Writing girl bullies is fun in a masochistic sort of way. The creativity you're allowed is endless, while just imagining the torture if it happened in real life is terrible. I've never actually been bullied like this, but I wonder if what happens in the this chapter (and the next) actually happens to other girls in real life.

Maybe that's why girl bullies in fiction don't get a lot of depth. Sometimes it doesn't feel deserved.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Please read and review :)

Chapter Ten

Sam vs. the Smoothie

Sam went back downstairs, not quite sure what to make of what just happened. The desire to go back was so strong it nearly killed her – she had so many questions she wanted to ask Alex, but after their last conversation, Sam didn't think he would welcome them. What had she done that made him so upset? Sam would like to know, and she'd like to say sorry. She didn't want Alex to be angry with her.

She went back into the kitchen, deciding to bring it up to Sabina. She and the other three girls – Olivia, Marie, and Fallon (no last names yet, but Sam was determined to find out eventually). They talked a lot like the girls from the cafe, much to Sam's frustration. Did they learn to talk so fast, with short words and abbreviations she didn't understand? Or were they born talking that way? At least Sabina talked in a way that made sense to Sam.

The girls giggled like Sam just told a joke by walking into the room. Sam did her best to ignore them when she addressed Sabina, "Why does Alex do that?"

Sabina glanced at her, pressing the button to churn up the ingredients in the blender. Over the noise, she asked, "Do what?"

"Hide in his room, doesn't talk to anybody,"

"Oh, that's just what he does," Sabina gave a lighthearted laugh, surprising Sam enough to jump her. Sabina let go of the button and the blender stopped its blending. As she took it off the pedestal and went to get cups, Sabina said, "He's not much a people-person, Sam. He prefers to spend time on his own, reading and stuff."

"That's not all he does," Marie said and they exploded into laughter.

"Oh, shut up, it's not like that at all!" Sabina complained, throwing a frustrated look at her friends, cheeks flushing red.

Sam just stared. "Wait, what do they mean? What else does he do in his room?"

"No, never mind," Sabina quickly said before Marie could say anything else. She put a hand on Sam's shoulder and turned her away, so they were both facing the corner, at some distance from her friends. Sabina paused before saying, "Alex's been going through a rough time. I mean, really rough, PTSD rough. You know what that is, right?"

Sam nodded. At least she had some grasp of what was going on around here, although she still wanted to know what Marie meant.

"Good," Sabina replied. "Because of that, these social...things, I guess, are really hard for him. I mean, he has a therapist and we go to the family meetings, but-but its slow going. It might take years for him to ever be..."

"Ever be what?" Sam asked when Sabina's sentence drifted.

"Normal," she seemed to wince at the word. "It sounds kind of bad when I say it like that, but it's true. I've known him for almost three years – and this is nothing like he used to be. He used to smile and laugh and...and now he doesn't do any of that. Sometimes I wonder if he's back to his old life again, but that wouldn't make a lot of sense. We left the country specifically to get away from it."

"What old life?"

Sabina seemed to realize what she said and quickly added, "Um, don't worry about it. Just give Alex some space, okay? He'll appreciate it."

She turned and went back to filling the cups with smoothies. Sam still stood there, frowning to herself. There was no way she was not going to worry about it now that Sabina said it. The whole matter was going to bother her for the rest of the day, she just knew it.

"Smoothie?" Sabina offered a cup to Sam, who took it because she had no idea what it was. Sabina took the last cup and said, "I'll go bring this up to Alex. Play nice, girls!"

Sam thought that request was an odd one to make. They weren't playing any games. Were they? Sam got frustrated again, wondering if they started playing a game without telling her first.

"So, Sam," Fallon said, swirling her straw in her drink. She had a very suspicious smile on her face and kept stealing glances at her friends. "What happened when you knocked on Alex's door, hmm?"

Earlier, Sam had come down to fetch the frozen peas for Alex and hadn't explained the matter to any of the girls when she opened the freezer and took them out herself. Sabina had tried to say something but gave up when Sam left immediately afterwards, three girls staring after her in bewilderment.

Sam didn't think she needed to explain herself – it made sense if they thought about it, but now Sam started to wonder if taking food without asking first was somehow a bad thing.

She didn't find Fallon's question odd, and just answered honestly, "He was hiding in his closet."

