“Kat! Time for dinner!” “Coming!” Kat had come home from a long day—a very long day—at Hearst Middle School. She wasn’t hungry, she was mad. “Kat, it’s getting cold!” She sighed, closed her homework book, still ignoring her phone, and headed downstairs. “Did you have a good day?” asked her mom as she was scooping pasta onto the dinner plates. Kat’s brother, Finn, was already eating the Italian bread and getting crumbs everywhere. Kat sat down and grabbed a piece of bread. Maybe she was hungrier than she thought. “Kat? Did you hear me?” “Yeah.” “So how was your day?” “Good.” But Kat had really had the opposite of a good day at school. Faith, her best friend, had dumped her over a boy neither one of them really even liked, then she was bullied by Becca, the most popular girl at school. Again. And she’d lost all her math homework for the year. Or maybe she hadn’t lost it; maybe someone had taken it. She wasn’t sure, and she wasn’t sure if she was ever going to be sure. Three huge problems, no huge solutions. Ugh. Kat ate her dinner and ruminated quietly about the day’s events while Finn, Mom, and Dad yapped about some football game or something. Every once in a while they tried to include her in the conversation, but she just shrugged, sighed, or rolled her eyes. * * * The next day when she got to school, before any classes started, she bought a cup of hot chocolate in the cafeteria. She went back outside to sit on the bench and wait for the first bell for homeroom. She was sitting there, thinking about what she could have done with her math homework and how to explain to Faith that she really didn’t have any interest in Brian, when she heard someone cry out. That’s when she saw the self-appointed popular girls—the Sassies, as some people called them, but never to their faces— bullying a girl named Samantha in front of the school. “Hey, stop it!” said Samantha as they pushed her to the ground. “Let her go,” yelled Kat. “What are you going to do about it?” mocked Becca, the leader of the gang. “You want me to let her go? Say please!” Her group laughed. Samantha was trying to pull away, but Becca was too strong. Right then and there, without planning or knowing what she was doing, Kat spilled her hot chocolate all over Becca’s satin dress. “Please,” Kat said in her sweetest voice. “Oops.” “Hey! My dress!” Becca cried. “That’s what I’ll do about it, bully. I guess that chocolate wasn’t so hot after all. Come on, Samantha. Let’s go to homeroom.” Kat and Samantha hurried away from the gang, who were all still stunned at what Kat had done to Becca. * * * Later, after third period, Kat thought she was in the clear. She’d made it through gym and the Sassies hadn’t bothered her at all. She thought they were done with her, or maybe even a little scared of her. Big mistake. On the way to the cafeteria after fourth period, she turned a corner and came face to face with Becca and her group. They swarmed around her. “You’ll be sorry for what you did to me,” said Becca. Kat knew from experience that when Becca said someone was going to be sorry for what they had done, they really were going to be sorry. Becca had beaten up two girls in the fifth grade for daring to talk back to her. Becca didn’t look scared of her, that’s for sure. * * * At lunch, Samantha thanked Kat for standing up for her this morning. “Thank you, Kat. That was really nice. And really brave.” “Oh, it was nothing.” “No, it wasn’t nothing. Becca is the meanest girl in the whole school.” “I guess so.” “Please,” Kat said in her sweetest voice. “Oops.” Because she’d stuck up for Samantha and stood up to Becca and the Sassies, Kat thought she should feel good about herself. But she had butterflies in her stomach because she didn’t know what Becca was going to do. * * * That night, she couldn’t sleep. Her phone kept beeping because she was getting mean texts that said things like, “Is Crybaby going to cry because she can’t stand up for herself?” Which didn’t make any sense because she had stood up to them, not for herself but for someone else. Then again, where is it written that bullies and their dumb texts have to make sense? Kat turned the volume down to zero and went to sleep, but she had some pretty rough dreams. In one, Becca was an evil witch who was trying to turn her into a cricket! * * * On the bus the next morning, Becca and her group were convincing people that Kat had bullied her and that Kat was mean for doing that. It was all a lie. Of course, Samantha didn’t believe it because she was there when it actually happened! Still, in every period Samantha was the only one who didn’t ignore her. Everyone else believed Becca, maybe because they were afraid not to. Even Faith, her supposed best friend, was mean to her, “Gosh, Kat, you have some nerve to bully Becca.” “I didn’t bully her!” cried Kat. “She was beating up Samantha and I stopped her!” “Stop lying. Liar.” “I’m not lying, and if you weren’t so mad about this Brian thing, which isn’t a thing at all, you would trust me and believe me like you always do.” “Wait,” said Faith, “why is the thing with Brian not a thing?” “Because he likes you, not me!” “Then why were you talking to him the other day in gym?” “Because, silly, he was asking me about you!” “Oh. Really? He likes me?” “Really. Now can you do me a favor and help me find my math homework?” Faith
