How to Beat the Bully Without Really Trying by Scott Starkey

Author:Scott Starkey [Starkey, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

AS BAD AS IT GETS

My legs were slow to sling out of bed Monday morning. When they finally did, I stared down at my feet and the blue carpet squeezing up between my toes. For several seconds I pondered the fibers . . . and the upcoming day.

I’d soon know whether Jessica was completely turned off by my girly scream on Saturday night. All my questions would be answered as soon as I got to school, like how far the news had actually spread. If the story was out there, would slimy Greg use it to move in on Jessica? Would the kids realize I wasn’t so brave after all? Would Josh use this opportunity to pound my face into hamburger meat?

Almost like a zombie, I climbed aboard the bus and shuffled back to my friends. “What’s the matter with you?” Rishi asked. “You look so serious.”

“Well,” I exhaled, “Saturday didn’t exactly go as planned. You know I . . .”

“I know if there’s one person who doesn’t need to worry about something like this, it’s you. Who’s going to care about a little scream? We’re not talking about Mr. Faint over here,” Rishi joked, motioning at Slim. “We’re talking about you . . . about Rodney ‘McThugg Slayer’ Rathbone.”

“Yeah, relax,” Dave added.

My friends were right, of course. How could I be foolish enough to worry that one little yelp would tarnish my golden reputation? I’d be fine. I actually smiled for the first time since Saturday as I walked into the cafeteria to line up for class.

“Aaaaggghhhhhh!” A scream rang out so loud that I jumped and froze. It was Kayla, pointing in my direction as she held her stomach and bent over laughing. Samantha was right beside her, practically crying from howling.

“Please stop this at once,” Long Nose pleaded with the girls, but they seemed determined to have fun, all at my expense.

“Any mutants grab you this morning, Rodney?” Kayla yelled.

Samantha joined in, “Did you spill your cereal all over the place and run to Mommy?” They both began giggling uncontrollably. I made a face like they were crazy but noticed other kids starting to look in my direction and laugh along with the girls. Then I saw Jessica, who wasn’t laughing. She was too busy listening to Mr. California, who was smirking as he whispered something in her ear.

If things had ended with that, I would have been miserable but safe. However, someone else was listening and his curiosity was aroused. Toby went over and sat right next to the girls. I could see him ask them something and the two girls launched into giggly whispers, no doubt describing the whole embarrassing scene. Toby was salivating, his devilish eyes gleaming right at me. This wasn’t going away anytime soon.

I was miserable all morning. It didn’t help matters seeing Toby enjoy himself so much. As Mrs. Lutzkraut droned on, he kept busy sketching ugly mutants eating screaming stick figures. Each figure wore a little T-shirt with the name Rodney on it.

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