by Nye, Laine
Brad had selected a seat near the rear of the class and sat down. That was when he heard a voice that would become etched in his memory. The gravelly, hoarse sound came from above and behind him.
“Get out of my seat you little rodent!”
Then he was struck in the back of the head with an open hand. The blow momentarily stunned him. Angrily, Brad turned his head to look at his offender.
“Why did you do that?” Brad asked.
“I said get out of my seat rat boy!”
“I don't see your name on this desk,” Brad retorted.
“I don't see your name on it either. What's your name little boy?”
“Ask somebody who wants to talk to you, jerk!”
The hoarse voiced kid cuffed him again on the back of the head saying, “If you don't get out of this seat, I'm going to throw it out the window with you in it!”
The tension was thick as every student in the class watched. There was no teacher in sight. The class was silently watching Brad.
Brad launched to his feet, and three things happened simultaneously; one, he saw this kid was over a foot taller than him. Two, he noticed the kid’s large muscular forearm as the offending hand was put on his shoulder, and three, Brad found himself being shoved back into the seat. The force of the impact caused him to expel the air from his lungs. Compared to Brad, this kid was a giant, and Brad was no match for him.
The thought ran through his mind that he could alter gravity underneath the giant's feet and send him through the ceiling tiles into the dirty dark space above. But Brad somehow knew it would not be wise for him to use his ability in front of a classroom full of people.
“Fine, I'll move,” he said.
“I saw your brother in the science lab,” The kid said to him. “You know, white fur, pink eyes, fat bald tail. You got a tail boy? How come you are not albino like your brother?”
Brad ignored the taunt and was picking up his things when he heard the commanding voice of a woman saying, “Milo, it's the first day of school. If you want a suspension this early, why don't you just write a request and put it on my desk. That way you won't disrupt my class. How many times was it last year... three?”
As Brad was leaving the desk where Milo stood, he said quietly, “Milo, huh? My dad had a dog named Milo.”
“You're dead meat, rat boy!” Milo said in a barely audible whisper so as not to reach the teacher's ears.
When the period ended, Milo being the first to exit shoved the door nearly out of its frame. Mrs. Jordan, their teacher, called Brad to her desk.
“I wanted to compliment you on the mature manner you exhibited in handling Milo today.”
Brad wondered if she would say that if she had seen the whole confrontation. “Oh. Oh thanks,” Brad stammered, relieved that she wasn't going to chastise him for creating a disturbance on his first day at a new school. He turned and headed for the door.
“Nice work!” A kid in a red plaid shirt said to Brad. “You handled him better than most do. By the way, I'm Justin Adams.”
“Hey thanks, I guess you know already, I'm Brad. Brad Shaw.”
By the time Brad made it to the hall, several guys had patted him on the back in a show of support. It made him feel good. It also helped him to know just how disliked this Milo was. But he felt accepted by this small group and that was something that never happened to him so early on in the school year. Except for the problem he was sure he was going to have with the bully, he now felt a little more comfortable in his new academic setting.
It wouldn't last a long time, but Justin Adams and he were going to become good friends. Trust and camaraderie would grow between them quickly. Unfortunately, the friendship wouldn't continue the whole school year.
Brad Shaw had always been a good student. His teachers thought he might be a genius or nearly so. He was well liked due to his easy going and honest nature. But he had been one who had to endure bullies on several occasions over the years because he was shorter than most students for his age. Even a large portion of the girls were taller than him. They just didn't realize; Brad had not reached the age where he would have a dramatic growth spurt shooting up taller than almost everyone his age. That would begin soon.
He was not overtly handsome, but girls liked the way his black hair was always in perfect control except for a single cowlick he had on his forehead where the hair always suck straight up like a little duck tail. It gave him the appearance of an innocent little boy and there was an innocence in his countenance as well. Thus, it drew girls to him. They thought he was cute. He was almost completely unaware of the affect he had on them.
Brad enjoyed learning. He seemed to be utterly unaware of the popularity he enjoyed. But that kind of status would have to be re-earned in his new school. He was a long way from Utah and the friends he had there.
On day two of school, Brad found himself almost late to a class because he forgot how to get there. When he found the right hallway, he began to sprint, dodging between students. Suddenly he heard the hoarse and taunting voice nearby yelling out, “Rodent!” When Milo appeared directly in front of him, Brad slipped between two people but not before Milo slammed him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Brad's forward momentum was completely stopped as he fought for air.
“You are dead rat boy,” Milo said with a nasty grin on his face.
It was time for Brad to use his smaller size to his advantage. Milo's fist was cocking as Brad ducked low and ran forward right under Milo's swinging arm. Quickly putting two or three people between himself and the jerk, Brad evaded the confrontation and ducked into the classroom. In that moment, Brad knew just how serious Milo was. He'd seen all of this before; a large bully picking on a smaller kid with verbal humiliation and physical intimidation. But he had never seen a bully as big as this one or as hostile. He felt deep anxiety growing within.
He's gonna kill me! Brad thought as he took his seat.
