UNSPOKEN BOND
PTE
AGE AND BULLYING WHICH MAY SEEM OFFENSIVE TO READE
ASSRO
ce?" Maddie's words dripped with wicked enjoyment as she t
"Like a scared little rabbit." "You'd think th
ge sharp enough to pierce even the toughest exteriors. Not that their i
her lap to conceal a tiny trembling. She strained to block out the vicious remarks, to bu
addie continued, loud enough that Lila couldn't miss the hatred in
dents drew back, instinctively withdrawing themselves from the line of fire. No one dar
ing immediate attention and respect. With his crafted looks and easy, contag
eed for acceptance. "Did you see how we got the mute girl all wor
ixed on Lila. Even though she didn't look up, she could feel t
ged with fake pity, and each patronizing phrase was like a precisely
d in Caleb's warped charisma. He thrived on creating a captive bio
f tears. Don't show weakness, don't give them satisfaction, she told herself.
sauntering over to the tower above Lila's huddled
tormentor and was immediately entrapped by the swirl
pentine hiss. "Or are you just too scared to admit the
p mercifully broke him off as Mrs. Wilkin e
erhaps you'd like to share your insights on how To Kill A Mockingbi
the front of the room, unleashing his disruptive charm on their unsusp
ring her beneath their deadly weight. On the whiteboard before h
't abide by majority rule
pty classroom. Dried tear streaks streaked her cheeks as she gently gathe
een enough to ward off the harshest blows. But Mia was out sick that
hurried out. No one gave her a second glance; the mute girl, the target
ched into her desk, carving his cruelty into a lasting stain on h
less f
more of this could she bear? When will the never-ending barrage of anguish from h
shoulders bowed under the weight of her silence. She refused to exhibit weakness or
d jeer slashed like ritualistic slashes at her fragile defenses. By the time
of cradling broken students in search of relief. Crumpling into the fallin
for being unable to speak? Lila never asked for the disab
ned sketchbook that had been her lone companion. Its worn pages were muddled with the
er eyes dry and unfocused. What was the purpose of battling anymore? Caleb and his
mind her. Alone, without even Mia's unwavering support, her sole
ocietal vanishing. At the very least, perhaps the pain would sto
istorted charcoal strokes merging into unrecognizable an
reducing her desires and visions to scattered ashes of oblivion. Soon, the once-vibrant space lay c
le. She flinched involuntarily at the disruption, bracing h