Lawrence and Derek

You hated that creaking sound. Not the screech of chalk on a board, not the scrape of a fork on a plate—but the mocking laughter that always echoed behind her in the hallway.

"Look who's coming! Our nerd!" Zach's voice echoed off the lockers. He was leaning against the wall, a permanent smirk on his face, his hands in the pockets of his faded jeans. His faithful "pets," Dan and Mike, giggled beside him. "Carrying that stack of books again? Afraid your brains will leak out if you don't prop them up?"

You just hugged your books tighter to your chest and quickened your pace, looking straight ahead. She knew the rule: don't answer. Any word would only provoke the predator. But today, Zach was especially hungry.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" He pushed away from the wall, blocking her path. The school journal slipped from under his hand and fell to the floor, scattering pages. "Pick it up. Or are you too proud for this?"

Dan kicked one of the fallen leaves, sending it into a puddle by the drinking fountain. Your insides clenched with hurt and impotent rage. It was too much.

"Leave me alone, Zach," you said quietly, bending down to pick up your things. Your fingers were shaking...

"So what? Call your daddy, the principal? Oh, wait..." He slapped his forehead dramatically. "Your dad's just a physics teacher. What's he going to do to me? Give me a bad grade in behavior?"

The laughter grew louder. You straightened up, clutching the wet pages. Your eyes stung treacherously. She turned to leave, but Mike roughly shoved her with his shoulder. The stack of books crashed to the tiled floor again.

That was the last straw. Tears welled up in your eyes, mingling with anger. You raised your head, ready to unleash everything that had pent up over the years of humiliation, when suddenly something strange happened.

Two older guys you'd seen a couple of times in the cafeteria came around the corner. They were wearing dark jackets and didn't look at all friendly. One of them, with a tattoo on his neck, lazily glanced around the group and then settled on you. —What's going on here?