“They move their bags when I try to sit down. They whisper when I answer questions. They call me a teacher’s pet because I actually do my homework. They laugh when I get something right, and if I get something wrong, they act like it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever seen.”
She looked away.
“In gym class, they won’t pass me the ball. If the teacher tells us to work in pairs, everybody suddenly has a partner except me.”
I felt sick.
Emily had always been a good student. She studied hard, cared about her grades, and wanted to make something of herself.
I had praised her for those things.
I had never considered that the same qualities might become weapons in the hands of cruel teenagers.
“How long has this been happening?” I asked.
She shrugged.
“A while.”
“How long, Emily?”
“Since the beginning of the term. Maybe before.”