And so it went, the prey dodging and ducking the predator day after day. He feared that sooner or later, Milo would have him cornered. He thought of ways that he could use his ability to control gravity against the bully, but there was never a time when he saw Milo that there weren’t a lot of other people around. He wasn’t sure why, but he still felt strongly that other students would not understand if they saw what he could do. He was certain that it would lead to far-reaching complications in his life. He didn't know at that time how true that was.
Justin and Brad never saw each other except at school, but they palled around together in most of the classes they had and whenever else they could. Brad learned from Justin how many times Milo had picked a target to make miserable. There were always targeted students each school year. No amount of school discipline had changed how Milo acted. Even the campus police officer did not seem to be able to intimidate him into changing his attitude. Brad also learned from his new friend that Milo was 18 years old and should have graduated last year. He was two years older than Brad.
Brad had never experienced the presence of a police officer at school before; his school in Utah never merited such a continual presence as it presumably did here. Here in Florida, even the middle schools had one officer assigned to each of them. Brad hoped that the policeman at their school would just happen to come across Milo just once when he was trying to crush him. Maybe if he got arrested, he'd stop pursuing his prey. But to Brad’s surprise, he learned that arrests had happened in the past. Brad wondered how it was possible that Milo was still in school. Why hadn't they kicked him out?
In science class, his last period of the day, Brad's teacher was talking about tornadoes. This immediately perked up Brad's attention. The teacher was relaying different stories of people who had survived being in the clutches of a tornado.
“Most people who get pulled into a twister do not survive. But every now and then, someone will get tossed out of the tornado like a leaf on the wind,” the teacher was explaining. “There is one example right here in Pinellas County. It h
appened back in October of 1992. A man had been alerted to an incoming tornado and had his family run into the bathroom and shut the door. He went into a bedroom to grab a mattress to put over them. The family lived in a mobile home which is a type of structure that never survives a tornado’s direct hit. As the man ran down the hall of this mobile home with the mattress over his head, the ferocious wind ripped the roof of the home off like it was peeling back a lid on a soup can. The poor man suddenly found himself lifted out of his roofless home and carried away for about three hundred yards. His mattress was still in his grip and was serving as a kite. The tornado finally dropped him. And what do you think he landed on that would save his life?”
“The mattress?” A girl asked.
“Correct!” The teacher responded. So, when he landed, he bounced off the mattress and landed on the ground uninjured. His family was still in the bathroom of the home when it was all over. They were also, fortunately, uninjured. Such is the discretionary, magical power of the monster we call a tornado. As long as you live in this county, you need to respect the power of this monster and pay attention when there are tornado warnings issued. Get inside your home and go to the bathroom or the closet as there is more protection there than in a large room. Why? Because the walls are closer together and you will have more structural support around you for protection.”
The teacher went on, but Brad was no longer listening. His heart was beating hard. His mind was called back to that day when he survived a tornado. He wanted to raise his hand and tell about being pulled into a tornado but he knew it would be better for him to stay silent. How could he explain his survival? He did not have a mattress to land on. He kept his head down so that no one would notice his reaction to the story.
He left the classroom with his mind still wrapped up in his experience with the tornado. He was absently pressing through the crowded hallways of his school when he suddenly heard the hoarse voice yell “Bingo!”
Then he was struck in the back of the head by a giant fist that sent him stumbling forward until he fell on the floor. He skidded into the legs of a girl who was walking toward him and she stumbled and fell on his back. Her knees landed on his shoulder blades and the air was knocked out of him. Then she fell prone on top of him with her books landing on his ankles. While he struggled to get air, the girl climbed off of him while yelling at him. He could hear laughing coming from all sides of him until Milo stepped up close to his side. “That's just a warning!” he said. “What's coming next is much worse.”
Then Milo walked away laughing as he went. “I'm going to stomp on you rodent! It's coming!” he yelled as Brad rolled over and sat up. Justin, who had not laughed, helped him off the floor. “You okay man?”
Brad nodded, just starting to breathe normally again. The girl was staring at him with hateful eyes. Brad finally spoke. “It wasn't my fault.” He told the girl. “But I'm sorry if you got hurt.”
“Tackle me again and we'll see who gets hurt.” She said with fire in her eyes. “I've got three older brothers who will take care of you, no problem.”
“Will they feed and water me?” Brad asked innocently.
She didn't respond. Just looked at him strangely like she didn't understand what he meant. She picked up her last book and stormed away.
“Wow, I think she really likes you.” Justin commented sarcastically, “Almost as much as Milo.”
“Good to know.” Brad said dryly. “Holy crap, what am I going to do about that animal.” he said referring to his personal bully.
“Holy crap? Who do you know that's our age that says holy crap?” Justin was trying to use whimsy to distract his friend from his dilemma.
“Holy crap! Just me, I guess.”
“Well You have a Potty Mouth. Do you eat with that dirty mouth?” Justin said with false seriousness, still trying to lessen the tension he saw in Brad. Brad did not respond. He had grown serious again, and quiet.
