I followed a mysteriously withdrawn Alex to the literature classroom. It looked like a normal classroom, with a whiteboard and a bunch of those posters with poetry quotes and little inspirational messages that were found in the typical Literature classroom. In the far corner, there was a large bookshelf with about twenty copies of the same book per row. Across the whiteboard, written in electric blue marker, was the teacher's name. Mrs. White.
“You might wanna get a copy A Wrinkle in Time on the first shelf,” Alex said brusquely, which was definitely not like him at all. What's gotten in to him?
“Okay,” I said.
I grabbed the book, and took that as a chance to look back at the other students. I had already been in a class with several of them, but still didn't know their names. I sighed, and began walking back to sit with Alex, when I saw Sasha sitting alone in the back. I knew perfectly well what it was like to be alone, and so I went back and sat by her.
“Hey Sasha!” I said, knowing I sounded a little to cheerful. I wondered if she was mad at me for standing up for her? Why should she be?
“You really shouldn't make Naida mad,” she said quietly. Her tone was soft, more like she was warning me than threatening me.
“Why not?” I asked.
“She's dangerous,” Sasha said pointedly.
“How is she dangerous?”
“I...I don't know, but she is. She has a way of figuring out people's secrets,” Sasha muttered. I remembered how Naida threatened Sasha with telling everyone her “little secret.”
“So? I don't have anything to hide,” I lied. The last thing I wanted was for someone to out my father was the king.
“Everyone is hiding something,” Sasha said pointedly.
“Well, not me,” I said firmly.
“Okay. Well, thanks for taking up for anyways,” Sasha said meekly.
“I'm not just gonna stand by and watch her be a big ol' bully,” I said, smiling halfheartedly.
“Yeah, well nobody else has ever stood up to her before now. Not even my own brother. You don't even know me, so thanks,” she said, and I could hear the hurt in her voice when she talked about nobody standing up for her.
“Well, I dealt with bullies at my old school, and I am sick and tired of just ignoring them. I always just stood back, but why should I now?” I said, realizing as I said it, how true it was.
“Yeah, you've definitely changed since second grade,” Alex said from the desk beside me, making me jump.
“Hey Alex,” Sasha said, smiling passively.
“Hey Sasha,” he replied.
“You two knew each other before now?” she asked, her eyes widening in surprise as what he said registered in her mind.
“Yeah,” Alex and I said at the same time.
“He was, and is, my best friend,” I said with a smile.
“But, let me tell you, she was not always Miss Big and Bad,” he said, punching me in the arm. I blushed.
“Yeah, well it's been a long five years,” I said quietly. “People change,” I continued.
“Well, maybe so,” he said. Just thinking about how my life had been just a few weeks ago made all of my walls slam down, and put me on the defensive.
