age 14

Oliver age 13

The rich smell of old textbooks surrounds me. I'm tucked away in my favorite place among the twelve-foot high bookshelves with my open books and that textbooks surrounding me in a half-circle in a far back corner of St. Mary's private school's ancient library. I'm waiting for Gemma's soccer practice to end and I have some free time before I go home and work on my studies before passing out with sore eye sockets and a migraine.

The last two weeks I've been up till three am working on my school work to be sure I am two weeks ahead in all my assignments. I've gone out of my way to my professors requesting future assignments so Dad can have them looked over and approved unable to use my schoolwork as an excuse to cancel this weekend like he's done once before. I'm exhausted and my brain feels like mush, but everything has come together perfectly for Ollie and Maggie's holiday visit during our Easter break. This will be their first trip here and to say I am excited for Ollie to come and stay with us for a change is an understatement.

I've already got our activities and itinerary lined up, with his suggestions of course-.

Ding

My new iPhone 1 signals a message coming in on the messaging board Ollie and I have both downloaded to use to message back and forth.

I set my physics textbook aside and grab my phone leaning back against the old bookshelves sucking on my lips and adjust my wire glasses to my face.

Ollie: got my trunk all sorted for this week! Will I get jumped for wearing this to the American Football match?

An image comes through so I tap it and it opens with Ollie and his long brown hair swept off to the side, a handsome, wide cheesy smile and one of his Manchester United football jerseys held out by his gangly arms in a boastful manner.

I giggle quietly to myself and pull my knees to my chest finding myself gazing at Ollie's funny smile daydreaming about how much fun we are going to have in just a matter of a few days.

"Eww, what are you doing back here Easy-Reazy?"

I cringe instantly from the voice of Darla and know the two other minions will be along shortly.

As if on queue the two others appear their blonde hair styled the same way as Darla. Pin straight down to the middle of their backs with a navy Blue Ribbon working as a headband.

Darla, Whitney, and Britney have for some unknown reason to me have had it out for me this year. I don't understand the inner workings of their minds to figure out why these girls don't like me, and I often wonder if they even have anything going on their minds at all.

I set my phone down and grab a textbook, trying to look as though I'm busy so they can just move on.

"Oh, I see rich Daddy Reazpoe got you the first iPhone." Darla swipes it and turns it over, "Oh my God who is this hottie? Hold on...girls? Why does he look familiar?"

"Give me my phone, Darla." I stand fixing the pleats on my plaid skirt quickly and reach for it, my blood pressure rising to the high rafters of this old library.

"Is this...oh my God. Is this Ralphie Baker? Oh, Brit help me what's his real name?" She dodges my attempt to grab my phone and looks to Brittany for help.

"Ollie Thomas!"

"Shit, that's it! Are you stalking Ollie Thomas?!" Darla turns to me wide-eyed but grinning like the evil girl she is.

"No, I'd like my phone back please."

The phone dings again in her hand, and I feel nauseous suddenly knowing it's Ollie sending another message when I haven't yet responded to the other.

"Darla, give me my phone back."

I reach again but she hits my hand away, dismissing me with disgust. She wipes her hand on the vest of her school uniform and taps the screen, her blue eyes going to perfect circles. "Oh my God girls, I think...Eazy is the two of you friends?"

"I want it back now," I demand stepping to her but I'm instantly shoved back in the chest by Whitney. My foot catches on the books strewn out behind me and I fall straight back onto my butt with a grunt. My skirt flies up and thankfully I wore tights today otherwise these evil girls would have a clear view of my underwear.

"You are so pathetic." Darla chides and taps the screen holding the phone towards me, "let's see how Thomas likes this."

When the phone makes the sound of a camera flash, I growl and jump back up and I'm unable to stop myself.

It's been a full year of constant torture from these girls.

I cry out and barrel into Darla ramming her straight into Whitney. The two of them crash into a bookshelf causing dominos of books to come falling on top of us. I turn to grab my fallen phone but my hair is nearly ripped from my scalp by Britney as she rips me this way and that way screaming like a spycho.

Tears fill my eyes from the burn on my scalp so I reach up trying to pry her fingers off to alleviate the burning on my scalp. But then a hard blow to my hunched over stomach has me wheezing for air when Darla kicks the air from my stomach.

Another pair of hands pull at my hair while Britney still whips me around. All I can do is hold on to the pair of hands in my hair and keep my eyes shut hard as I take another kick into my stomach.

"Oh! Fight!" I hear from somewhere and hope this girl doesn't decide to join in as well.

"Record this Whitney! Grab her phone!" Darla orders. I'm pulled and pushed until I lose my footing trying to keep up with all the ways these girls are ripping me around.

My hair breaks free and the burning on my scalp eases, so I lift my head and fist Britney's uniform jacket into my hands, and ram her hard into the stacks of books behind us. Then I'm ripped off of her and thrown to the ground by someone else and kicked in the side of the head.

"Hey!"

I push myself up watching Gemma and her best friend, Ally, jump in instantly stopping the fight.

"Mur, are you okay?" Gemma pulls me from the ground that is littered with clumps of my hair.

"I'm fine. They took my phone." I say between my heaving breaths.