“I wish I knew what to do about him Brad,” Justin said thoughtfully. “I know that going to the principal hasn't helped much for others that Milo was picking on. I know that the school cop basically thinks that if he doesn't see it, it probably didn't happen.”
“Maybe he'll let me borrow his gun.” Brad said.
“Naw, he would just shoot himself in the foot getting it out.”
“Or maybe my foot,” Brad said. “You know; this isn't nearly as much fun as it appears to be.”
The following day, much to Brad's shock, an albino rat from the science lab was in his book bag after he left third period. The rat was dead. He poured it out of his book bag into a garbage can. Anxiety had become his near constant companion. In his subconscious, he was always aware of the bully who tormented him. His sleep was interrupted every morning by anxiety creeping in, waking him up and worrying him throughout the day.
What am I going to do about this guy? He thought. If I use gravity on him, everyone will know what I can do. If I don't, he's gonna kill me! I didn't know he was behind me when he hit me. My back is aching, my ankles hurt and my head is sore, and he still wants a piece of me.
While he was at school he could not relax for a moment. His peace of mind had escaped him. He was left in a state of worry and agitation. He wanted to return to Utah and the safety of his friends there. But it was not to be. Not yet.
One day in the lunch room, Justin and Brad were eating together when Justin said, “There she is looking at you again.”
Brad looked up in surprise and asked, “Who are you talking about?”
“Linda Day. Every day she watches you.”
“That girl from third period?”
“That's the one. She's a little shy but I’ve noticed you are on her radar for the past couple of months.”
Brad glanced over where Linda was sitting, and she quickly looked away.
“Why is she watching me? She never speaks to me.”
“I was told that she was impressed with how you handled Milo that first day in school. Her friends said that she liked that you stood up to him but were also smart enough to know when to back down. Most kids that try to stand their ground with him end up on the floor.”
“On the floor? Gee I never noticed,” Brad said sarcastically. “She is kinda cute. Isn't she”
“Kinda?” Justin questioned sarcastically. “Half the student body wants to take her out, but she's only got eyes for you!”
“Wow!” Was all Brad said in response.
Justin laughed at him. “Yeah, wow,” he said.
Linda Day shared in Brad's level of intelligence. She was well gifted and highly respected because of her high I.Q. Unlike Brad, she had been advanced one year so far and it was being considered for her to be advanced another grade level. She had been one of the oldest when she was in her previous grade so it did not affect her socially to be advanced. She was still with peers of her own age, including Brad.
After Justin's observations about her, Brad did notice her interest in him, and over time, whenever he looked at her, she would get this little smile on her face that helped Brad's day go better. Like her though, he was too shy to figure out just how to approach her. He didn't know what to say to begin a conversation. But he did get brave enough to smile back at her. As the winter months approached, Brad noticed little change in the weather. He could not believe how utterly hot and humid it was in Florida. Having been born and raised in Utah, he was used to a very cold winter and no humidity in the summer.
Christmas came and went, and Brad had managed to stay out the reach of Milo's paws and was beginning to relax more at school. He didn't feel the same need for hyper-alertness that he'd felt earlier.
Linda and Brad did slowly learn to talk to each other, but if it hadn't been for her finally breaking the ice, he wouldn’t have spoken to her all year. She had an elfin face with very light skin sprinkled lightly with freckles on her cheeks, that was contrasted by ultra-black hair and large striking blue eyes. She looked more appealing to him every time he saw her. One day she
walked up to him much more boldly than she had in the past and spoke. “Hi, my name is Linda.”
“I know,” Brad responded then winced inside. Nice way to kill a conversation Brad! He felt awkward and unprepared for this sudden change in her behavior.
“I've noticed you in class a few times,” She said next with a sweet smile on her cute little elfin face. A few times! She's been noticing me all school year, he thought. “I've noticed you too.”
“You have?” She asked looking surprised. “I didn't think you liked me.”
“No. It's not that,” Brad said defensively.
“You don't like to talk to girls?”
“Well, yeah. I do.”
“Just not this one?”
“I'd love to talk to you Linda,” he assured her nervously.
“She laughed lightly. “Why have we had such a hard time connecting?” She asked him.
“I don't know. But I do like you.”
“That's good because I like you too Brad Shaw.”
“Thanks,” he answered. He fiddled with his book bag.
“So, can we be friends now and talk when we see each other?”
“Yeah, sure,” Brad said shifting back and forth on his feet.
“Is Milo still bothering you?” She asked.
“Sometimes. I try not to let him get to me. But a while back he hit me in the back of the head so hard that I was almost knocked out. That makes twice now that he has plowed me.”
“Were you hurt?” She asked with concern.
“Nah. It didn't hurt much...except right at the spot where he hit me! Okay. There was pain. I've never liked pain. It hurts me.”
She studied him trying to see if he was kidding. “It must be hard being a guy and having all these other guys who want to fight you all the time without a good reason,” She observed.
He smiled wistfully. “Yeah, it would be much easier if they had a good reason.”
