Age 12
Ollie- Age 11

"Can you name all these planets, Ty?" I ask him as the five-year-old fidgets in my lap. Before us on the floor is his Fun Facts about our Solar System book spread down the middle with the stars and planets in a line starting with the Sun then ending with Neptune.

In a cute little voice with a slight lisp Ty begins listing them off with a peppy cadence, "Mercury, Venus, Earf, Marth, Jupiter, Thaturn-."

The two of us look up from the floor of the room Gemma and I share as loud footfalls and a gang of rowdy boys spills into the room.

Instantly I adjust my glasses and feel my cheeks warm. Ollie has been such a bully this trip, I don't understand why, and I don't like it when his mean friends are around.

"What are you nerds doing?" Stewart asks breaking through the group wearing his football uniform still.

Ollie and George have been gone all morning busy with football practice, but now I guess they are back with several boys from the team.

"Just ignore them, Ty. What is this planet here?" I point to Saturn again hoping they all just leave.

Stewart swoops down snatching the book from the floor by one of the pages, tearing it in the process.

"Hey! Fats' mine!" Ty jumps from my lap while I stand and grab the book from the floor and Ty's hand.

"Why are you all such jerks?" I glare at them all but make sure to give Ollie a good look. He's still shorter than me unlike his friend Stewart so, I'm not at all intimidated by him.

A couple of the boys sound off mocking my accent and just like the book my glasses are swiped straight from my face.

"I'm telling mummy!" Ty shoves through and runs down the hall leaving me to fend for myself with a blur of mean boys in front of me.

"You little tattle-tale!" Ollie turns to chase him down the hallway to keep Ty from getting to Jane.

"Can you see without your glasses, Mur?" Stewart asks inspecting my round gold rim glasses.

"Mostly, please give them back." I am a little afraid but I take a step forward to prove to them they aren't getting to me.

"Break em' Stew." Simon, a fat boy, says beside him.

"Nah, I reckon she needs em' lads." Stewart holds them out to me, but before I can take them back he drops them to the floor and stomps them hard with his heel.

"Why are you so mean to me?" I ask wanting to disappear. They've been mean to me this entire Summer vacation.

"Because, it's quite fun."

Ollie comes running back to the group looking from my broken glasses on the carpet up to me, "Thanks a lot Murry, you're going to get me in trouble."

My eyes bulge out of my head.

I try to figure out what I've done from this morning till now that would get him in trouble. But, I can't come up with anything. Maybe I've done something when we first arrived and he is still mad with me?

"Too right Tommy-Boy. What shall we do? Swirly in the loo? Wedgie? Oh, I've got it, lets lock the nerd in the closet."

"I'm telling Dad." I say, knowing Ollie is afraid of dad. Bringing Dad into this would set all the boys straight.

I step around to squeeze by them, but suddenly I've got hands on my arms pulling me back towards the closet. "Hey!"

I kick my feet trying to kick the fat one in his stomach but he jumps out of the way. "Oliver!" I call to my friend to do something.

"Shut it, Nerd," Ollie says gripping my left arm tightly. I look to him still stunned momentarily, then plant my socked feet to the floor trying to burrow down.

"Throw her in there, Lads!" Stewart instructs, and like a doll they toss me in and pull the door closed. I land with a thud and crawl back to the door pulling on the doorknob with my weight, "hey!" I pound a palm on the door, "Hey! Let me out!" I yell, afraid of being too loud and interrupting something important downstairs.

The boys giggle and laugh then switch the closet light off from the other side of the door locking me in darkness. "Ollie, let me out! This isn't funny!"

"You crying yet, Mur? Hey, Sam go get it." Stewart laughs from the other side of the door. I bang my fists on the door and try the door knob again, watching their shadows move beneath the crack of the door.

"Let me out, guys!" I bang once more then drop to my stomach to peek under the crack and come face to face with Ollie's corn snake being shoved under te crack right into my face.

I let out a screach and jump back, crawling back on my hands and knees until I'm pressed hard against the back of the closet. "Please, get it out!"

I didn't know I was afraid of snakes, not until now.

It remains balled up just before the door, causing a silvery chill in my gut making me aware I almost peed my pants. "Ollie, get it out!"

If I wasn't so frightened I'd be in tears, but I remain in the back of the dark closet. "Please get it out!"

"Are you crying yet, nerd?" Stewart bangs on the door hard, spooking the snake. It slithers away from the door coming towards me shoved so hard against the wall my shoulder blades are aching.

"Stop! Mom!" I cry out, my vision blurring with tears as the snake comes closer. "MOMMY! Help me!"

I shove one of Gemma's flip flops at the snake, forcing it to stop and recoil.

"Boys! What is going on in here?" Mom's voice demands.

"Oliver, where's Muriel?" Jane's voice is quick to ask.

The door opens with a slow creak, revealing the gang of boys with their heads bowed sheepishly, while Mom and Jane gaze into the closet.

"Get that snake out of there." Jane demands. Ollie scrambles and removes the orange and red serpent from it's spot in the closet and I race out into Mom's arms. "Whose idea was this?" Mom asks her voice strong and harsh.

I look over my shoulder at Stewart glaring at him through my tears.

"Mine. It was mine." Ollie says looking to his snake tangled in his fingers regretfully.

"Oliver Thomas, we raised you better, young man." Jane gasps, just as surprised and angry as I am with him. "Put that thing away. We're returning it. You don't have the maturity to care for a pet."

"But mum-"

"Oliver, you say one more thing besides an apology to Muriel, and I promise you, you can kiss your football team goodbye not to mention any outside time."

"I'm sorry, Muriel." Ollie trudges past me taking his snake with him while Jane turns to the rest of the group, "Now, you boys get on home before I call your mothers and tell them what little shits the lot of you are."
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What little shits!

Did you enjoy the little flashback? There is a point to these, I promise.

This snake and closet thing happened to me when I was 10. Fucking terrifying lol