Chapter 3

Charley jumped as Emily Elizabeth pulled him into a little-used doorway the next morning. The look in her eye was crazed yet determined, but he already knew from her firm grip to just listen to whatever she had to say.

"She knows! She's acting this way anyway!" Emily Elizabeth hissed.

Charley stifled a yawn before shaking his head, "I need more explanation, Emily Elizabeth. It's early."

"Jetta knows Clifford died yesterday. A reporter did a story on him, a reporter from New York City. He made the national news! She knows and STILL acts like this!" Emily Elizabeth ranted, keeping her voice soft just in case.

Charley shook his head, "That's just disgusting. How did you find out?"

"Horace Bleakman, of all people. They gave me a casserole last night, and when they realized I didn't know, they gave me their paper about him. It covered everything, three different sections about his life. Her parents read the news, I'm sure. She KNEW!" Emily Elizabeth cried as the bell chimed overhead.

"Look, maybe you should talk to an administrator or something about her behavior. I think she needs help if she knew and keeps throwing it in your face. Seriously, get a pass as soon as you can and go talk to them," Charley said, pulling away, "I have to get to homeroom. The math guy does quizzes and stuff."

He was right to get to class. Emily Elizabeth made her way for the English room, where she found an assignment on the board already. She pulled out her notebook and started to work, keeping her head down as the classroom filled with people. The late townie from the day before was on time today, taking his seat before turning to face the girl from across the room, the other townie who stuck up for her.

Emily Elizabeth ignored them at first in favor of getting her work done, but after a minute, the late townie tapped her desk softly and pointed across the room. Jetta was out in the hallway with the teacher again.

"What does that have to do with me?" Emily Elizabeth whispered.

"We had homework from the first day that we turned in when we got here. I forgot mine, but it was supposed to go in that basket up there," he pointed. He looked deep into Emily Elizabeth's eyes, "She did an essay about you and your special treatment. She's getting chewed out right now on your behalf."

"Like, seriously, what is that little prep's problem?" the other townie said loudly, shaking her head, "If your mom or dad died, she'd probably be doing the same thing. What a cunt."

"Wait, that's dog girl that she's been talking about?" another asked, and when the class found out the truth, they exploded in whispers that Emily Elizabeth couldn't make out. A firm knock on the glass silenced them, but the berating continued outside.

"How much has she done?" Emily Elizabeth whimpered.

"Hey, you don't worry about it," Vaz exclaimed from the front row. Vaz had only gotten quieter as school went on, and now he was known for his silence. To hear from him was almost too much for the group to handle, and Emily Elizabeth felt her eyes sting with tears.

The late townie shook his head, "That girl is going to pay for what she's doing. What's her platform, anyway? What makes her think she's so much better than everyone else?"

"I don't know all of it, but they raise show dogs. Her dog, Mac, is a champion, and his puppies are too. That's what they do," Emily Elizabeth said.

The loud girl from across the room laughed, "They raise dog and she thinks this is just so funny? What the hell is her problem? She should know better, if she even cares. Do they abuse them to make them win?"

"I don't think so," Emily Elizabeth said.

The late townie shook his head, "Doesn't matter, she still doesn't think it's important. That girl has serious issues, like, major issues," he said, turning to Emily Elizabeth, "I'm Collier, by the way. My mom works up in the office. Maybe we should go talk to her during lunch or whatever. I'm in second."

"Same," Emily Elizabeth whispered, her mouth going dry, "Do you think it'll help?"

The loud girl scoffed, "If it doesn't get their attention, we'll make them give it attention. This is ridiculous!" she huffed, enunciating "ridiculous" so hard Emily Elizabeth almost couldn't understand what she was trying to say.

The door opened and the class went quiet. Jetta did not return with the teacher, but that chapter was over. The teacher immediately called a name, Julia, and the loud girl stood up and corrected her:

"It's Jules."

"Well, Jules, I want you to tell me about last night's reading. I want you to be as specific as possible, leave nothing out. When she stops, someone else should jump in. Oh, take your seat, this isn't church," the teacher huffed, sitting down herself on a stool by the podium.

Class was intense, but Emily Elizabeth could feel the support around her. She was reluctant to see the administrators when she talked to Charley, but now that she knew how bad it had gotten, plus that she had allies, she was willing to talk.

At the end of class, Emily Elizabeth told Collier she'd meet him by the vending machines. He nodded and fled into the hallway at record speed. Emily Elizabeth walked slowly and paid close attention to her classmates. All of them looked at her sympathetically, some more than others. More than one person turned away with a look of complete sadness, like "I could cry at any moment" devastation. It was moving, to say the least, and it finalized her decision. Jetta had gone too far this time, way too far, and it was time to get revenge.

