Bertha gave me a halfcocked head bob of acknowledgement.
“Yeah, anyone messes with you…” there was a smacking sound as BB punched his fist into his hand, “then we’re going to have something to say about it.”
“W-w-why?” I managed to say despite the fact that my tongue didn’t seem to be working properly.
“Would you get this one?” Fish said, sliding his arm around the back of my neck and leaning against me.
“Ah, let him be Fish.” Bertha said, “He’ll snap out of it.”
She then faked a jab to my gut, but I was still frozen with fear, so I didn’t react. “Solid Alvin; solid as a rock!” She patted my cheek, “Hey, we’ll catch you at lunch okay?”
“Uh, yeah sure; lunch. You bet!” I said with a squeak in my voice.
From then ’til lunch, I could see other students gawking at me, even murmuring when they thought I wasn’t looking. But no one said another word to me, good or bad.
At lunch Larry, BB, Fish, and Bertha were standing in the hallway near the entrance to get our food. They were waiting for me and when I came into view, BB called out to me. “Yo Alvin buddy! Over here!”
What could I do at that point? If I turned to walk away, I was dooming myself to three years of Jr. High School teasing. However, if I joined them, I was allying myself with the four most disliked students in the school.
“Hey Alvin! Come on! We saved you a place in line!” BB called out again. He then turned and shoved some kid out of line.
The decision was made for me; I had become the fifth… what had Stacks called them? Hooligans?
By the end of the day, the word had spread all over the school that I was hanging out with Larry, BB, Fish, and Bertha. Even when they were not with me, everyone cleared away from me, as if Bertha’s odiferous aura had somehow spread to me.
After school, as I was getting my jacket from my locker, BB and Fish came up to me.
Fish spoke first, “So you doing better?”
Knowing the reason they had become so chummy with me, still caused me to flush red, but still I answered with an unconvincing, “Yeah.”
“Oh yeah, that sounded positive!” BB joked, giving me a playful shove.
“So, no one has been teasing you or leaving any more notes, right?” Fish asked, while pointing an accusing finger in my face.
I shook my head.
“Good, because I just got these new gloves and I don’t want to get them all bloody. You know what I mean?” He said with a laugh and a backhanded slap to my arm.
“So you’ll be back tomorrow?” BB asked in a way, which made it sound more like an order then a question.
I hesitantly nodded.
“We’ll see you then!” Fish said, slapping my bicep.
While walking home from school, I didn’t see or sense anyone. And believe me; I was keeping a keen eye out for anyone or anything remotely suspicious.
At home, I was greeted at the door by my Grandmother, who promptly asked me, “How did your day go?”
The second I saw her, I was overwhelmed with feelings of guilt for the way I had dumped on her just one day before. I didn’t answer her right away. However, I began to apologize profusely for my tantrum and the horrible language I had used.
She embraced me and hugged me tightly to her. “You are a very good boy and I knew you were just reacting to a terrible situation.” She said.
Then, taking hold of my hand, she asked again, “But how did today go?”
So I told her exactly what happened. I told her about the note on my locker, about being called names and then about, how four of the students came to my rescue. I did however leave out the part about those four students being the most feared bullies in the school.