Page 42 of Releasing 10
“Yeah, I did,” I agreed, deciding to stand my ground, even when a crowd formed around us. We were outside of school, but even if someone told a teacher on me, I didn’t care. I was used to having grown-ups shout at me. I was used to disappointing people. “I can say worse,” I added, scowling up at the bully. “I can do worse, too.”
“You live over on Avoca Greystones, right?” a different girl asked Claire.
“Yeah,” Claire replied, nodding warily. “So?”
“So those are really nice houses,” the girl replied. “Why would you invite a Lynch to your house?”
Everyone around us started to laugh.
Shannon’s eyes started to fill with tears.
“Because she’s myfriend,” Claire defended, grabbing Shannon’s hand. “That’s why.”
“Yeah, well, if I were you, I wouldn’t let that scab inside your front door.” The girl flicked her ponytail over her shoulderbefore adding, “You do know she’s from Elk’s Terrace, don’t ya? She’ll probably rob your family blind the minute your backs are turned.”
“I also heard she has nits,” the original bully chimed in. “So you girls might want to think about that before standing so close to her. You don’t want head lice, do you?”
“Why don’t you shut the hell up,” I screamed, rushing forward and shoving the girl as hard as I could.
Instead of pushing me back, the girl laughed in my face. All her friends laughed, too. Because they were bigger than us. That made me even madder.
I couldn’t control the anger building up inside of me, and what’s more, I didn’t want to. Shannon was a good friend to me. Being around her helped me keep my mind clear and get my voice out. It didn’t matter to me where she lived. She was kind and sweet and made me feel safe. I wanted to scratch these girls’ eyes out. I wanted to make them bleed, make them pay for hurting my friend.
“Lizzie, don’t,” Shannon pleaded, wrapping her small hand around mine. “Let’s just walk over here and wait for your bus.”
“Yeah,Lizzie,” the bully sneered. “Listen to scabby Shannon who can’t take the bus because her scabby parents are too poor to pay for it.”
The kids around us all started to laugh, and it made me shake with anger. “Take it back,” I warned, breaking free from my friends and balling my hands into fists at my sides. “Take back what you said right now!”
“Or what?” she goaded, leaning down to smirk in my face. “What are you going to do, looney tune?”
“Heads up!” I heard a boy call out moments before the bully staggered away from us.
“Omigod!” Gripping her head, the girl started to scream like a banshee. “My head, my head!”
Shocked, I turned to see Joey Lynch coming down the steps that led from the pitch to the school gates with a hurley slung over his shoulder.
Shannon’s big brother was only in second class, but the older boys still moved out of his way. Because they were afraid of him. Because he got into alotof fights at school. Even more than me.
“I said heads up.” Joey yanked the school gate open with such force that it clattered against the wall. He didn’t need to shove through the crowd to get to his sister; everyone scampered out of his way. “It’s not my problem if you’re deaf.”
“Maybe you should have better aim,” the bully wailed, still holding her head, while the friends that had been with her all rushed for the bus pulling up.
“Maybe you shouldn’t stand so close to my baby sister,” Joey replied, purposefully stepping in front of us and blocking her from view.
“You really hurt me,Joey Lynch,” the girl continued to wail, full-on crying now. “I’m telling my brother on you.”
“I never laid a finger on ya,Loretta Crowley,” he replied with a careless shrug. “But go right ahead and tell your whole fucking family for all I care.”
“She called Shannon a scab,” Claire blurted out, tugging on the sleeve of Joey’s white school shirt. “And she pushed her, too.”
“Oh, did she now?” Joey replied, keeping his eyes locked on Loretta. “That was a mistake, wasn’t it, Loretta?”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she replied, but she backed up several steps. “You’re a scumbag.”
“Yeah,” Joey agreed with a dangerous chuckle, closing the space she put between them. “But I’m a scumbag that’ll tear your fucking world apart if you touch my sister again.”
Whoa.