"Give me her God Damn phone!" Gemma barks turning to face that cowering trio huddled together by Ally.

"Miss Reazpoe! Language- oh my lord!" Sister Jean appears amongst the crowd of girls looking at me, to the ground of fallen books and ripped hair, then to the girls cowering by Ally. "All six of you, headmaster's office. Now!"

Whitney hands Gemma the phone then we all follow behind knowing we are all about to be in trouble...but not as bad as we are when we get home.

🦋🦋

"I foresee this kind of behavior from Gemma. But from you Muriel? Over this?" Dad says sitting behind his desk in his office with a scowl set hard into his face. He lifts my phone and taps the screen looking through the messages Ollie and I have been sending back and forth.

"They've been bullying me all year. I'm sorry, I just snapped. It doesn't have anything to do with my phone or anyone else."

"On the contrary, Sister Jean said the fight was caused because of the phone. Your mother had persuaded me into allowing you to have a phone but clearly, you are not mature enough to own something like this."

"Dad, you can't! They started it! I swear I-"

"Muriel, this phone is gone. Permanently, if you want to keep digging a hole then keep going."

I screw my mouth shut and fall back into the chair holding my book back close to my chest angry that now I would have to wait to explain to Ollie what that fight video was even about.

Yes, those evil girls sent the video. And Ollie responded but I wasn't able to see what he wrote because Sister Jean confiscated my phone and gave It to my father when he and mom came to pick Gemma and me up.

"I'd like to see your Argumentative Essay. Now please." Dad opens his desk drawer and tosses my phone inside.

I fumble through my book bag for the essay that I have worked on and have it as a final draft more than two weeks ahead of schedule. I've yet to tell him I chose a different topic than what we had agreed on so I contemplate a lie to prevent handing over the essay.

"Now. Muriel." He instructs while I pause when my fingers find the essay sheathed in a fancy portfolio.

"I...I had a change of heart...on the essay topic." I say hoping if I give him a moment's warning he will take the change better.

"A different topic?" He fixes his glasses to his face and glares down at the essay in his hands.  "'Third World Countries and Experimental Medicine'". He exhales a slow growl tossing it to his desk, falling back into his chair to massage the bridge of his nose.

"We agreed on Climate Change."

"I-I know. But Father Morris said this essay could be about anything we have interest in and-"

"Muriel, Universities don't care about third world countries. They care about Climate change. Or abortion among other things. You need to remember who your audience is. This, this is an absolute waste of time." He snatches the essay from the desk and throws it into the garbage bin beneath his desk.

"But-."

"At this point given your choices I don't think it's best Maggie and Oliver come out. You are grounded based on your poor behavior today."

"You can't!" My eyes fill with angry tears.

"Say one more thing and you'll never get your phone back."

My throat twists from a building sob but I sit back into my chair gripping the arms of it so tightly my knuckles are white.

"Good. You're excused. You can send Gemma in now."

🦋🦋

"Knock knock." My mother's sweet voice says as she enters my room. I look up from the rough draft of my Climate Change essay and turn in my swivel chair. Mom walks in with a sympathetic sigh and a plate full of chocolate chip cookies. "I'm sorry baby. For today and for your father. I know he was just disappointed in you, I'll talk to him."

"I just want Ollie to come here. We were both so excited, Mom."

"I know. I promise I'll talk to Daddy tonight. Okay? Now here, this will make everything a little better." She offers the plant and leans against my white desk taking a cookie for herself.

I remove one but just look at it, "Why is dad such a jerk sometimes?"

Mom laughs and nods agreeing with a smile, "Because he wants you and your sister to be perfect. He forgets that you aren't so when that happens he becomes frustrated."

"That's not my problem."

Mom laughs again, " I know sweetie. Eat the cookie, I'll talk to him."

🦋🦋

By ten o'clock I decide to leave my room for more of mom's chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk.

When I reach the kitchen I hear the strained clipped voices of mom and dad arguing from dad's office down the hall.

I know I shouldn't eavesdrop because of my current predicament but my feet creep over and I linger by the cracked door listening in.

"This is bullshit, Henry. You are way too strict on these girls."

"Am I? These kids need structure. Look at Maggie and Oliver. Those kids are out of control-."

"They are teenagers! What do you expect! Let the girls make mistakes let them-."

"Mistakes? At the going rate, these mistakes are going to wind up coming in the form of a pregnancy."

Mom laughs loudly but by her kirt tone, she's not at all finding this humorous. "A pregnancy? You are something else, Henry."

"It's obvious, Jolene. You have eyes, we all have seen it these last few years on holiday."

"It's just a crush, you can't possibly be punishing her because you're uncomfortable with them growing up."

"I'm punishing her because of the fight at school."

"That's bullshit. You've been looking for anything to use to keep him from coming here. And it's wrong what you're doing. You will drive those girls from you if you keep this up."

"At least no one will be pregnant." He deadpans.

I step away from the door unsure what the heck I've just listened to...
_____________________________________

Do we think Ollie and Maggie ever made it to New York for Easter break?

You won't want to miss the next chapter! I'll tease it with emojis:

🦁 + 🍻 + 🚶‍♂️+🦵👅🦵

Hahaha

Happy reading