Free Invisible by Pete Hautman Page B

You’re responsible for my safety.”
    â€œDouglas, we have a responsibility to be fair to all of our students. I don’t know exactly what happened between you and those three boys, but I’m sure that their attack was not completely unprovoked. Things like that don’t just happen. I don’t know what you did to anger Freddie Perdue, and frankly I don’t want to know, but you must realize that you had a part in it.”
    I gape at him, hardly able to believe what he is saying.
    Ms. Neidermeyer says, “No one is saying you deserved to be injured, Douglas. We’re just trying to make the best of a very unfortunate situation.”
    â€œI’ve spoken with Freddie and Aron and Ty,” says Principal Janssen. “They know that if they bother you—if one of them so much as touches you—they’ll be expelled. I promise you won’t have any problem with them.”
    I feel sick.
    â€œOh, and one more thing. We’ve moved you to the last period calculus class. Your first period class will now be language arts.”
    â€œWhy did you do that?”
    â€œWe thought it would be best for you.”
    For a moment I am more confused than ever. Then I realize that first period calculus is the only class I share with Melissa Haverman.
    They are trying to keep me away from Melissa.

26
FLAMMABLE
    T he one good thing about my new schedule is that Andy and I have lunch at the same time. We grab one of the empty tables in back and I tell him about my meeting with Principal Janssen and Ms. Neidermeyer. The more I talk about it, the madder I get.
    â€œI don’t see why they’re messing around with my schedule when I didn’t do anything wrong.”
    â€œWell, you did get caught window peeping.”
    â€œI didn’t get caught. ”
    â€œI mean, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t gone to Woodland Trails.”
    â€œYou’re as bad as the rest of them. No, you’re worse. You’re supposed to be my friend.”
    â€œI am your friend, Dougie.”
    â€œThen you should go beat the crap out of Freddie Perdue.”
    â€œIs that what you want?”
    â€œI want you to beat the crap out of all of them: Freddie, Ty, Aron, Mr. Janssen, and Melissa’s dad.”
    â€œOkay, I’ll beat ’em up, but after they catch me, will you come visit me in prison?”
    â€œYou won’t go to prison. Freddie didn’t.”
    â€œYeah, but he didn’t beat up five people. Just you.”
    â€œHa-ha. Hey, what time does this lunch period end?”
    â€œIt’s almost over.” He stands up and points at the clock on the wall behind me. “I gotta get to Spanish.”
    I turn my head to look at the clock. Two sophomores at the next table are staring at me.
    â€œWhat are you looking at?” I ask.
    â€œNothing,” one of them says.
    â€œYou’re looking at something .” The bell rings. “I don’t like being stared at,” I say.
    â€œSorry.” The sophomores pick up their trays and head for the trash.
    I turn back to Andy, but he is gone.
    According to my new schedule I am supposed to go to Study Hall C, but the idea of sitting in a crowded study hall with a bunch of kids staring at me makes my stomach hurt. I can hardly endure being inside this building. Ithink of Principal Janssen and a clot of anger, a burning sensation, forms high in my chest. My bruised ribs throb and my teeth grind against each other and I imagine him one inch tall and me driving over him with the Madham Special.
    Dr. Ahlstrom says I should be careful when I get angry. She says that anger is powerful and difficult to control and that when I feel myself boiling over I should take a walk. I look out the glass doors of the south exit. Outside it is bright and sunny, a beautiful November day, almost seventy degrees. I walk out of the school. I have no destination, but my feet seem to know where I’m