CHAPTER 12The next afternoon Kurt walked up to Matt, who was putting books away in his South Hall locker. Matt looked out of the corner of his eye at the newly cropped red butch and arrogant grin. Kurt seemed to be looking for trouble. Nearby, students lingered expectantly. The hallway quieted down; locker doors stopped slamming. But today Matt was certainly not in a mood to provide free entertainment.
“Hillbilly,” Kurt said, giving the word an unpleasant inflection. A girl giggled nervously.
Matt inhaled slowly and closed his locker door. As he spun the combination lock’s dial, Kurt said, “Don’t you know your right name yet, hillbilly?”
Matt hesitated, then started to shoulder his way through the crowd.
“Why, hillbilly,” Kurt said with mock surprise. “I do believe you’re running away
