Chapter Twelve
1074 Words
We were in fifth grade. This was the year I started wearing all black. The first year people started making fun of me. The first year and last year Colton would stick up for me. It was the first week of school, on Wednesday. Colton and I were in the same class. We sit next to each other. The class was set so the rows were aligned evenly. We sat in alphabetical order by last name. Our first assignment was to write a paper on what we did this summer and a short paragraph about us. I am a somewhat slow worker. One by one kid started taking their papers to the teacher. On kid passed by me and dropped his paper. When he knelt down to pick it up, he whispered something in my ear. I couldn’t tell what he said at first. But then I figured out what it was. The word he whispered was, “freak”. Suddenly tears sprung to my eyes. Colton rubbed my back and whispered, “It’s going to be okay. Don’t let them get to you.” Those were the times that I was glad that my brother and I were in the same class and best friends. The threats kept on all day. Each time someone harassed me, I wanted to cry or was close to crying. But Colton was always by my side and giving me reassuring looks that made me feel better.
After we came in from recess, we had a new assignment from our math books. Math was one of my best subjects. I finished quickly. I looked over my work once more and stood up to hand in my paper. On my way to the front of the room, a kid tripped me and there I went tumbling down in front of everyone. I landed next to the girl I had a crush on since the third grade. She was a short, petite, Asian-American girl with chin length dark brown hair with blue highlights. Amanda. The prettiest girl in my grade. I was so embarrassed. Everyone in the class laughed at me. But not Amanda, she calmly got up and helped me off the ground and told the whole class off for laughing at me.
I quickly turned in my paper and rushed to my seat. Just as I was about to sit down, Wilson the kid behind me kicked out the chair before I could even sit down, and once again I fell onto the floor once more. This time, Colton picked me up and helped me back into my chair. Then he turned around and yelled, “What the hell man, my brother is already having a bad day, and just you doing that is probably making it worse. Just because he is different doesn’t give you a right to make fun of him.” He addresses the class, “just so you all know bullying does not make you cool.” Before anyone knew what was going on, Colton spins around and punches Wilson right in the nose then the eye. Afterward he just walked out of the room and the teacher followed him. I’m guessing she sent him to the principal’s office because when she returned, Colton was not behind her. That was the first time I walked home alone.
Mattie was listening inventively the whole time. “So what happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like what happened between you two?”
“We drifted apart I guess.”
“Obviously.But When? What Happened?”
“Seventh grade. I tried to talk this one kid out of committing suicide. My mother told me that I couldn’t save the world. Then Colton went and told his friends. His friends started to mock me. They told him that if he didn’t do it too, then they will get the whole school to make fun of both of us. At first it seemed to be an act then, he started to get into it.”
“That’s really horrible. I’m so sorry.”
“No matter. What’s done is done I guess right?”
“Yeah well he shouldn’t have done that.”
“He can’t hurt me anymore can he?”
“Well I guess not.”
“Anyway did you meet him?”
“Yeah. He was nice at first. Then he started to call me names and make fun of my clothes.”
“You shouldn’t wear that hippie outfit to school then.”
“Oh my god shut the hell up. I’m helping you. If you want to know how you actually died then I suggest you not make fun of me.”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”
“Are you sure you didn’t commit suicide?”
“I cut myself yes. But I would never kill myself. I just didn’t know how to get my anger out. I’m not that selfish that I would take my own life.”
“What do you mean selfish?”
“Did you hear about the kid jumping off the Bourne Bridge?”
“No.”
“Well that kid-his name was Jack Dawson- he was one of my only friends. I overheard my mom say that a few weeks before I died he jumped off the bridge. I was so devastated. My mom told me that he was selfish. He didn’t think of how others would feel before he did it.”
“Well your mother is right.”
“Yeah I guess. Do you really think I committed suicide?”
“Well you do seem like the type who would do it.”
“How?”
“Well you said you use to cut yourself. Right? Well that could give people the impression that you want to die. Maybe when you were cutting yourself, you made a wrong cut and accidently cut a major artery.”
“H.”
“Yeah maybe.”
“What did Colton say exactly?”
“He just said that you committed suicide. That’s it.”
“Oh. Are you sure?”
“Yeah but he’s hiding something.”
“How can you tell?”
“Well he replied hesitantly.”
“That’s interesting. He must be hiding something. I can always tell when he is hiding something or lying.”
“How?”
“Well he is my twin. Also by his facial expressions.”
- Writer
