Page 41 of Forever

“The plague?”

“Yes. I lost my younger brother. And then I was terrified…” he stopped talking when he looked up at me. He cleared his throat. “I mean I saw a documentary about it. My brother coincidentally died soon after the documentary. And I was terrified. So I stayed home.”

“Nigel, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“It was a long time ago.” But you could hear the sadness in his voice.

It wasn’tthatlong ago. Nigel was young. Definitely younger than I was. “I’m really sorry.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“It’s actually nice having a little guy around again,” Nigel said and looked over at Jacob. “My brother was about that age when the sickness got him.”

What sickness? I wanted to ask more questions, but I didn’t want to push him. “You’re really good with Jacob. I’m sure you were good with your brother too.”

Nigel nodded. “I’m a natural caregiver. I always have been. It’s a blessing and a curse.”

Okay.

“But I digress. What I mean to say is that I understand you. Once the plague ended…or…people forgot about the scary documentary…I still didn’t leave the house for quite some time. People made fun of me around town. They used to throw rocks and sticks at me.”

Oh my God.What town had he grown up in? And where on earth were his parents during all of this? Someone should have stopped him from watching that documentary. “I’m so sorry, Nigel. That’s awful.”

“Actually people still make fun of me for a lot of things.” He sounded so dejected. “I think no one realizes that I can hear when they call me weird. Or maybe they do. Someone shouted it in my face one time. It was very hurtful. I don’t think people realize how much words can hurt.” He looked down at his lap.

I pressed my lips together. “You know what?”

He looked back up at me.

“People thought I was weird when I first moved to the city.”

“Yeah?”

Maybe not weird exactly. But they definitely thought I was different. I nodded. “I didn’t fit in at all. I didn’t have lots of money like the other students at Empire High, and I was a complete outcast. Barely anyone spoke to me.”

“I can’t imagine you being an outcast, mademoiselle.”

“Trust me, I was. And people used to say mean things to me too.” I pictured Isabella calling me trash and laughing. And Mrs. Pruitt saying those awful things about my mother.

“People can be so cruel.”

They really can be.“I think when someone is different, it scares people. But different isn’t bad.”

“It isn’t?”

“Not at all. There is only oneyou. So why should you try to be anything other than you? I actually think being weird is a compliment. Who wants to be normal, anyway?”

“I train regularly on being a normal modern day boy, and I hate it.”

I laughed. I had no idea what he was talking about. “Don’t ever change, Nigel. Don’t let the haters win. Screw them.”

He smiled. “Yes. Screw them. Next time someone says something mean about me I’m going to throw my hand grenade at them. I finally found the pin, but I’m ready to take it out again.”

“Well, maybe not that. It’s better to just ignore them.” I pictured Isabella’s cruel smile. “Sometimes people that lash out are actually very unhappy in their own life. They’re just trying to find something else to focus on so they don’t have to look inside themselves and face their own demons. So just smile and keep being you. Ignore them.”

Nigel smiled. “People hate being ignored. I love it!”

I laughed. “And maybe we can call them Wizzys behind their backs.”

“Wizzys?”

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