5 Minute Reads | Anthology

Dumbo by sandydragon1

I hear Keith and his cronies grumbling their nicknames for me as I inch through the doorway sideways: Bat Boy, Mickey Mouse, Dumbo. Someone slips off their backpack and drops it. The ringing in my ears fails to block out the laughter that follows. Ears twitching, I hear Keith whispering about his plans to sleep with Julia behind Lydia's back again as if everyone in our grade didn't already know. Between the perfume clinging to his clothes and the noises often heard near the mall's dumpster, I'm surprised Lydia hasn't dumped him yet.  

 After one more inch, a river of students flows around me with a collective sigh of relief as my enormous ears clear the doorway. I grin as I finally leave high school's endless hallways full of slammed lockers, baying laughter, and the occasional unmuted cellphone behind with my biology test in hand. In the relatively quiet outdoors, my dinner-plate-sized ears and I can finally relax.

 While most of my classmates march to the benches to wait for their parents' cars to arrive, I begin my daily walk home. Eyes glued to the sidewalk, I try to ignore Keith's shoes scuffing against the pavement behind me. The sun warms my back as birds sing to each other and bees buzz around flowers. Sometimes, if I concentrate really hard, I can just barely hear butterflies flapping their wings. I'm not so lucky today. The increasing volume of Keith's shoes slapping the ground keeps me from enjoying nature's music.

 "Hey, Dumbo!" he yells. I swear under my breath as a bird screeches before flying away. It's times like this that make me wish that nickname was accurate so I could flap my ears and follow her. Instead, I have to settle for trying to run away. The wind pushes against my ears as if they were kites as I jog as fast as I can with my biology test clutched in my hand.

 Keith runs after me. It doesn't take long before his steady breathing grows louder as he closes the gap between us, drowning out my own gasps. "I know you can hear me," he says as his breath tickles the back of my neck. "Stop running, or else I'll tell Mr. Jones what you did."

 "What are you talking about?"

 He snorts and points at the paper in my hand. "The test, Dumbo. What else could I mean? You and I both know you suck at biology. There's no way you should have aced that thing."

 I stop. My heart sounds unbearably loud as it hammers away. Keith smirks as he waits for me to catch my breath. There isn't a single drop of sweat on his face. "I studied."

 "I suppose you're going to try to tell me that you can't hear other people's pencils as they write down the answers. Who knows, maybe you'll even say that your pig of a mother can fly next. Hey, maybe she could if she grew ears like yours and flapped them hard enough."

 My ears redden. "For your information, I always wear earplugs during tests." Feigning disinterest, I check my watch, hoping he won't notice the test crinkling as I clench my fists. My knuckles stand out like snow capped peaks. "Is that all? My dad wants me to mow the lawn today. I'd like to get started before it gets too hot."

 I yelp as Keith lunges forward and grabs the edge of my right ear, fingernails digging into my skin. "Not so fast. I've seen you cringe every time the bell rings. There's no way you could use a lawnmower without giving yourself a migraine." I gasp as he twists my ear. "As for your earplugs, I didn't see the substitute check." Another twist, another gasp. "So, what are you going to offer me to keep quiet?"

 "I could avoid telling Lydia about what you've been doing with Julia behind the mall."

 I wince as he tugs on my ear and digs his fingernails deeper. Blood drips onto the sidewalk. Keith bends down and whispers into my ear, "What did you say, Dumbo? I didn't quite catch that."

 "If you don't let me go right now, I'll tell Lydia about Julia tomorrow." Twist. Hiss. "In fact, if you lie to Mr. Jones about me, she will find out sooner rather than later."

 He releases my ear. "It wouldn't be a lie," he mumbles, glaring as his muscles twitch under his shirt.

 "Give me a break. That test was about the senses." I uncrumple the test, flip to the page with a diagram depicting the auditory system, and shove it in his face before pointing at my ear. "In case you haven't noticed, those have always been my best topic."

 "Fair enough." His laugh is too brief to be genuine and his grin looks more like the snarl of a cornered dog. "I guess you're smarter than you look, Dumbo."

 "My name is Clarence. Use it, or Dumbo is going to make sure everyone hears about what you've done."

 We stare at each other for a minute. Keith looks away first. "Okay." I clear my throat. "Okay, Clarence. You'll keep your mouth shut, right?"

 "Yes." He sighs and turns to go. "Keith? Next time you have some fun with Julia, you should try to be a little more quiet. My ears might be big, but I'm not the only person who has heard her screaming your name behind the dumpster."