Page 10 of Sever
Chapter Five
2008
The First Rescue
I say good-bye to the boys and then turn around and head toward my school. Eighty-two days until summer and I don’t have to see these people for a couple of months. I don’t fit in here, or anywhere really. No one talks to me unless it’s time for the daily taunting.
Ryder has been living with us for a week now and even though he goes to my school, I hardly ever see him. We don’t have any classes together, and when we’re at home he spends all his time in his bedroom. On the rare occasion I see him, all he has is a crappy attitude. I had hoped I might get some help with the younger kids.
I was delusional.
I head to my locker so I can grab my books for the day. When I open it, a ton of Twinkies come falling out, almost covering my feet.
“Geez, Megaton. What’s that, your morning snack?”
I turn around and see the girls who have been determined to make my life a living hell for the past two and a half years. I have no idea why I became their target, but it makes me never want to come to school again.
“Why don’t you get down on all fours and eat them off the ground, little piggy?” Katie nudges Alison as they all erupt into laughter.
My lip quivers and I bite down on it, trying to calm myself, my eyes welling with tears that I beg not to fall as my fingers grip the cheap fabric of my thrift store skirt. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath.
My mind races with what I should do. Do I pick them all up? Even if I did, what the heck would I do with them? The click of heels makes my stomach drop.
“What’s wrong? You can’t be full,” Alison sneers in my ear, eliciting a cheer from her group.
“Get the fuck away from her.”
Oh God. Ground swallow me up.
Alison backs up, joining the other girls. “Aren’t you that new kid?”
He glares at her, not answering. His gaze swings to me, standing in the middle of them, my body frozen in embarrassment, fear, and confusion.
Alison smiles at him. “I heard you were in juvie. Why don’t you just—”
“Maybe you should walk the fuck away before I show you why I was in juvie.” Ryder’s hands fist at his sides and I can see his jaw working back and forth. His anger is so powerful I can almost feel it. It makes me wonder exactly why he would have been sent to juvie. Even though right now he is helping me, a part of me wonders if he could be dangerous.
Alison’s eyes grow wide. I don’t think anyone has ever challenged her like this before. A small crowd has gathered around us, everyone anxious to see how this plays out. Ryder takes a step toward her.
Would he actually hit her?
It seems she’s asked herself the same question because she retreats to the safety of her gang, flicking her hair over her shoulder and walking away, the other girls following behind her like geese.
I look over at Ryder. His eyes are focused on the snacks at my feet as he asks, “Why do you put up with that shit?”
I shrug. “I said something back once and it just got worse.”
It was freshman year when I stood up to them. I told the principal and they got detention for bullying me. I thought it would all stop. After all, I’d done the right thing.
Wrong.
The route home from school took me through a small park. It was largely neglected so the walkway was overgrown, the trees stretching over onto the path. With hindsight, I should have guessed it was the perfect spot to hide in. When I was walking home that day, they jumped me. With my back to the dirt, my bag emptied onto the ground around me, Alison’s foot on my chest, she told me to remember this day, and that if I ever ratted on them again, the beating would be ten times worse.
I took her advice and remembered. In fact, I remembered that day most nights as I fell asleep; a stark reminder to keep quiet.
I bend down, deciding to clean up the floor in front of my locker.
“Don’t you touch one of those things. I’ll make sure those bitches don’t bother you again. You work on growing a backbone and standing up for yourself.”
