kinda small though.”
    A wave of laughter washed over the crowd.
    At that moment, Annie stormed across the field and pushed her way through to the flagpole. “Hey! What’s going on? What are you―?”
    “ That your brassiere ?” Bobbie asked with a snicker.
    Annie turned slowly, her face a mix of disbelief and dread. When she looked up and saw her shorts and bra on the pole, her entire body went still and her face blazed with heat.
    The surrounding laughter dimmed to whispers.
    Her mouth quivered. “Who the hell―?” She spun around, her enraged eyes searching out the crowd.
    She looked at me for a moment on me, but she frowned and shook her head. She stared into each tense face until her black eyes settled on Goldie.
    Stunned, I gazed at my friend. “You did it?”
    Goldie threw me a sly smile. “What if I did?”
    “ You’re gonna pay for this,” Annie hissed. “You too, Sarah.”
    Goldie reached out and gripped my arm. It felt like she was branding me, warning the others that I wasn’t to be touched. And it worked…for a while. After that, no one bothered me―except Annie. But that was later.
    As we headed for the door, I stole a peek at Goldie.
    I can’t quite explain why, but amidst the whispers and laughter, I felt a deep sadness. She had stuck up for me―had even gotten revenge―while I had quivered in fear. In that moment, she became my new best friend. Amber-Lynn was in the past.
    I walked up the steps, then glanced over my shoulder.
    The field was almost empty. Only one person remained.
    Annie.
    She stood there―alone and