Jema

2. Pick of the Litter

2:38 p.m.

The good thing about Henning, Colorado is that the school is so small, you know everyone.

The bad thing is, everyone knows you, too. So, turning up freshman year as one of the three (yes, three) openly gay kids in Henning didn't go as well as I hoped. Yeah, Trinlee attached on to me pretty quickly, which gave me a shoe-in with a few of her friends. Others, not so much. I quickly learned which people didn't want me around.

One of these people being Felix Haggarty.

He didn't start really picking on me until recently, about two months ago. So, it doesn't sound recent, considering two months is eight weeks, is sixty days, 1,440 hours, but anyone who's avoided the torment of Felix Haggarty's words and physical abuse for a whole year is pretty lucky. I'd managed to stay in the shadows and only get shouted at once or twice, usually something along the lines of "fag" or "pussyboy", which isn't anything new. My old school wasn't perfect, either. There was a Felix there, too. His name was Jonah instead, and he wasn't much of a threat, being a small, freckled redhead. He was rich, and needed to feel as big as his father wanted him to be.

But I'm pretty sure Felix could crush an apple with his bare hands. He's not rich. He is big. He is a threat. He may not be smart, hence being held back in eighth grade, but he doesn't need brains to kick someone's ass. Catching a serious beat down by Felix could result between a broken bone and a hospital stay.

See what I mean by lucky?

The most twisted thing about this 6'1" mass of farming muscle and tough skin is he even picks on girls. You can't give a bully credit if he picks on girls, no matter how bad his past is. No, he doesn't hit girls. But he's been pretty damn close. This means he's fearless. And very dangerous.

For now, I've only been cornered in the hallways and occasionally pushed down over a foot. The worst so far has been a five minute long episode of 'say uncle'. My shoulder still aches sometimes from it when I sleep the wrong way. I only expect it to go down from there. I haven't told Trinlee.

Today, Felix has knocked the books out of my hands and spit on my shoes. I'm fearful as I head to the bathroom during sixth hour. Felix is almost always ditching class, so even a walk through the hallway is a minefield if you're his pick of the litter. The only reason Felix is still in school is because he's a fantastic athlete. Straight Ds means you can still play sports in Henning.

I take the long way around, staying near the offices and classrooms, places he tends to avoid. Bullies are a real fucking problem, and you don't realize it until you're the one constantly getting knocked around. That's what makes me mad about Anna. She probably has some kid like me tiptoeing the halls to avoid her torment.

I make it to the bathroom without a trace of Felix. I just might stay there until sixth hour is over at 2:50. Just ten minutes. Ten minutes until everyone is swarming the hallways, anxious to complete the day and get on with Spring Break.

After I do my business, I wash my hands and pick the largest stall to hide in. As I lock the little metal peg, I hear shuffling behind me. Just my luck. I turn slowly to see none other than Felix Haggarty, sitting on the closed toilet, about to light a cigarette. These damn locks are so rusted, it's pointless to try to fumble with the door to escape. Maybe I could fit under the stall...

"You followin' me?" he asks plainly. He doesn't seem in the mood for a fight. If not, I can probably run-

As soon as I reach for the stall door, Felix is up and only a foot away from me. He's so fast. "Did you hear my question, pussyboy?"