The girls actually fell silent for once, exchanging gaping looks. Fallon's eyebrows shot way up and she looked back at Sam to say, "You're joking, right?"

"No," Sam replied, not appreciating the fact that they doubted her. Why would they doubt her? Sam was telling them the truth! "That's where I found him."

"Wow," Olivia said, flicking her red hair over her shoulder. She snickered as she said, "I can't believe you scared him so bad he had to hide in his closet to get away from you."

"No, I didn't –"

"What did you say that made him so angry earlier?" Marie said. She fixed Sam with a sharp look. "I heard you talking to each other earlier, and then he just stormed off. Were you trying to piss him off?"

"N-no, I...I didn't mean to –"

"It's like you've never even met a boy before," Fallon rolled her eyes, then pointed at her clothes. "I mean, just look at what you're wearing! Did you sleep in those?"

"Well, actually –" Sam tried to say, but was once more cut off, this time by Olivia.

"How old are those jeans, huh?" she demanded. "They don't even fit you right. Where did you get them, a thrift shop?"

"It-it-it isn't tha–"

"Can you even speak English?" Marie snapped, leaning over the counter and squinting at Sam with a suspicious look. "Where are you from? Mother Russia?"

They had a good laugh at that. Meanwhile, Sam was having trouble with just getting a word in edgewise. For some reason, her words weren't coming out right, her tongue hesitated and she couldn't think straight. Sam didn't know what was going on. Why was her face feeling so hot? Her heart beat loud and all she wanted to do was curl up and disappear. But Sam had never felt that way before. What was that about?

These girls, they wouldn't stop, even when Sam couldn't summon any more protestations. All she could do was just stand there and take it, fully knowing that if they didn't stop in less than three second, Sam was going to –

"STOP!" she shouted.

Olivia, Marie, and Fallon jumped in their seats, immediately falling silent and staring at her with wide eyes. Sam had to admit, she didn't think her voice could get so screechy. Her throat hurt from the attempt.

But Sam realized that they weren't looking at her, necessarily. She looked down, surprised to find her hand empty and the glass on the floor, shattered and pink smoothie across her clothes and all over the floor. There were several cuts in her palm from crushing the glass with her grip.

Face still burning, Sam stepped back, surprised. What should she do? Her hand still bleeding, Sam was torn between tending her wounds and cleaning up the mess she made.

Realizing that Sabina would come back to find a mess and probably being less than pleased, Sam reached for the nearby roll of paper towels and started picking up the glass pieces before wiping up the spilt drink.

"Come on," one of the girls said. There was the scrapping of metal across tile as they left their seats. "Let's go into the living room."

"Jesus," Fallon muttered. Sam knew it was her because she glanced up to look as the girls' shadows passed over the kitchen floor. Fallon cast Sam a withering glance before going to Marie and whispering, "What a spaz."

A jolt went through Sam. That word again.

"I know, right?" Marie rolled her eyes, turning her back on the scene. They were speaking in a conspiratorial tones, but Sam could hear them just fine. "You think those airport security guys would know how to screen out people like her."

Sam decided not to get up and comment, considering her previous attempts at defending herself had failed spectacularly. Her mother had taught her it was pointless to keep attempting the same tactic if it didn't work before, to keep doing it was insanity. But her mother never taught her what to do in a situation where she was at a disadvantage, where physical combat would not win her the argument.

It had crossed Sam's mind that maybe punching one of the girls in the face would show her superiority, but it felt cowardly to do so if they didn't hit her first. Never be the one to initiate combat. It was always the final option, when nothing else worked.

But Sam had yet to figure out a way to stand up to these girls without physically harming them. She wondered if she should ask Sabina. Would Sabina be offended, since Olivia and the others were already her friends? She already knew them for some time; Sabina would probably favor them over Sam, who had known her for approximately five hours, thirty seven minutes and fifty-two seconds.

Sam figured it couldn't hurt.

She felt sad that she didn't get a chance to find out what a smoothie tasted like. From everyone else's reaction, it must have been pretty good.

With two handfuls of wet glass, Sam dumped it in the trash bin, and the wet mops of paper after it. They were covered in red streaks and her hand was stinging with contact with the drink. Turning to the sink, Sam let her hand run under cold water, letting the temperature numb her hand a bit. The rushing water helped drown out the chittering of the girls in the living room, allowing Sam a moment to think without interruption.

