Page 6 of Unexpected Prejudice

Picking an empty table, we sat down. Jessie opened his strawberry yogurt and licked the lid while humming an unknown melody.

“What song are you thinking of?” I asked, curious. Jessie loved music but was the worst at correctly picking up a melody.

“Big Boy,” he answered cheerfully.

“By SZA?”

“Yeah!” He grinned, picking up his spoon. “I love it.”

“Really? You like big boys?” I narrowed my eyes at him, and he laughed.

“Well, only one part needs to be big.” He winked, and I felt the blood rushing to my head—the one on my shoulders. My reaction caught his attention, and he started laughing again before kissing me on the cheek.

“I love it when your ears turn red.”

“They do not,” I protested, even though they did.

“They do, and it’s cute.” A big smile covered his face, and I admired how good he looked with the pink hair. Until a week ago, his hair was mint green. Since Jessie loved matching his food to his hair, today’s lunch was strawberry yogurt and rosé pasta.

I was about to ask him what he planned to do once he’d dyed his hair black when someone slammed their tray on the table and made us look up.

Two identical giants with smug expressions stood in front of us. One had his huge arms crossed over his broad chest while the other leaned his big frame against the table.

“Are you kids lost or something?” the one leaning over the table spoke, making me notice the deep scar on his right cheek. His voice was sarcastic and mean, but my Jessie, who never picked up sarcasm, answered them with all sincerity.

“Nope. Why? Are you guys lost? Do you need help?”

The twins exchanged amused looks, obviously enjoying their new target before the one with the scar sneered. “Is this kid for real?” He laughed, gathering more attention to our table.

“I’m not a kid,” Jessie answered, slightly offended. His eyes flickered with hurt; that was my sign to step in.

“Don’t listen to him, Jessie,” I muttered while grabbing his hand. “He’s trying to be funny by being a bully.”

“Look, the midget can talk.” The scarred guy sneered again while his brother laughed.

“He isn’t a midget!” Jessie slammed his fists against the table and stood up. His reaction made the two stretch to their full height, looming over us. Jessie was tall at almost six-foot-one, seven inches taller than me, yet he looked tiny compared to those imbeciles.

“Take that back,” Jessie insisted, unaware of the apparent threat.

I stood, stepping toward Jessie, trying to make him look at me. “It’s okay, Kotik. I don’t care what they call me. Let’s go find Diesel, alright?” The only difference between these two idiots and the other bullies I’d met over the years was that they were dressed better. Take off their expensive clothes; all that was left were man-children who lacked the ability to express their frustration, so they turned to violence.

“He needs to apologize for what he called you.”

I appreciated Jessie standing up for me, but right now, it was unnecessary. Any words we said would only give them ammunition to pick on us, and judging by the way the scarred twin eyed Jessie, he had more than enough reasons.

“Apologize to him,” Jessie argued. “It was rude.”

“Or what?” the idiot asked mockingly.

Jessie clenched his fists, not because he was ready to fight but because he was trying to calm down his nerves. I already knew his tics and easily recognized when his anxiety rose.

“What’s going on here?” someone asked, catching our attention.

An impossibly handsome guy came to stand in front of the twins. His blond hair, which looked like ropes of golden silk, was set loose and curled a bit above his shoulders while his electric blue eyes examined us with dangerous curiosity. I could already tell he was different from the other two. His relaxed stance, the hint of a smile on his full lips, and his superior looks were enough to testify that he was in charge.

“Nothing, Shay-Lee. Just some kids who sat at our table.”

So their asshole leader’s name was Shay-Lee.