Page 59 of The Mentor
I nodded. “That’s right, don’t take any shit from anybody.”
Kya made a sound of disapproval. “That’s exactly the strategy that got six and half billion people killed during the Toxic War. One act of aggression was reciprocated by ten, and next thing the world was in flames, species extinct, and half of the earth uninhabitable because of radiation and toxic pollution.”
“I’m not telling him to throw a bomb, just to stand up for himself,” I pointed out and looked at Nieall. “As long as you don’t cause your opponent severe damage, I don’t see the problem.”
“And I’m pointing out that aggression isn’t the solution,” Kya said annoyed.
Nieall drew a heavy sigh but at least he wasn’t crying anymore. “I don’t want to start a war with the boys,” he muttered.
“Isn’t there anything you’re really good at? You know something that would impress them?” I asked, trying to come up with a solution that didn’t involve physical strength, which Kya didn’t approve of and this boy clearly didn’t have much of anyway.
“No, not really.”
“How about drawing? Are you artistic?”
He shook his head, his lips turning downward.
“Are you a fast runner? Can you sing or just burp the alphabet?… Anything would help.”
With shoulders sagging, Nieall once again shook his head. “No, I’m not really good at anything.”
“Hmm.” I let my hand run through my hair, thinking hard.
“Should I take the lunch crew and get started?” a female voice asked behind us.
I spun around to see Shelly Summers standing behind us. “Hey, wait a minute, aren’t you supposed to be a genius or something?”
“I guess, why?” She asked with a guarded attitude.
“Okay, then I have a riddle for you. Do you like riddles?”
“I guess,” she said again and for a genius I didn’t find her very articulate.
“Right, if a boy wants to impress a group of boys, but he’s not good at anything, then how does he do it?”
Shelly’s eyes flew to Nieall before she spoke. “That’s an easy one,” she said.
“Easy?” I said intrigued that the nerdy teenager apparently thought there was a solution to this.
“We could use Nieall as an example,” she said, revealing that she knew full well that we were talking about him. “Is that okay?”
He nodded.
“A boy like you might think that he’s not good at anything. Especially if he compares himself to the boys here, who are all so athletic. But there’s an obvious area where you are superior to them.”
“There is?” Nieall’s eyes lit up.
Shelly nodded. “Haven’t you noticed how awkward they get around girls? I think they’re a bit mystified by us and that they wish they could be as relaxed around us as you are. You could just walk up and talk to any of us women or girls here, couldn’t you?”
Nieall wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, but that’s not something special.”
“Oh, but it is,” Shelly insisted. “The Nboys might be strong and brave, but they have no clue how to talk to girls and they often make fools of themselves.”
I snorted. “What do you expect? It’s not like you women and girls are very easy to figure out. Your thoughts are illogical, and you send more mixed signals than a cockpit with a loose connection.” My eyes met Kya’s.
“Case closed,” Shelly said and gave Nieall a satisfied smile. “You could barter with them, you know.” She narrowed her eyebrows and since they were already bushy it kind of made it look like she had a mono-brow.
“Barter?” Nieall asked and clearly didn’t understand the expression.
