Page 28 of Betraying Bexley

Chapter 5

Bex glanced at the door as Eito stepped into the room. His hands were shoved into his pockets, but she knew the knuckles on his right hand had been busted. He fought Kenner and won. Had Mr. Aquino not stepped in when he did, Kenner might have been hurt more than he was. It should have disgusted her. Made her fearful of the guy—Eito, instead, she was in awe of him. The guy acted like it’d been no big deal. He hadn’t even exerted himself. Even now, as he took his seat in the row next to Bex, he acted like nothing happened.

He also didn’t say anything to her. Though his words did sting. Perhaps he’d been right. She needed to stop simpering. She needed to get stronger. Stand up for herself. Stop being the victim.

When the bell rang for class to start, Mr. Aquino entered the room. He appeared harried and a bit out of sorts. She could only imagine how he felt. It seemed like every time something happened to her, he never got there in time. She figured it was a coincidence or maybe paranoia. Seeing it now, with Eito, gave her pause.

“Today we’re doing something a little different,” Mr. Aquino said. “History is supposed to teach you about the past, so that society doesn’t make the same mistakes in the future or adapts the things that worked and make them better.”

Bex scrunched up her nose.What?

"Today is a personal project. It's about bullying. We'll call this a social project of sorts. I want you to write a small essay about a time when you were bullied. I want to know if someone helped you or if you felt alone. Then I want you to come up with a list of improvements a school or adults or both can do to combat bullying and the stigmatism associated with it."

Fear gripped her. A lump formed in Bex’s throat making it almost impossible to breathe. Write about bullying? Was Mr. Aquino nuts? Did he not understand what would happen to her if she even uttered a word of the abuse she’d sustained not only from the people at school, but her father? No, she couldn’t do this. It put her at risk. It would put all of them at risk.

“These can be anonymous,” Mr. Aquino added. “I don’t care if you don’t put your name on the paper, just date them. The assignment is due Monday at the start of class. You may work alone or in pairs, if you’d like. You’ll have the whole class period to begin working on this, starting now.”

Bex stared at the teacher, baffled by his request and the odd inflection of his voice. Something happened, duh, she knew it had to do with her, but there was a gloominess to her favorite teacher. Almost like despair. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it made her sick. The black cloud hanging over her, lowered, suffocating her. He was upset, again, because of her. Wouldn’t it be better for all parties concerned if she went away and never came back? At least then no one would have to worry about her or be forced to give a damn.

“Hey,” Eito said, drawing her attention to him. “Would you like to work together?”

She stared at him, a bruise forming on his right cheek where Kenner hit him, along with a split lip.A broken prince. The regal air about him hadn’t diminished, even though he’d been in a tussle. “Work t-together? Us?”

He nodded. “I figured you’d have the best suggestions.”

“B-Because I d-don’t f-fight back?” She frowned.

Pink filled his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that to you. I was angry at the situation and lashed out.”

Same thing her father used to say too after he beat her. “N-No worries.”

It was his turn to frown. “Why do you hide?”

Bex sat back. “Huh?”

“You hide. You have a lot more strength than you give yourself credit for.” Eito moved the empty desk in front of her and turned it around. “I saw it when you came back to school.”

She touched her cheek. “W-What else am I supposed to do?”

“I bet if you kicked one of their asses once, they’d leave you alone.”

Bex laughed, not because she found humor in what he said, but because of how naive the statement truly was. “You h-have no idea w-what I d-deal with on a d-daily b-basis.”

“I’ve caught a glimpse of it a couple of times now,” he murmured.

“The aftermath, you mean.” Bex shook her head. “I wish I was strong. I wish...”

“Did you know when you get pissed off, your stutter goes away?” Eito’s brown eyes twinkled with naughtiness and genuine concern. “How long have you had it... The stutter.”

"A-all my l-life." She hated it. She wished she could make it go away all the time. She wondered what her life would have been like if she didn't have the stutter. Would she have been a part of The Bitches or at least had friends?

“That’s terrible and no one tried to help you overcome it?”

She shook her head.

“So, what would you like to see happen to help those students who might be bullied, and no one knows about it?” Eito grabbed his notebook and a pencil. “You have to have a million ides, right?”

Maybe. “I c-can’t do this.” She fisted her hands in her lap and closed her eyes.

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