BABYSITTING MY BULLY

DA

it felt like a museum where the statues were watching you. I sat on my narrow bed, the one that used to be a cl

avoid another "charity" lecture from his mother. I had my history text

d crash echoed t

or a bottle hitting the floor. Then, a low, muffled shout

with his own mess. But another part-the part that remembered the look in his eyes in the gym-forced me up.

n. It didn't creak; the Sterlings

he dark wood floor. Charles was sitting on the edge of his massive bed, hunched over, his head in

r," he rasped wi

staying near the door, carefully av

hot. There was a raw, jagged energy coming off him that I'd never seen at school. On his

ard. "Was that the draft res

d me up for a pre-law internship this summer in the city. He doesn't care that the scouts are coming to the

m. "You're the best quarterback this school ha

He gestured wildly at the opulent room. "He owns the team. He

like a kite whose string had just snapped. He started pa

lf," I said, moving faster than I thought I

The air in the room suddenly felt twice as heavy, thick with the scent of his expensi

p my wrist. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough that I couldn't move. He

sly low. "You hate me. You've hated me since freshma

y different reason now. "But I don't want to have to clean y

e, replaced by a desperate, hungry kind of loneliness. For a split second, the "Golde

ok at me like I'm a trophy, Darcie,"

olt of electricity straight to my gut. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. I should have pushed him

arted, but the nam

ear. "If you tell anyone you saw me like this... I

it sounded hollow. Like he was trying to

back into place, cold and impenetr

oors, staring out at the dark city. I stood there for a long minute, my

icking up the pieces of his anger. He didn't say another word. He just st

ished, I paused at

idn't

own how you play on Friday. If you want to be sc

m and shut the door-the door that didn't lock. I lay

f his hand. I hated him. I reminded myself of that over and over until it felt li

ay he'd looked at me in the dark-like I was the onl

ause hating a bully was easy. But understanding him