My Bully Next Door

l

, everyb

rse th

than wildfire, especially when it invol

efinitely care about and someone

anyone says

n fe

ations seem to hitch for a fraction of a seco

h to

ake my stom

ce, voices overlapping, chairs scraping across the floor, lunch trays cla

e all of it is aim

table and h

le and hear

glance in my direction befo

ea

tas

what I

ip on my tray a

enough, everyone will find s

will also l

LL

ver me so fast

i

over her head like she'

usual table and slide int

seconds, everyth

gives m

o

ila since mi

ver means an

rows he

did yo

choke on

rybody keep a

"the entire school is acting

t punch

hat hap

ng hap

tares

are

of us

leans back i

a terrib

si

tely, she

ve said s

ight up im

his is

not

efinite

N

ll

gr

ly vibrates wi

mpic sport, she'd have a

othering me i

ock

kno

d t

esi

it out loud som

d I was standing there trying not to cry, and the next I was

ouldn't believe I'

't walk

bli

links

u w

't walk

th fall

my G

n't a b

tely was a

ally w

ll

wi

when she's trying v

s usual nonsense and instead of escaping like a sen

it like that,

se it

rop my head i

why I hadn't wan

out a dram

finally

not sn

solutel

d one

ckett

es

ckett C

rtuna

oints

st friend because otherwis

gh escapes befo

her mouth lift

e it

always knows whe

racks in even

ter fades

settles

round the

re still

ever

onsta

en

ys e

tite di

t have said

smile

hy

e around

hi

llows

whis

glan

atte

ack at me, her e

hate this,

n catches m

st people

eople

k being noticed

down at

ea

out quieter t

eall

esn't i

h to fill t

eep ta

it sound

does

Every time people notice me, i

eavier once they

e r

to someone like Beckett,

he corner o

ly because I did something wrong. Or because

le fall

I hear is the ca

cross the table and

re at

was th

you're be

ows pull

wh

urs

l my

e we

serio

nts at

lf like you're some ki

reali

N

akes h

re sc

t harder tha

e she'

hat she'

cing myself that stayin

makes

t prot

neath all

e just be

oming an even

people another

ng things coul

ies me fo

she s

ely I know I

h

ha

our plann

rins

should me

gr

re i

e wha

erribl

not te

lways t

res me c

ep

N

't even

kno

ow

ying to give me makeove

ps dram

of all,

il

f all, I

nced me bangs w

mmediately

n't talk abo

hool called me

was on

s two

a dismis

nt his

re at

tares

f us says

she crac

bangs were

nk y

s is dif

what you said

bursts o

right into

help s

a l

tely, she

the encourage

Mateo own

e w

amaz

hm

es pag

w makes me m

s weddi

or

a woman c

re at

t helping

py t

ts drama

py t

despit

nd surp

after the kind

sof

hink ab

esi

always th

at she

t she p

hings soun

ility was

it came

ybe things c

maybe she

s more to me than the ve

hink ab

mediate

elle

n't sa

idn't

ot the sa

n Lila l

ke my

already plan

some

he idea as muc

ol, I walk

ow over the neighborhood,

ke this part

gives me tim

ghts won't le

lessly around t

hall

nfront

whis

tt looked at

the moment be

ace when he pointed out the s

it mak

spent years makin

don't suddenly b

suddenly no

t stay behind after

street, I imme

omach

e ther

in his

ike ye

ike ev

use ne

y next

blem ne

, I wonder i

he lo

know h

et across t

r of u

of us

stretches

ra

mfor

fer

eye cont

urse

ways

my front door, I ca

owin

chi

ery long time, a thought sett

ila was

wasn't i

never

everyone except the one pers