ex-boyfriend. Obviously that’s absurd. I mean, if it were true, she’d be in jail. But when I tried to defend her, the guys razzed me saying that I had a crush on her.
That’s when Tanya walked up, her boobs popping out of her too-tight blue top. Tyler and Zach didn’t even try to pretend they weren’t ogling her breasts. Then again, why bother? She never seemed to mind. Of course she was more than happy to share her version of Piper’s story. That girl always loved gossip. According to her, Piper had attempted to kill her last boyfriend. She warned me to bring mace if I ever went on a date with her.
Irritated, I made the mistake of spouting off some shit about how I wasn’t interested in Piper. That I just felt sorry for her since she was new and had no friends. Right after the foolish words left my mouth, I caught a glimpse of red hair, a flash of green eyes.
When I glanced up, Piper’s eyes collided with mine, anger radiating from her like a heat wave.
Feeling like an asshole, I was about to go after her and explain everything. But then she was gone. Vanished, as if she’d never been there at all. And I never saw her the rest of the day.
Tyler
It’s all anyone talked about.
No one could focus on school with Jackson’s death looming over us. It was like this constant elephant in the room, large and stinky. There was no way to ignore it. No matter how hard I tried to stop thinking about it, it begged for attention.
Jackson and I met in elementary school. Even then he was larger than life. He was one of those guys everyone flocked to, girls and boys alike. There was a charisma about him that not many people possessed. I garnered attention for a completely different reason. My skinny frame, freckles and glasses made me a target for endless playground bullying.
I’d known of Jackson from afar ever since kindergarten, but we didn’t have class together until third grade. By then I wondered if I had a bulls-eye permanently painted on my back. It didn’t matter who was in my class or if there were new kids at the school, they all knew who to pick on. I guess it was instinctual. Survival of the fittest or some shit like that. One glance made it obvious that I was the weakest link.
However, all of that changed in third grade. That was the year that Jackson came to my aide. I’ll never forget that day.
It was the beginning of the school year. I’d contemplated hiding in the restroom all through recess, but then I worried the bullies would follow me in there. And I definitely didn’t want to be alone with them, trapped in a smelly bathroom. Even at my young age, I knew that wouldn’t end well. So I trudged out to recess, steeling myself for what was to come.
I barely reached the playground when a hand clamped on my shoulder. I stiffened. That didn’t take long.
“Tyler, right?” The voice said.
Perplexed, I swiveled my neck in the kid’s direction.
It was Jackson, and he wore a smile on his face. Not a mean smile either. It was a sincere smile. I didn’t know what to make of it. Glancing around, I looked for his friends. Looked to see if this was some sort of trap.
“I’m Jackson. Wanna play catch?” He held up his other hand, a Wiffle Ball nestled in his palm.
I nodded, unsure if I should trust him. But the thing is, that I wanted to. Desperately. I would’ve given anything to have a friend.
Jackson and I played catch every day that week. And when someone would tease me, Jackson would tease them right back. Eventually the teasing and bullying died down. But my friendship with Jackson didn’t. We were still friends.
Well, I guess not now. Could you be friends with a dead person? I was thinking not.
“I still can’t believe it.” Tanya spoke from where she sat on the bench across from me in the cafeteria. “I can’t believe he’s gone. A couple of times today I forgot and looked for him in the halls.”
“I know,” Farrah, who sat on the left side of Tanya, piped up. “I
That’s when Tanya walked up, her boobs popping out of her too-tight blue top. Tyler and Zach didn’t even try to pretend they weren’t ogling her breasts. Then again, why bother? She never seemed to mind. Of course she was more than happy to share her version of Piper’s story. That girl always loved gossip. According to her, Piper had attempted to kill her last boyfriend. She warned me to bring mace if I ever went on a date with her.
Irritated, I made the mistake of spouting off some shit about how I wasn’t interested in Piper. That I just felt sorry for her since she was new and had no friends. Right after the foolish words left my mouth, I caught a glimpse of red hair, a flash of green eyes.
When I glanced up, Piper’s eyes collided with mine, anger radiating from her like a heat wave.
Feeling like an asshole, I was about to go after her and explain everything. But then she was gone. Vanished, as if she’d never been there at all. And I never saw her the rest of the day.
Tyler
It’s all anyone talked about.
No one could focus on school with Jackson’s death looming over us. It was like this constant elephant in the room, large and stinky. There was no way to ignore it. No matter how hard I tried to stop thinking about it, it begged for attention.
Jackson and I met in elementary school. Even then he was larger than life. He was one of those guys everyone flocked to, girls and boys alike. There was a charisma about him that not many people possessed. I garnered attention for a completely different reason. My skinny frame, freckles and glasses made me a target for endless playground bullying.
I’d known of Jackson from afar ever since kindergarten, but we didn’t have class together until third grade. By then I wondered if I had a bulls-eye permanently painted on my back. It didn’t matter who was in my class or if there were new kids at the school, they all knew who to pick on. I guess it was instinctual. Survival of the fittest or some shit like that. One glance made it obvious that I was the weakest link.
However, all of that changed in third grade. That was the year that Jackson came to my aide. I’ll never forget that day.
It was the beginning of the school year. I’d contemplated hiding in the restroom all through recess, but then I worried the bullies would follow me in there. And I definitely didn’t want to be alone with them, trapped in a smelly bathroom. Even at my young age, I knew that wouldn’t end well. So I trudged out to recess, steeling myself for what was to come.
I barely reached the playground when a hand clamped on my shoulder. I stiffened. That didn’t take long.
“Tyler, right?” The voice said.
Perplexed, I swiveled my neck in the kid’s direction.
It was Jackson, and he wore a smile on his face. Not a mean smile either. It was a sincere smile. I didn’t know what to make of it. Glancing around, I looked for his friends. Looked to see if this was some sort of trap.
“I’m Jackson. Wanna play catch?” He held up his other hand, a Wiffle Ball nestled in his palm.
I nodded, unsure if I should trust him. But the thing is, that I wanted to. Desperately. I would’ve given anything to have a friend.
Jackson and I played catch every day that week. And when someone would tease me, Jackson would tease them right back. Eventually the teasing and bullying died down. But my friendship with Jackson didn’t. We were still friends.
Well, I guess not now. Could you be friends with a dead person? I was thinking not.
“I still can’t believe it.” Tanya spoke from where she sat on the bench across from me in the cafeteria. “I can’t believe he’s gone. A couple of times today I forgot and looked for him in the halls.”
“I know,” Farrah, who sat on the left side of Tanya, piped up. “I
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