5 Minute Reads | Anthology

Not Being Normal by AmandaJuneHagarty

Green lockers, yellow walls, beige linoleum. School always reminded Ginny Myers of the last time she puked.

The scratched orange door to homeroom was still locked. Students, whose only common link was the alphabetical order of their last name, clustered outside with heads bent over phones.

The clock above the door ticked closer to the bell. Until then, Ginny shuffled along her usual circuit, up and down the hall.

Ginny wasn't normal. Something about her brought out the mean in other kids, like she had a "kick me" sign surgically grafted to her forehead. Surviving school depended on flying under the radar. Don't talk, no eye contact, keep moving.

She counted the linoleum tiles passing underfoot, reached the end of the corridor, and turned back. Sharks died if they stop moving.

Coming back for another pass of homeroom, Ginny saw Lisa Penski slip into the crowd, books cradled in her arms.

Lisa had a blocky frame, and a square face with too-close eyes; she just looked weird. Her mom seemed to have the same thrift store budget as Ginny's. And she was smart, always bent over her school work.

Lisa leaned against a locker that had poorly-painted-over, obscene graffiti.

It was a fatal mistake. For all her brains, she lacked the wisdom to survive the shark tank.

Instead of going all the way to the end of the hall, Ginny turned back sooner, tightening her loop. Maybe Lisa would get the hint and move like her.

Mark Osterman slouched in the alcove of the orange door, with Chris Pine, Manny Nahal, and Kyle Nolan, fresh from track and field practice, their hair damp from the showers, their muscles stretching the material of their gray "Mackenzie High" t-shirts.

Mark knuckle-punched Kyle, the new guy on the team, laughing as Kyle rubbed his arm.

Manny followed Mark's lead and began to hassle Kyle. Chris tied his shoe, trying not to get involved, his golden bangs falling long over his face.

Ginny wouldn't mind if Chris noticed her. He had a kind smile, and never joined in when Mark started being a jerk.

Manny asked Kyle if he joined the team to get in the guys shower room, his eyes riveted on Mark to see if he laughed. But Mark's eyes were fixed on Lisa.

"Watch this," Mark whispered to Manny, and Ginny cringed, almost halting.

The hallway was horribly quiet as Mark sidled up to Lisa, leaning against the locker next to her.

Lisa stiffened and hugged her books. Suddenly she was the center of attention, even though nobody was looking at her except for Mark, Manny, and Kyle.

When he struck, it was fast, grabbing her around the waist with one arm, and snaking his other arm behind her head until his hand came all the way around the other side. He clamped that hand over her mouth, dipped her over, and kissed his hand where her mouth would have been, like a romantic kiss out of a movie, except for the part where he had her in a headlock, and his huge hand covered half her face, leaving only her too-close, unblinking eyes visible.

A few of the kids in the hallway tittered, most became absorbed in their phones. Chris pulled at an invisible thread in his team t-shirt. Nobody said anything.

Mark let Lisa go, grinning at his friends. Manny laughed loudly, after a second, Kyle laughed too.

"Come on, man," Chris said, quietly.

"What? It was a joke." Mark wiped his hand on his sweat pants.

Lisa stumbled, her books slipped to the floor, papers scattered. She bent over, touching her face, where red, finger-shaped bruises were forming, looking like she might be sick.

"She didn't like it, Mark. I guess you're not man enough to turn her on," Kyle said.

"Not my fault she's a lesbo." Mark said.

Chris looked away, toward Ginny, but not at her. Ginny realized she was frozen in place, like a pet store fish in a cup of water. She couldn't move, even though she wanted to run down the hall, out the door and all the way home.

The stupid clock over the stupid door just tick, tick, ticked. Miss Miller had to open homeroom soon. Then it would all be over.

Lisa knees crumpled and she sank to the floor, groping around people's feet for her papers with listless fingers.

Mark laughed, and lifted his foot above her back, like he was about to squash an insect.

Before she knew what she was doing, Ginny slid to the floor next to Lisa, her knees burning as they skimmed the linoleum. She put her arm over Lisa's shoulder. The girl flinched at her touch, but sagged in relief as Ginny started helping her pick up the papers.

Mark's foot hung suspended for a moment, then whammed to the floor.

"Who are you?" Mark sneered, "Her girlfriend?"

Ginny's cheeks burned, but she ignored him and deliberately took her time gathering the papers. Even if she ran now, she was dead.

"Maybe she is just a fricking human being," someone said.

Chris.

Mark laughed, uncertainly, "What are you, on their side now?"

"Man, your side sucks."

Mark and Chris stared at each other.

Finally, Mark said, "Whatever," and found a locker to lean against. Manny and Kyle didn't follow him.

Kyle bent down to pick up a paper at his feet and hand it to Lisa. "Sorry," he murmured.

The stupid ugly orange door opened.

Miss Miller stood aside to let her students in. "Oh my, everyone is so quiet this morning, what a pleasant change,"

Lisa joined the rush of kids.

Ginny hung back until most of the students had gone inside. Then there was nobody in the hall except her and Chris. She felt her face burning again as he held the door open for her.

He smiled. She smiled back.