Page 7 of Behind the Bars

I flashed him a fake smile and kept walking. “Hey,Todd.”

He hurried over to me and placed his arm around my shoulders. “How are you? Where were you thisweekend?”

“Thisweekend?”

He cocked an offended eyebrow. “I had a party at my place. You said you might stopby.”

“Oh…right.” I bit my bottom lip and wrapped my hands around my backpack straps. “Sorry. I was at an audition, and I had dancerehearsal.”

“Miss Hollywood,” he joked, slowly sliding his hand down myback.

“No, just me,” I replied, quickly sliding his hand up myback.

“Well, I’m having another party this weekend. My parents are always gone on weekends, so there’s always a Saturday party goingon.”

“That’s cool,” I said,uninterested.

“You should definitely come. I live in the GardenDistrict.”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow, uncertain what that meantexactly.

“It’s one of the richest areas in New Orleans. My family has a shit-ton of money. I only go to this crap school because I got kicked out of privateschool.”

“Oh,cool.”

“You can come to my house and see my horses. I’ll even let you ride me.” He laughed an arrogant laugh. “I mean ridethem. I’ll let you ride ahorse.”

I didn’t have the faintest idea how to reply to that, so Ididn’t.

“Hey, Boney Bones,” Todd said, breaking away from me to push a guy in thehallway.

Elliott.

The unluckyone.

I noticed him a lot, or more so I noticed people bullying him a lot. He was a quiet guy and he mostly kept to himself. He was a skinny boy with beautiful caramel skin and hazel eyes. He never in the history of ever bothered anyone. He had braces, glasses, and nervous habits, like the shaky hands I alwaysnoticed.

He was the easiest target for Todd: timid, kind, andlonely.

I noticed the loneliness most, because I knew the distinct look. I’d been lonely my whole life, and Elliott’s stare mirrored myown.

How was it possible? How did a boy as nervous as Elliott create music the way hedid?

Todd and a few other guys walked up and started pushing him around in such a mean-spirited way. Elliott cringed and kept his head down as he tried to getaway.

“Todd, lay off,” I called after him. “Leave himalone.”

Todd glanced back and snickered. “I’ll leave him alone if you promise to come to myparty.”

Igroaned.

I hated the idea ofthat.

Todd shoved Elliott, this time pushing him into a metallocker.

I groanedagain.

I hated that more than the idea of Todd’sparty.

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