Énouement

Chapter Six

Ender and I didn't make many friends. In fact for a while, we didn't have any other friends at all. The boy whose arm he had broken, the mouthy French one, was out for vengeance. Just as I knew before, his accent made him exotic and interesting; his broken arm made him a martyr; his sadism made him a natural force for all those who love pain in others. We became the enemy.

"Ender?" He looked up from his desk.
"Yeah Tori?" I bit my lip.
"This won't be like..." I lowered my voice. "like Stilson... right?" Ender furrowed his eyebrows confused.

"We're already getting picked-"
"That's not what I mean. If something happens, if they gang up on us, if you lose control-" He looked angry.

"I was protecting you! There were six of them twice our size. I had to stop him. Stop him so he'd never come after us again." I bit my lip and looked away. For good... Ender didn't know the damage he had done to Stilson that day. I had heard the adults talking about it.

But he wasn't wrong. They were already picking on us. Little things first. Kicking Ender's bed every time they went in and out of the door. Jostling him with his meal tray. Tripping him over the ladders. Ender learned quickly not to leave anything of his outside his locker.

"Maladroit," I had heard Bernard call him once, and the name stuck. They were different to me, but still cruel.
I was tripped, and jostled, they pulled my hair, and put food in its long locks. They were careful however never to do it by a teacher, and never in front of the Ender. I think they're still afraid of him, after he broke Bernard's arm. I don't think they want to know what Ender would do to them, if he found out they were also picking on me.

"They're not doing anything to you, right Tori?" I didn't tell him. I didn't want to find out what Ender would do to them. So I smiled softly and shook my head.

I could tell Ender was getting angry. Angry at Bernard, and angry at all those so willing to follow him.

"Hey, they'll get bored soon. Then move on to something or someone else and we won't worry about this anymore." He sighed.
"But I don't want them to just start picking on someone else. Bernard is a bully, and he can't get away with this. They're already picking on other people now, this moment. It's not just me."

At this rate Bernard was setting up a kingdom. It was like he was the king and there was a hierarchy already established. He built himself up around the others. Some were useful to him and he flattered them outrageously. Some were willing servants, doing whatever he wanted, even if he treated them with contempt.

But there are a few like us. I knew who resented Bernard the most. Shen was small, ambitious, and easily needled. Bernard had discovered that quickly, and started calling him worm.
"Because he's so small," Bernard said. "Because he wriggles. Look how he shimmies his butt when he walks."

Shen stormed off, but they only laughed louder. "Look at his butt! Seeya, Worm!" I tried to go over to Shen, to defend him, but Ender grabbed my arm and shook his head.

"But Ender-"
"It's okay." I could see the glint in his eye. He had a plan. We couldn't help Shen now, or else everyone would know we were behind whatever Ender was about to do. He just went back to his desk and continued typing. I brought out mine and tried to look studious. The boys would assume we were working on the homework, and I needed to bring little attention to Ender and I.

He tapped my knee and smiled before motioning to his desk, and then to Shen. I tried to catch Shen's eye and lifted my desk slightly. Shen looked puzzled. He picked up his desk and Ender pressed send. Shen started laughing almost immediately. I looked down at my desk screen and started cracking up. Shen looked over at Ender and I, like asking if we had done it. I shook my head and Ender shrugged.

Shen laughed again, and some of the boys not so close to Bernard picked up their own desks. Every thirty seconds a message appeared on every desk, marched around the screen, before disappearing. The boys all laughed together.

"What's so funny?" Bernard asked. Ender's smile wiped off his face instantly, and I snickered behind my hands. Shen of course, smiled all the more defiantly. Bernard got one of his boys to bring their desk, and they read the message together.

COVER YOUR BUTT. BERNARD IS WATCHING -GOD

Bernard went red and started shouting, trying to find out who did it.
"God." Shen answered smugly.
"It sure as hell wasn't you. This takes too much brains for a worm!"

Ender's message expired after five minuets. I looked to his desk after I heard a new message sound.

I KNOW IT WAS YOU -BERNARD

I was worried, worried for Ender, but I didn't let my face show it. Ender kept his stoic. Bernard couldn't know. He just wanted to catch Ender looking guilty. And it didn't matter anyways. Bernard had to rebuild his reputation, so he'd torment everyone. All these boys with their egos and Alexander complex, I knew he wouldn't stand for everyone laughing at him.

So in the morning when I'd heard that Ender had gotten knocked down in the shower, I wasn't surprised. I was still angry though. One of the bigger boys had managed to plant a knee in Ender's belly, and he took it in silence. I wanted to defend Ender but he forbade me.

"You can't just expect me to watch them hurt you." I didn't want Ender to fight them. I didn't want him to become that scary Ender who had beat Stilson. I wanted to protect Ender to avoid that. "At least let me tell Dap."

"You know as well as I do that it won't do anything. If anything, it'll make it worse." Ender sighed but looked determined. He was thinking of a new plan.