Chapter 4

Collier was waiting by the vending machines when Emily Elizabeth entered the cafeteria. Even though she was hungry, she went straight from the vending machines to the main office with Collier, who led her inside the vice-principal segment of the offices. As expected, his mother was working in her office, a packed lunch spread out beside her. She covered it quickly and had them shut the door behind them.

"What seems to be the problem, son?" she asked.

"There's this girl in my English class, the one I told you about? This is the girl she's been going after. She might've already gotten in trouble for her assignment, but I wanted to make sure. It's just not fair, Mom," Collier said firmly.

His mother nodded, "Explain the situation to me, sweetie," she said, turning to Emily Elizabeth and only letting her speak.

Emily Elizabeth started from the top and told her everything, ending with the part about the newspaper and figuring out that Jetta likely knew but still continued her wrath.

"That's the end of it. That last part is what he said—the English teacher took her outside, and I haven't seen Jetta all day. But I'm like Collier. If she got in trouble, I wanted to tell the whole story. If she didn't, I want her to get help, a lot of it. She really needs it," Emily Elizabeth said solemnly.

"That she does," Collier's mom said, looking up from her notes, "How long have you and this girl had problems with each other?"

"Sixth grade. We would squabble before, but it always got solved. Middle school was different, but this is different too, colder almost. I'm worried about her," Emily Elizabeth whispered.

Collier's mom nodded, "Well, I'm going to pass this along to the principal. If she got in trouble this morning, he likely knows the situation already. We can add this to the file if that's the case. If she was simply sent out this morning, or if no disciplinary paperwork was processed against her, this will be the starting point. Are you ready to fight this out?"

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "More than ready."

"Well, go off to lunch. Here's you a pass so you can finish and not be tardy," she smiled, handing them both slips and sending them off.

"I hope something good comes out of this," Collier said as they stepped into the cafeteria.

They entered the line together, the only two people there. As they waited for fresh servings, the bell chimed to signal the end of the period. The cafeteria workers handed over their trays and they took seats near the hallway where the gym kids would come back from class. As Emily Elizabeth hoped, Charley saw them and deposited his things into an empty chair. A moment later, he joined them, shaking hands with Collier as they were introduced.

"Thanks for helping her out. She was pretty upset this morning," Charley said.

"Well it got worse. We had to step up and make sure things were going the way they should," Collier replied, picking up his sandwich.

"Worse? Worse how?" Charley asked.

Emily Elizabeth looked down to her tray, "She did her homework assignment about me. I don't know the details, but the English teacher kicked her out this morning. Collier stepping up the way he did probably prevented a riot. She's definitely outnumbered."

Charley shook his head, "And you haven't seen her since? She was in my chemistry class earlier."

Collier sighed, "I guess she just sent her to the library or something until the end of the period. That means we're just getting started."

"Are you sure?" Emily Elizabeth asked.

Charley nodded, "If it was that bad, they should've kept her longer than that. I have chemistry second."

Collier groaned, "Well, at least we got the ball rolling. Sorry it had to be us, but things will get done now. My mom will make sure of it, okay? And I'll stay on her. I've got to get back to class."

Emily Elizabeth knew she should join him, but she picked some more at her food. After a moment, Charley's hand covered her own and she looked up to find him staring at her with the saddest expression she'd ever seen:

"Are you sure that you don't need some help too? You just lost your best friend, and now you're being bullied, but you're here with your head high. You don't have to pretend to be strong for any of us. If you need help, be sure to get it," Charley whispered.

"It's just…he was sick for so long. Him passing was almost a relief for us because he's not sick anymore, and he'll be happier now. It's this stuff with Jetta that hurts more. I mean, I feel the void Clifford left in my life, but knowing a girl I once considered my friend is being so unbelievably hateful is just…I can't cope with it. Now I think she's going to lie about knowing. That'll be her next step to get sympathy, to get the ball back in her court. She'll pretend she didn't know and cry and cry," Emily Elizabeth sighed before shaking her head, "This won't do anything, but you're right. I might seek help soon if I need it, if this keeps going. I have allies, but yeah, I might need some help processing everything."

"You should get back to class just in case. It's too early in the year to push anyone's patience," Charley whispered. Emily Elizabeth agreed and decided to leave. Charley promised to take care of her tray, but she did walk with her orange juice so she could finish it.

When she returned to class, the teacher accepted her pass with a kind smile and handed her a copy of the worksheet the class had been working on while she was gone. Her things were left untouched at her desk, so she packed it away, knowing the bell was just seconds away. Sure enough, she was soon out in the hallway heading towards her art class. Along the way, she caught a glimpse of Jetta up ahead. She turned and went another way to class, hoping to avoid her completely. She felt sick as she realized she never wanted to see Jetta again.