Harvey cannot pronounce Jeff's name clearly.


FIVE – STAMMER

Harvey stared at himself in the mirror, his tongue poking out between his lips. He closed his eyes for a brief second, before they snapped open again, the single word on the tip of his tongue sputtering into his bedroom.

"J-Jeff."

At the stutter, Harvey sighed miserably and slumped back onto his bed, his tongue retreating back into his mouth. Every night, he had been practicing, and so far, he hadn't been able to say his tormentor's name without stammering all over the place. It was humiliating, as whenever Jeff singled him out at school, Harvey had to use Jeff's name in every answer, which the Deputy Head Prefect pounced on, making Harvey repeat his name several times and laughing at the stammers with malice.

His tormentor's name was simple to say. Just one syllable. Yet, he struggled to simply say it outright and understood that Jeff would keep badgering him about it until he struggled no more.

"Harvey! Time for bed!"

Sighing at his mother's command, Harvey shifted around so that he could pull back his bedcovers and slide into his bed. He yanked the covers back over him and curled up into a ball, trepidation for the next day already scarring his rest.


"Say my name."

It was the end of the school day, and Jeff was preventing Harvey from walking out of the school gates by blocking him. His friends were trying to get Jeff to move out of the way, but Jeff wouldn't budge, and with Peter threatening the rest of SPLAT, they soon gave up and were forced to watch their friend suffer.

Harvey cowered, whispering: "J-Jeff."

The elder boy grinned wickedly. "Say it again."

"J-J-Jeff."

Throwing his head back, the Prefect cackled. "You can't even utter my name without stammering! How pathetic are you, Wheezy?!"

Harvey flinched at the cruel nickname, but continued on with repeating the name. "J-Jeff, J-Jeff, J-J-J-Jeff…"

Peter snorted from a short distance, his sudden suggestion chilling Harvey to the bone.

"Maybe Hunter needs speech therapy. Should we assist him?"

Eyes lighting up, Jeff nodded vigorously. "Nice idea, Peter." He stepped forwards, raising his fist towards Harvey. In the background, Lloyd cried out, but he was too late to warn his little brother as Jeff's fist smashed into Harvey's mouth, causing the younger boy to burst into tears at the pain.

As blood was spat out onto the playground floor, Jeff snorted. "Say my name now, Wheezy."

"J-J-J-Jeff…"

Another fist collided with Harvey's face, his lips bruising mere moments after impact.

"Again."

Harvey sobbed, swallowing the blood down the back of his throat. His body twitching madly, he screamed out: "JEFF!"

At the clear pronunciation, both Jeff and Peter blinked in shock, whilst the rest of SPLAT cheered their friend for overcoming his stammer. Doubled over, Harvey gasped in happiness. He hadn't stammered! It was a miracle!

His relief was short-lived, as seconds later, a third hit bulleted into his right cheek, sending him sprawling onto the ground, where darkness soon consumed his vision.