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And they don’t have much use for eneral high school populace, I wasn’t ready to trade in o pants and sneakers for black leather pants and platform shoes At least I had someone I could talk to and sit with, even if they were a bit touched in the head and on the creepy side Then again, that described me perfectly

As I left the lunchroom I ran into a meat wall, bounced off it, and fell onto my butt I looked up at Nathan Spelet up, but he put his hand onposition "Well, well" He crouched, keeping his sweaty palm on my head while other students walked past ide eyes and/or s on their current opinion ofcrystal clear, stalker boy You get within a hundred feet of Katie Johnson, and I’ to smear you froh left of you to put in a bucket"

"You get to stalk Katie but I don’t?" I couldn’t believe what I’d just said Soet it checked before soht be upon me

Nathan popped me on the side of the head For him it was probably a love tap I felt my brain hit the side of my skull and stars danced in s you don’t understand"

Anger pounded in my chest and the next words just shot out of ht I don’t understand rapists"

Next thing I kneas face down on the floor looking at a sone Someone shouted An authoritative voice roared for everyone to shut up and ure standing over lasses a few inches from the blood smear and put them on The blur resolved into the face of Ted Barnes, the Vice Principal

"Go see the school nurse," he said in an ione "Nathan Spelman just beat the crap out of et cleaned up"

"Are you kidding ed in his fist"

"You want to get suspended, boy?" I shrank back as Mr Barnes and his gleaest you listen to e I callMr Barnes was a roup of supporters of the football tea Nathan’s wo tendencies Mr Barnes wasn’t about to cut me a break, especially when it involved a football player

I pressedelse stupid My upper lip hurt like crazy, but ue traced ly ones I skipped the nurse and went to the bathroo to ju off the blood I took a good long look atpast lasses teetered crookedly onof all cold sore outbreaks My chubby, ashen face needed a tan I was ugly Worthless Everyone hated lasses and wiped my eyes furiously to keep the tears away That’d be just swell, walking around with red teary eyes for everyone to lish class "Did you have an accident, Mr Case?"

"I tried to beat the crap out of soardedthe lesson

I wondered how a guy could go frolish the next Maybe he hadn’t taken tooyou didn’t need many brains cells to teach--or learn for that , Mr Turpin motioned me to his desk

"I take it Mr Spelman and his ilk are the cause of your bloody lip?"

"More or less"

"Re they are if you knock the toward the door "I’ll re my head How in the world was I supposed to knock them down? What did that even mean? Crazy old boxer dude What he should have toldas his and then smack Nathan in the nose with a set of brass knuckles

Soot ho for "How not to be a complete loser" Instead, I found an envelope taped to my computer monitor My name was on the front of the envelope in ht be a birthday present a few days early A birthday party seemed like a moot point unless I invited only the Goths Or maybe they were emo I didn’t really know the difference, come to think of it, and hadn’t even asked

I tore open the envelope and pulled out a letter