Crash ~Justin Bieber~

Chapter 78 ~ Around My Neck, Part 2

(Randy's POV)

"The way this activity works is we are going to call out different groupings. If a grouping we call applies to you, you'll cross over the line and walk as far as you can without hitting the chairs. Then we want you to breathe. Notice how it feels to cross the line. Every time you cross this line you are going to step into a group that has less power, less privilege, and who can sometimes be abused physically or emotionally just for being who they are"

I didn't want to play. Even the summary scared me. The line looked like the edge of a cliff and if I crossed it I was sure that something bad was going to happen.

People like me don't share feelings.

Only the weak feel the need to play games that are so self indulgent and dramatic.

But I had to play. We all did. We had to show the troubled youth of America that we were just as messed up as they were.

"Can't they just watch the show," I muttered to Justin. He looked at me and didn't answer. Justin was still pissed.

"Please cross the line if you have ever been judged because of the color of your skin or because of your heritage or race"

Chow translated the speaker's words to his friends, and he crossed the line with Dae, Kimmy, and Ezra. When they asked what kind of judgment Chow had received, he spoke of a time when his fathers store was vandalized, and the word 'Slope' was painted in red on a wall.

"And please cross the line if you have ever been bullied for being too fat or too thin"

All of the girls crossed the line.

Ben crossed too.

At first I thought he was crossing because he wanted to hold Samantha's hand, but Rob told me that he wasn't. Ben was the fat kid in elementary school. Football had been his out.

"Please cross the line if you have ever been humiliated in a classroom by a student or a teacher,"

A lot of people crossed the line. When I had Justin and William nobody bothered me at school, and when I didn't have either of them I was too crazy to notice what was going on.

"Cross the line if you love somebody who doesn't love you back"

When Quinn crossed the line I didn't know where to look. I wanted to tell her she was wrong but I couldn't be sure who she was talking about.

"Cross the line if you have ever bullied someone just because they were weaker then you"

The statements weren't so tough at first. It was easy to blend in when everyone was crossing the line together. But soon the groupings became more specific. Not everyone was crossing. Sometimes it was just one.

"Cross the line if you have seen death,"

"Cross the line if you don't know if it's getting better, or if you're just getting use to it"

"Cross the line if you have ever considered suicide"

"Cross the line if you have chosen right, but you miss wrong, and you consider going back to it every single day"

There were plenty of groups that related to me. I ignored most of them and I only crossed when the truth was so obvious that everyone would notice if I didn't. I didn't like the line. I didn't like the attention. And I hated how people were starting to act around me.

This game was affecting them. Some people were getting emotional.

"This next one is for all of the women only. Please cross the line if any man or boy has ever whistled at you, slapped you, beat you up, or kept you from doing something just because you were born female"