Andie kissed her mother and grandmother goodbye and headed out the front door. Natalie was waiting at the front of her house, so the smaller girl ran out to her. Andrea noticed that Nattie looked worried.
As Andie ran up to her friend, she gave her a hug. "Wow," Natalie commented, "you sure are in a good mood today! Why are you so cheerful this morning?"
"You are not gonna believe what happened to me last night!" Andrea replied.
"I hope it included getting twenty bucks," Nattie remarked. "I had to get an advance on my allowance just to pay this week."
"Hey, that's great," Andie said. "Maybe we can get ice cream after school!"
"ANDIE!" Natalie shouted. "Don't you remember what Derek Stiles and Betty Harper told us yesterday?"
"Yup!" Andrea replied. "But I'm not gonna pay them! And you know what? Neither are you!"
Nattie stared at her friend as they walked along. "This thing that happened to you last night... did it involve men in white coats putting you in a nice padded cell?"
"Very funny," the smaller girl replied. "Truth is, last night I became Bumblebee!"
"Oh, that makes sense," Natalie remarked. "Let's see, that's a little bug that Stiles would squash under his foot if it tried anything funny."
"Oh, maybe," Andrea replied. "Then again, maybe it's a little bug that got so tired of getting squashed that it decided to sting instead!"
"Andrea," Natalie intoned, "I hope you're not planning to do something really stupid."
"Don't worry," Bumblebee replied. "All I'm gonna do is something somebody should have done long ago."
The two petite girls rounded the corner onto the school grounds. There on the edge of the lawn were Derek Stiles and Betty Harper. Derek was pushing a stout boy's face into the grass as Betty stood over the two. Beside them were about two dozen other frightened boys and girls. Andrea recognized the overweight boy as Greg Combs.
"Hey, look! It's the flea circus!" Derek yelled as he saw Andrea and Natalie. "If you two know what's good for you, you'll stay there until you pay up!" The bully looked at Greg and said, "Tubby here didn't want to pay the full ten bucks. He said," Derek taunted in a mock whiny voice, "he was hungry!" Then the bully pushed Greg's face into the grass and sneered, "Well, let's make sure he gets plenty to eat! C'mon, cow! Chew your cud, cow! We don't want the big fat cow to go hungry, now do we? C'mon, cow!! Chew your cud so you can make lots of milk, you big fat blubber-faced cow!!"
Andrea took off her backpack and ran up to Derek as fast as she could. She ran into the bully, planting her shoulder into the boy's ribs. "OWW!" yelled Derek as he tumbled to the ground.
Andie heard some gasps as she helped Greg up. No one -- not even Betty, she noticed -- could believe what she had just done. She knew better than to turn her back on Derek Stiles, so she kept her eye on him.
Sure enough, the bully got up and approached her. "That was really stupid, shrimp girl," Derek snarled.
"Go jump in the lake, Pig Stiles," Andrea replied.
The students around them giggled at Andie's insult, but quieted after a fierce look from Derek. The boy raced at Andrea, arms poised to strike. Andrea dodged him as he threw a punch at her. The bully reached out and leaned over, trying to connect his next hit. Andrea dodged his fist; then, before the bully could pull back, Andie gave him a good solid blow to his left cheek.
Not even Andrea could believe what happened then.
Derek clutched his cheek and dropped to his knees on the grass. "YOU HIIIIIIT MEEEEEEE!!!" he screamed, tears running down his cheeks.
"Oh, knock it off!" Andrea snapped. "I didn't hit you all THAT hard!" She looked around to see everyone staring at Derek Stiles, open-mouthed. No one could believe he was acting like that.
"BET - TEEE!!" Derek cried to Betty Harper. "GET HER!!!"
Betty approached Andrea. "You're - You're in big trouble, you little... I mean--"
Andrea knew that her former friend didn't feel comfortable fighting her, or even insulting her. She realized she didn't really want to fight Betty either. Andie had a hunch. She turned to the tall girl and yelled, "Yeah, Betty! Some friend you were! You stopped being my friend to hang out with the biggest crybaby in the school! Well I hope you're proud of choosing Crybaby Derek over me!" Andie looked at Derek and continued, "Yeah, I'm little! I'd rather be two inches tall than hang around with THAT!!" She stepped over to the crying bully and sneered, in the same tone he had used the day before, "What do you know? They not make Pampers big enough for big baby Derek to wear, either!"
"SHUT UP!!" Derek screamed through tears.
Andie looked at Betty Harper. She could tell her words had struck her harder than any punch or kick could have.
Andrea looked at Derek and added, "Oh, I almost forgot." She reached into his shirt pocket and forcefully yanked out a small roll of bills.
"OWWWWWW!!" the bully wailed.
Andrea turned away from the bullies and walked to Greg. "I think this belongs to you," she said, handing the money to her friend.
"Uhh... Thanks, Andie," Greg replied, taking the cash that Derek had taken from him moments earlier.
Andrea approached the crowd of students. "Did any of you pay anything to those guys today?" she asked. When everyone shook his or her head "no", Andie told them, "Okay, no sense in us all being late for class." She turned her head to the bullies and said, "Let's leave the crybaby with his friend."
"I'LL GET YOU ALL FOR THIS!!" Derek shouted through his crying. By now all his victims were walking off.
