Page 106 of Eleanor & Grey
“Congratulations, you’re old as dirt. And you would be a sage,” she said with a slight tone to her voice.
Before I could reply, another person bumped into her, and when he turned to look back he said, “Sorry, Hunch,” then hurried off.
“What did he just say to you?”
“Nothing,” she huffed, tugging on the sleeves of her black hoodie. “It’s nothing.”
“It sounds like it’s something.”
She sighed and looked up to me, shrugging her shoulders. “Some people call me Hunch. You know, likeThe Hunchback of Notre Dame, because of my posture.”
“OK, that’s where the line is being drawn. I’m going straight to the principal’s office to report this.”
“Don’t waste your breath. What are they gonna do? Kick out half of the student body because they’re making fun of the freak show?”
My heart shattered as she said those words, because she spoke them as if they were so absolutely true. “Karla, you are not a freak show.” She didn’t reply. “Do you hear these things from these people every day?”
She nodded slowly.
I couldn’t even imagine.
“Come on,” I said, grabbing her arm.
She narrowed her eyebrows. “What?”
“We’re leaving.”
“What? I can’t. I have science.”
“Not today. Today we’re skipping class.”
“But... my dad...”
“I know, but I’ll deal with your father later. For now, you and I are leaving this building and having a mental health day.”
“What’s that?”
“A day where you say screw high school and screw the closed-minded clods. Then you go home and watch a marathon ofWesley Petersand eat food that’s super bad for you until you want to vomit.”
A small smile appeared on Karla’s lips, and I swore it was the first time I’d ever seen her grin. She looked absolutely stunning when she smiled.
“More of that, Karla,” I said without thought.
“More of what?”
I snickered. “Nothing. Never mind.” I combed her hair out of her face and nodded once. “So? What do you say?”
“Is this some kind of trap? Like some reverse psychology kind of thing?”
“Nope. Just a break from reality. What do you say? Are you in?”
She nodded slowly at first, but then it quickened as the grin stayed plastered to her face. “Yeah, I’m in.”
We turned around and headed straight for the exit, not looking back once. The moment we hit the car, it was as if I could see Karla’s demeanor completely shift as her body relaxed. School was stressful for the average teenaged student, but I couldn’t even begin to imagine what a struggle it had to be for someone like Karla. Not only was she dealing with the bullying from her peers; she was also still grieving the loss of her mother.
I knew life wasn’t fair, but it seemed extra cruel to Karla.
We stopped by the store to pick up some goodies for our movie marathon, and then we headed to the house to get started. We laid out some blankets and pillows in the living room and made it into the comfiest space known to mankind. Then we kicked up our feet and started the firstWesley Petersmovie.
