Page 119 of Grin and Bear It

Knox and Maddox

The first indication that something was up were the looks they got when the boys got out of their uncle’s car. Nash had dropped them off in the morning, giving them some money for lunch and telling them he hoped they had a good day with a cheery smile. Almost as if nothing bad had ever happened. But when they got out of the car, their friends didn’t come running over.

No one did.

Other students looked up as they passed by, watching them closely, then smirking, before turning back to their phones.

Almost as if they didn’t exist.

Maddox looked over at Knox and saw his brother’s face was a mirror of his. Concern masked behind a stern facade of nonchalance, they met each other’s eyes for just a second, but couldn’t dwell on things. Nash had been slow to get going this morning, not rushing them through their breakfast and bundling them into the car, so before they could interrogate the situation further, the bell went.

They got a few more clues as they stampeded up the hall along with the rest of the student body. Guys saw them and jerked away, like they had cooties or something and they were still young enough to give a shit about that. Still others snickered. They shot the twins knowing smiles before moving forward, swept up by the tide of teenage bodies. But it was when Miss Jennings, Ellie, stepped into that swell, that things got bad. Rather than have to fight her way through the masses, everyone gave her a wide berth. Girls hissed something under their breath, boys snickered. “Slut…” one of them muttered and that’s when Knox stiffened.

“What did you say?”

He and Maddox moved as one, cornering the boy against the wall, but rather than shrink back in the face of a superior force, the kid just sneered at them.

“You heard me. She’s a slut.”

Knox’s hand went to the front of the other kid’s shirt and hauled him up, holding him against the wall as Maddox shifted closer, blocking the view of what his brother was doing from the general populace.

“What did you fucking say?”

If you’d asked Knox about how he felt about his teacher this morning, he’d have mumbled something, not sure enough of anything to give a straight answer. But with all the immediacy of a teenage brain, right now he heard a slur being made against someone that belonged to his family, and that couldn’t stand. A low growl trickled past his lips as he snarled at the boy, the other student’s eyes widening, right before they were interrupted.

“Steve, Knox, Maddox.” Knox let the boy go as they all turned around to find Ellie standing there. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Steve said, brushing his shirt down with exaggerated emphasis, before taking off.

“Everything OK, boys?”

That hint of concern, beyond that of a normal teacher, it had both boys shifting restlessly, a blessing and a curse. They’d already been getting shit due to the fact their uncles were dating their teacher, but this? She couldn’t act like this, couldn’t ask questions like this, not without creating a serious situation, so they answered the only way they could.

“Fine.”

Ellie’s lips pursed. She seemed to know that they were hiding something, but as everyone was rushing to class, she knew now was not the time to interrogate it. The boys sighed silently as she turned to look down the hall.

“Let’s get to class then, yes?”

They nodded readily, already moving to get to their lockers before she could say anything more.

When they got into class, they discovered more clues. The back row, where they always sat, was full now, the spare seats filled with students who normally were forced to sit much closer to the board. The boys’ friends all stared at them steadily as they entered the room, turning to each other to whisper something as they soon as they sat down. Both twins pulled out their books and pencil cases, as they waited for the class to start, conscious of many eyes burning into the backs of their heads.

“Hey.” Maddox turned to see Trevor had slid over into a nearby seat. “I heard about—”

“Good morning, class.” Every eye turned then to focus on Miss Jennings. She stood in front of the class, hands clasped. “I hope you had an awesome afternoon yesterday. Now, who’s got a morning share?”

Usually someone put their hand up, if only to humour the teacher, get the ritual over and done with, but for the first time, there was only silence. Well, partial silence. Tiny little titters from the back row echoed out through the classroom. Ellie’s brow furrowed slightly, her eyes taking in each student here, but that sharp focus seemed to silence whoever it was.

“Anyone?” Miss Jennings asked. “Trevor?”

The twins watched in disbelief as the other boy shook his head slowly. Usually the kid wouldn’t shut up and now…? A buzz in Knox’s pocket made him think he might know why. The teacher continued to probe the students, trying to get a response, but when it became obvious they wouldn’t, she moved on, turning to the board to start the lesson. Knox grabbed out his phone and held it under the desk, surreptitiously checking his messages as Miss Jennings wrote up the task for the day.

Your aunty’s a fucking slut, the message read.

Both boys experienced a moment of ice cold shock washing through them, pinning them to the spot. They stared at the screen, because this was a familiar thing. When they were little year 7s, some people thought it funny to send messages like this about their mum, right up until they managed to show those people the error of their ways. A few fights after school, plus the friendship group they managed to attract with their prowess on the basketball court, it meant that shit like that quietened down real quick, people looking for easier targets.

And now it was happening all over again.

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