Natalie cut through the crowd to get back to her friend's side. "Andie," Nattie gasped, "just what DID happen to you last night??"
As Andie ran up to her friend, she gave her a hug. "Wow," Natalie commented, "you sure are in a good mood today! Why are you so cheerful this morning?"
"You are not gonna believe what happened to me last night!" Andrea replied.
"I hope it included getting twenty bucks," Nattie remarked. "I had to get an advance on my allowance just to pay this week."
"Hey, that's great," Andie said. "Maybe we can get ice cream after school!"
"ANDIE!" Natalie shouted. "Don't you remember what Derek Stiles and Betty Harper told us yesterday?"
"Yup!" Andrea replied. "But I'm not gonna pay them! And you know what? Neither are you!"
Nattie stared at her friend as they walked along. "This thing that happened to you last night... did it involve men in white coats putting you in a nice padded cell?"
"Very funny," the smaller girl replied. "Truth is, last night I became Bumblebee!"
"Oh, that makes sense," Natalie remarked. "Let's see, that's a little bug that Stiles would squash under his foot if it tried anything funny."
"Oh, maybe," Andrea replied. "Then again, maybe it's a little bug that got so tired of getting squashed that it decided to sting instead!"
"Andrea," Natalie intoned, "I hope you're not planning to do something really stupid."
"Don't worry," Bumblebee replied. "All I'm gonna do is something somebody should have done long ago."
The two petite girls rounded the corner onto the school grounds. There on the edge of the lawn were Derek Stiles and Betty Harper. Derek was pushing a stout boy's face into the grass as Betty stood over the two. Beside them were about two dozen other frightened boys and girls. Andrea recognized the overweight boy as Greg Combs.
"Hey, look! It's the flea circus!" Derek yelled as he saw Andrea and Natalie. "If you two know what's good for you, you'll stay there until you pay up!" The bully looked at Greg and said, "Tubby here didn't want to pay the full ten bucks. He said," Derek taunted in a mock whiny voice, "he was hungry!" Then the bully pushed Greg's face into the grass and sneered, "Well, let's make sure he gets plenty to eat! C'mon, cow! Chew your cud, cow! We don't want the big fat cow to go hungry, now do we? C'mon, cow!! Chew your cud so you can make lots of milk, you big fat blubber-faced cow!!"
Andrea took off her backpack and ran up to Derek as fast as she could. She ran into the bully, planting her shoulder into the boy's ribs. "OWW!" yelled Derek as he tumbled to the ground.
Andie heard some gasps as she helped Greg up. No one -- not even Betty, she noticed -- could believe what she had just done. She knew better than to turn her back on Derek Stiles, so she kept her eye on him.
Sure enough, the bully got up and approached her. "That was really stupid, shrimp girl," Derek snarled.
"Go jump in the lake, Pig Stiles," Andrea replied.
The students around them giggled at Andie's insult, but quieted after a fierce look from Derek. The boy raced at Andrea, arms poised to strike. Andrea dodged him as he threw a punch at her. The bully reached out and leaned over, trying to connect his next hit. Andrea dodged his fist; then, before the bully could pull back, Andie gave him a good solid blow to his left cheek.
Not even Andrea could believe what happened then.
Derek clutched his cheek and dropped to his knees on the grass. "YOU HIIIIIIT MEEEEEEE!!!" he screamed, tears running down his cheeks.
"Oh, knock it off!" Andrea snapped. "I didn't hit you all THAT hard!" She looked around to see everyone staring at Derek Stiles, open-mouthed. No one could believe he was acting like that.
"BET - TEEE!!" Derek cried to Betty Harper. "GET HER!!!"
Betty approached Andrea. "You're - You're in big trouble, you little... I mean--"
Andrea knew that her former friend didn't feel comfortable fighting her, or even insulting her. She realized she didn't really want to fight Betty either. Andie had a hunch. She turned to the tall girl and yelled, "Yeah, Betty! Some friend you were! You stopped being my friend to hang out with the biggest crybaby in the school! Well I hope you're proud of choosing Crybaby Derek over me!" Andie looked at Derek and continued, "Yeah, I'm little! I'd rather be two inches tall than hang around with THAT!!" She stepped over to the crying bully and sneered, in the same tone he had used the day before, "What do you know? They not make Pampers big enough for big baby Derek to wear, either!"
"SHUT UP!!" Derek screamed through tears.
Andie looked at Betty Harper. She could tell her words had struck her harder than any punch or kick could have.
Andrea looked at Derek and added, "Oh, I almost forgot." She reached into his shirt pocket and forcefully yanked out a small roll of bills.
"OWWWWWW!!" the bully wailed.
Andrea turned away from the bullies and walked to Greg. "I think this belongs to you," she said, handing the money to her friend.
"Uhh... Thanks, Andie," Greg replied, taking the cash that Derek had taken from him moments earlier.
Andrea approached the crowd of students. "Did any of you pay anything to those guys today?" she asked. When everyone shook his or her head "no", Andie told them, "Okay, no sense in us all being late for class." She turned her head to the bullies and said, "Let's leave the crybaby with his friend."
"I'LL GET YOU ALL FOR THIS!!" Derek shouted through his crying. By now all his victims were walking off.
Natalie cut through the crowd to get back to her friend's side. "Andie," Nattie gasped, "just what DID happen to you last night??"