Spaz. That strange word – but used on her? Sam still didn't know what it meant, but now she had a feeling it didn't mean anything good. Why would they call her that?

Sam wanted to ask. But every time she snuck glances over to the living room, she would catch Olivia or Marie or Fallon watching her, who immediately upon eye contact turned away and started giggling to the others. Sam had the distinct feeling that their discussion was about her.

"Oh, Sam, did you hurt yourself?" Sabina's voice startled Sam out of her reverie. "What happened?"

"I-I..." Her words still fluttered in her mouth. Sam forced a swallow before continuing in a slightly stronger voice. "I broke the glass, cut my hand. Made a mess."

"Really?" Sabina looked at the floor, at the wet and sticky patch of tile where Sam's cup had fallen. Sabina then turned to her friends in the living room, still speaking to Sam, "Did Fallon or Marie...?"

"Oh, she said she'd do it herself!" Olivia called, cupping her hand around her mouth. She just smiled and gave Sabina a helpful shrug. "Sam didn't want our help."

"Right, Sam?" Fallon asked.

Sabina looked back to Sam for confirmation. Sam froze, a deer in the headlights of sixteen eyes carefully watching her. Her gaze floated over to Olivia, who tilted her head in a nonverbal challenge. Next was Fallon, who drew a finger across her throat. Finally, Marie, who just gave Sam a sweet little grin.

Would Sam dare go against their word?

Sam wasn't ready yet. She just gave Sabina a tight-lipped smile, deciding that perhaps it was best to play along. While Sam may be able to physically dominate everyone in this conversation, that possibility was not open, and Sam didn't realize until now how vicious and powerful words could be until now.

She had underestimated Olivia, Marie, and Fallon, who's talking had initially seemed superfluous and jarring to her senses. But they were so much more.

Their way with words could do more damage than a well-placed punch. And the best part about it – the words would leave not a single mark on Sam's skin.

Sabina, not sensing the tension between Sam and Olivia, just nodded and said, "Oh, all right. That's really nice of you, Sam. But, uh, I think you're going to need something for those cuts. I'll go get the first aid kit."

As soon as Sabina disappeared beyond the hall, Sam heard Olivia's high-pitched giggle, mimicking the previous conversation. "Oh, isn't Sam so nice? At least we know she can pick up after herself."

"At least they get one thing right in Russia," Marie replied. This banter continued for a couple moments, only to cut short when Sabina reappeared, a white box in her hand.

She set the box on the counter. There was a red cross emblazoned on it, a symbol Sam was familiar with. Inside were the things Sam expected – gauze, tape, tubes of disinfectant and a box of band-aids. Sabina held out her hand, and it took Sam a moment she was waiting for Sam to give her injured palm to her.

Sabina's fingers were cold, the alcohol wipe even colder. It stung her cuts, brought them back into sharp relief in Sam's mind. But the burn was temporary and quickly replaced by a small patch of light cotton and accompanying bandage.

Sabina didn't seem bothered by the blood. In fact, she seemed rather approving. "Well, at least the cuts were shallow. I was afraid we'd have to take you to the hospital for stitches."

The idea of going to a hospital terrified Sam. She didn't like putting her healthcare into the hands of others. Her mother had taught her to take care of herself, and the only reason Sam didn't oppose to Sabina's medical treatment was because Sabina was nice and so far had shown no malicious intent. Sam couldn't expect that from the nurses and doctors she had never met before in a hospital she had never been to before.

"Thank you." Sam took her hand back, lightly pressing her fingers into her other palm, allowing the sponges to soak the extra blood. She made a fist, testing the flexibility. The bandages limited her movement, but not too much to be inconvenient. "That feels much better."

Sabina cast Sam a smile as she put away the gauze and other tools. "Good. I'm surprised, from the look on your face, you didn't seem hurt."

"I've had worse." Sam admitted, which didn't seem to surprise the other girl.

"Yeah, heard that one before," she laughed, snapping the box latches into place and picking it off the counter. "You and Alex can share stories. He's had plenty of, um, adventures."

"Oh, cool," Sam didn't really know how to take that information. Alex didn't seem that open to conversation, and in her opinion wasn't much of a sharer. She followed Sabina out of the kitchen – partly with the intent to talk about her friends, and also to get away from them. As soon as Olivia and the other girls were out of earshot, Sam asked, "Um, I have a question."

