Chapter 28
The Bully
Jenna
Age nine
“Look, Jenna’s wearing a sparkling skirt,” Killian announces with a cruel laugh as I enter the classroom in the morning.
Callum leans in, whispering something that makes them both snicker. They’ve become best friends, and making fun of me is their favorite pastime.
“She looks like a Disney princess,” Killian adds, grinning down at me from the windowsill where they sit every day, like kings ruling the class.
My heart aches from how hard I miss the sweet and caring Killian who was my best friend for two years.
It was just him and me; the rest of the world didn’t matter.
Now he can’t talk to me without some kind of mockery.
It hurts. But I’m determined not to let it get to me.
One day, he’ll come back to me. And I’ll be ready when that day comes.
So I just smile and say, “Hi Killian,” the same as I’ve always done.
He snorts as if my sweetness is ridiculous.
Ignoring him, I pop into my seat beside Cora and take out my math books. “Did you finish homework?”
“I did, but I couldn’t figure out how to do the one about the train.”
“Right? Me neither. I was stuck on it forever. But I think I got it.” I turn my worksheet toward her and point at the numbers. “See? You just divide it first, then subtract.”
When Mr. Greene enters, Killian rounds our table on the way to his own and slams his hand into the surface with a force that makes my heart jump into my throat. “Dorks!”
“Fuck you!” The words burst out before I can swallow them back. I press my hands to my chest. My heart pounds so hard it hurts.
“Watch that tongue,” Mr. Greene reprimands in a sharp tone that makes me shrink on my chair. I hate getting reprimanded by the teachers more than anything, and I hate the way everyone turns to look.
For the next twenty minutes, I sit stiffly in my seat, trying to focus on Mr. Greene and the numbers he scribbles on the blackboard, but not really seeing anything.
“You were right,” Cora whispers when he explains the assignment with the train.
“Jenna cheated!” Killian announces to Mr. Greene. “I saw her copying Cora’s results just before you came in.”
“This was not a test,” Mr. Greene says to Killian. “You’re allowed to work together.”
Killian shrugs. “Just saying, keep an eye on her next time we have a test.”
Mr. Greene sends me a suspicious look, and that tense feeling in my chest twists even tighter, and I have to bite my teeth together to hide the hurt.
Suddenly, I just want to cry. I can’t believe Killian would try to get me into trouble like that.
Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe I have lost him for good.
The realization weighs even heavier than Mr. Greene’s suspicion, and when Mr. Greene sends me a stern warning, saying, “Are you paying attention, Jenna?” I nearly break into tears in front of all my classmates, who turn to look at me.
I just nod, swallowing hard repeatedly until everyone turns back around—except Killian.
I try not to look at him, but I can’t help it.
He draws me in like a magnet. Always. But what I find on his face is not the mockery I expected.
His frown almost makes it seem like he’s concerned.
It only makes me want to cry that much more, because I miss the way Killian used to care about me so, so much.
Blinking, I look away, but when I glance back, he’s still turned toward me.
He has rolled up a piece of paper and tucked it between his lip and nose like Mr. Greene’s thick moustache, and he’s holding up his pen like the ruler our teacher uses to point at the board, mouthing along to his words.
The long face and frowning brows he makes look so much like Mr. Greene that I have to slap my hand over my mouth to suppress a loud giggle.
“Killian,” Mr. Greene erupts with a sharp warning that makes Killian whip around in his chair.
“Sorry,” Killian says. But when Mr. Greene turns back to the blackboard, Killian casts me a bright, wide smile that loosens the lingering tightness in my chest, and when he goes back to mocking me on our lunch break, it’s easier to ignore his stupid remarks because my Killian is still in there somewhere.
All I can think is, someday I’ll get him back.