Bullying
High Dive
My toes curl and uncurl on the sandpaper-rough diving board. I shiver as I stare into the glittering pool. The chlorine smell turns my stomach. I know I’m eventually going to have to jump, but I just can’t. I stand, letting the wind chill my tan skin. It’s the last day of summer, and I’m determined to conquer the high dive. I hear another groan escape from behind me. I glance back. Marcy, my best friend, impatiently taps her pink nails along the metal ladder. “Hurry,” she mouths at me. Another mosquito nips my arm, and I slap it away. I try to ignore the incoherent whispers down below. This time I’m going to do it. I bend my legs, flex my muscles, and do a little hop. The whole board quakes, and I let out a little scream before grabbing the railing. I hear Marcy’s snort over the racing of my heart. I grip the railing with my shaking hands. Just don’t look down. Just don’t look down. I stare at the deep blue sky patched with pink. “She’s never going to do it,” I hear Amy Andrews grumble from below. Dark strands of hair flutter in front of my face, escaping my thick ponytail. That’s when I know I can’t do it. I begin to make my way towards the ladder with wobbly steps before disappointment and embarrassment can overwhelm me. Don’t let them see you cry. “I’m Lisa,” she says, cheerfully. “It really sucks that you got pushed.” “Jeez,” Marcy says, stepping onto the diving board. She strides towards me, forcing me to take about seven steps back. “What are you doing?” I squeak. She takes a few steps toward me and pushes, hard. I scream, falling and falling towards the water. My arms and legs flail uncontrollably. I hit the water with an icy slap. My skin stings as bubbles tickle their way up my body. I hang there a moment, suspended under water. My heart screams in my head. I can’t think anything. Finally, I kick hard and break the surface. I stare up at Marcy. She looks like a queen on top of the diving board. “Why did you do that?!” I shout, sputtering. She rolls her eyes. “Oh, relax. You finally jumped off the diving board. Aren’t you happy?” she says, glancing nervously back at the people in line. Most of them didn’t even pay attention, but I know she hates it when someone makes a scene. “You pushed me,” I accuse lamely. “I was only helping,” Marcy says, rolling her eyes again. “Now you might want to move, or else I might crush you.” I force smooth strokes to the edge of the pool. Acid tears fall into the water. I hear Marcy’s happy squeal and splash. I climb out stiffly, wrapping a fresh towel around my waist and slinging my new swim bag over my shoulder. “Excuse me,” says a voice behind me. I quickly wipe away tears. I turn and stare at a girl with sunkissed skin in a red bathing suit. She smiles at me, and her smile feels like a refreshing spray. “I’m Lisa,” she says, cheerfully. “It really sucks that you got pushed.” I adjust my bag strap and look at my feet. I feel the tears about to well up in my eyes again. How could Marcy do that? “Do you want to sit with me?” she asks. What I really want is to go home and lie down in the clean sheets and forget about today. “Sure,” I say, smiling as kindly as I can. “I’m Mia.” She sucks in a breath of air and then gives me a small smile. “Follow me,” she says, before leading me off. Together, we brush past the dry hedges and go behind the locker rooms. You get a perfect view of the high dive. Queen Marcy is right back up there. We reach a fountain, and I can’t help but notice the sunset reflecting on its calming surface. It’s filled with pleasant round pebbles that remind me of sea glass. It’s a special place. I take a seat at its base and face the hedges. How I wish I could ignore the kids jumping off the diving board with ease. I stare longingly at them. Why is it so easy for them? I wonder. I imagine how weird I must’ve looked falling, flailing, and screaming from the diving board. I want to cry all over again, but I just sigh. Lisa lies next to me, her curly hair stretching across the cold cement. Unlike me, she’s staring up at the sky, her eyes butter-soft. My muscles begin to unclench, and I listen to the trickling water. I turn to her and say, “I want to be able to jump off the high dive just like everybody else.” Lisa turns and stares at me. I push a soggy strand of hair behind my ear. “I know. You’ll do it someday” she says, giving me that ocean-spray smile. “Have you ever felt that way?” I ask. “I mean… about anything?” Even though I’m being very awkward, she just closes her eyes and sighs. “I moved here at the beginning of summer. My mom wanted me to go to this pool, so I came. I watched everyone buy frozen lemonades together and take selfies. I was always alone, sitting in my chair, with a melting lemonade and a camera with no memories. I never had the courage to ask somebody to hang out with me, but then, I finally did.” Her eyes sparkle as she turns to me. “I found this place a few weeks ago. I call it The Golden Fountain. It looks like it’s come straight out of a fairy tale, right?” “Yeah, it does,” I smile. I’m done with Marcy but I’m not done with that diving board. I will conquer it. We watch the sun sink and stars slowly sprinkle across the sky. Lisa tells me