"Sure," Sabina said, stopping in the first floor bathroom to stash the box in the mirror cupboard. "What is it?"

Sam took a second to phrase her question. "What do you do...when people are mean to you?"

Sabina closed the mirror and paused, brow furrowing at her reflection. Then she turned to Sam and said, "What do you mean? Like, a-a bully? The kind that pushes you around?"

Sam knew the word 'bully', although this was an unfamiliar context. But she guessed what Sabina meant and went on, words streaming out of her mouth in a sudden burst, "I-I guess. I mean, they don't actually touch me or anything, it's just the way they talk, you know? I-I'm not sure if this makes any sense, but I just feel so stupid, the way they make me feel and I don't know what to do because, well, what I want to do is punch them in the face but – well, I guess from the look on your face that's a bad idea – but what do I do, then, if I can't do that? Because I'm not at anything else and I don't think I can just stand there and take it because I'll just end up breaking something besides their face –"

"Whoa, okay, slow down," Sabina waved her hands in the air, swiping fast enough to catch Sam's attention and get her to stop. "You're going a little fast for me. Okay, is this about Alex? Because I know he's a little rough around the edges but if he's really being mean to you..."

Sam shook her head, having no idea what made Sabina assume this had to be about Alex. "Um, not exactly. It's a girl. Well, more than one..."

"Oh." Sabina frowned. Then her eyes widened when she figured out what was going on. "Oh. You mean Olivia, don't you? And Fallon and Marie? Oh, jeez," she smacked her forehead, a gesture that surprised Sam. "I should've known this would happen."

Sam remained silent, waiting for Sabina's reaction to ferment. Was she angry at Sam or at the other girls?

But Sabina just sighed and gave Sam a beleaguered smile. "Okay, you see, Olivia is kind of a, um, judgmental sort of person. She just likes to stick to her group of friends, you know, and she's sometimes a little hostile to new people. Fallon and Marie just like to follow along. They were like that to me, when I first moved here, so I know what you're going through. Don't worry about it, Sam, I'll go talk to them. So we can just skip this stupid hazing thing and move on with our lives."

Sam's shoulders sagged in relief. "Oh, thank you so much. I didn't know how to talk to them..."

"Yeah, it's fine," Sabina said, walking by and giving Sam a reassuring pat on her back. "I'll take care of it. By dinnertime tonight, we're all going to be great friends!"

Sam gave the girl a big grin. She trusted Sabina. She knew she would keep to her word.

"All right, girls," Sabina declared, marching into the living room with hands on her hips. Olivia, Marie, and Fallon all turned around with open looks, curious. "I know Sam's new here, but that's no reason to tease her, okay? My parents are going to be back soon and I don't want them seeing all of you fighting. Tonight's only going to be fun!"

She finished this by throwing her arms in the air, exuding cheer and enthusiasm. Olivia was smiling and nodding, saying, "Oh, of course! That's completely fine!"

Marie pressed a hand to her chest, looking honestly surprised. She gave Sam a purely innocent look. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know what we said hurt your feelings!"

Fallon pouted her lips, bringing her eyebrows up in a look of apology. "Can you ever forgive us?"

Sam blinked, staring at each of them in turn. This was a surprising turn of events. She didn't expect these girls to take it so well. Maybe she had them all wrong after all. So she just gave them her best smile and said, "I forgive you. I'm just glad this is all over."

"So am I," Sabina said, huffing with an air of confidence after having successfully navigated the situation. "Now it's movie time!"

They gathered on the seats around the TV, Olivia and Fallon making room so Sam could sit between them while Sabina and Marie decided on what movie to watch. Olivia complimented Sam's shoes and Fallon asked how she got her hair to be so curly. Sam was pleased with this new, flattering attention, and as Sabina darkened the room and the TV screen lit up, Sam thought Olivia, Fallon, and Marie had finally accepted her.

Unfortunately, Sam shouldn't have been so naive.

A/N: I thought of some of my friends' names, nice people, and used their names for the bullies, to see if that would make any difference in writing them, as opposed to using a stereotypical alpha bitch name. Turns out, it doesn't really effect characterization, although now I have an aversion to ever naming my future children Olivia or Marie or Fallon. Strange.