Page 10

Lips pursed, he thrust the backpack into the girl’s hands. She staggered back a step, and I reached a hand out to steady her.

“And give her what you took.” I narrowed my eyes at him. Turning toward the shitbrain beside him, I nodded toward the papers on the ground. “And you, clean up what you dropped.”

He obediently dropped to his knees, muttering beneath his breath, while the apparent ringleader pulled out a wad of bills. The girl snatched it from him and shoved it into her front backpack pocket.

I waited until the other young man picked up the papers before placing my hands on my hips and leveling them with my best glare. Beau had once called it my mom glare. Half disapproving. Half murderous.

“What is wrong with you guys?” I met their eyes, one at a time, each guy displaying conflicting emotions. Guilt. Rage. Anger. Only the leader appeared unperturbed, almost bored. He lazily shoved his hands into his pockets.

“She’s a freak,” he said at last. The girl flinched, leaning into me as if I was capable of shielding her from this grueling, dangerous world full of assholes and bigots.

“Excuse me?” I took a step forward.

Without responding, asshole and his friends stalked down the hall, whispering to themselves. I was stunned at their brazenness. Sure, I knew bullying still existed, but I never imagined it would happen like this. At my old school, people were cowards and relied on social media and rumors to fuel their hate-filled tendencies.

“Are you okay?” I asked the girl. She was so tiny, so frail. Her cheekbones jutted out, and her light blue eyes had dark shadows beneath them.

“Between,” she whispered. I furrowed my brows.

“Huh?”

“Between.” Her tiny hand gripped my wrist in a vise-like hold. I winced at the initial stab of pain. “Between. Once you escape one set of monsters…you find new ones.”