The Way Back Home
“Hey look, everybody! It’s the loser! Hey shrimp, how’s your dad doing?” Joey hooted and pointed a grubby finger at Finn, who stood horrified as the group of kids on the playground laughed. Finn lowered his head and pretended not to hear them as he walked slowly off the playground and back to the classroom. Don’t listen to them, he thought to himself. None of them knew what it was like not to have a father. He wished he were brave enough to fight back against Joey and the others who constantly bullied and harassed him. But this was a low blow. Why did Joey have to keep bringing up the fact that he didn’t have a dad? “Everything OK?” Mrs. Simons, his sixth-grade teacher, asked him kindly as he walked into the classroom. “Yep,” he said with a fake smile. The last thing he needed was for Mrs. Simons to get involved in his problems. It would just make everything worse. He looked at the clock. It was two o’clock. Just an hour left to go, he thought to himself… * * * Finn trudged up the hill to the secluded cottage he shared with his mom. It looked welcoming and warm, but there was never anyone inside to greet him. His mother worked very hard all day as a waitress, so Finn was always home alone. He knew his mother loved him, but she really wasn’t able to show it much because of her long hours away trying to support the both of them. Just an hour left to go, he thought to himself… Finn’s father had died when he was seven. He had no memories of his dad at all. Finn plopped his satchel onto the kitchen table and looked in the refrigerator for something to eat. There wasn’t much, but he pulled out a rather bruised apple and found some peanut butter in the pantry. Finn’s cottage was on the outskirts of town and was surrounded by forest that went on for hundreds of miles into the Canadian Yukon Territory. Finn loved going out and exploring the vast expanse of trees and finding cozy spots to relax and daydream. This is where Finn felt most at home. He could always find his way back, since he kept a self-drawn map that he had made a year ago. There were so many animals, streams, and rocks to play among. Finn never got tired of the woods. He was also an expert tree climber and would take his binoculars up a tree and perch himself up high to watch birds and dream about being one so he could fly away. * * * Shortly after the sun had set that evening, Finn heard the distant sound of his mother calling out his name. He quickly ran back to his house, hoping his mother wasn’t worrying about him. He saw her in the little clearing around the house. She waved to Finn, but he didn’t wave back. He slowly walked towards his house and went inside. “Hi, honey,” Finn’s mom said in a tired voice, “how was school?” Finn didn’t answer. He said a quick good night to his mom, avoiding a kiss, and ran to his bed. He thought of his day at school and buried his face in his pillow. Finn fell asleep to his own sobs. Crash! Finn abruptly woke to the sound of a pot falling to the ground. He climbed out of bed and walked around the half-wall, rubbing his droopy eyelids to wake himself up. “Sorry, Finn,” his mom said from a few yards away. “Thanks a lot, Mom!” Finn shouted. “This was my only day to sleep in and you woke me up. I’m going out to the forest to get some peace and quiet!” “Finn, I don’t want you going out there today,” his mom argued. “You were out there all day yesterday! You need to get some rest.” “You won’t even be here to see if I decide to go out there or not! You’re never even here with me. Go ahead and leave, Mom, it would be the same here without you!” Finn shouted. “You don’t even love me! I feel better when I’m out in the forest and not cooped up here with you; I’m leaving for good!” Finn bolted out the door and sprinted all the way into the trees. He didn’t turn around to see his mom’s face streaming with tears. * * * Finn was so in the moment that he forgot his map, binoculars, and shoes. He knew one way he wasn’t going, and that was back. It was already really late; Finn had been running and hiking for several hours. It was getting dark quickly. He’d have to make a shelter soon. Things started to seem spooky as he collected leaves and sticks. Finn wasn’t sure if he had ever ventured out this far. He could barely find anything to make a fire, let alone make a whole shelter. He decided to go up in a tree to try to find a comfortable spot to sleep. He finally found a thick branch that was sturdy and fell asleep. Finn’s dreams were a jumble of voices, whispering to him about having no parents and no one to love him. He tossed and turned all night, nearly falling off the branch. He woke up with tears in his eyes and a sore back. Swinging off onto the ground, he sniffed the air. His nose shriveled in disgust. The stench was coming from his own dirty clothes, so he set off to find some fresh water. Soon he found a gurgling creek with crystal clear water. He got in with his clothes on to wash himself and his clothes at the same time. Since he had no parents, he had no rules. As he stepped out of the creek, his stomach grumbled in protest. Finn realized he hadn’t eaten in a really long time, so
