Free Girl on the Other Side by Deborah Kerbel Page B

to school with that Freeman girl?” he asked, gripping the steering wheel awkwardly in his huge hands as he manoeuvered the car though the parking lot. Despite myself, I had to smile. Daddy’s such a big guy, it’s al–ways comical to see him confined in the small space of a car. He looks wedged in — like you’d have to pry him loose with a crowbar to get him out.
    â€œYeah, I know her. She’s in my grade,” I replied.
    Daddy shook his head and let out a long, low, monotone whistle.
    â€œMan, that family’s got a lot of problems.”
    I just nodded and stared out the window. I mean, really … what could I say? I don’t know if any of it’s true or not. All I know is that I’m happy to be left alone. Some teenagers dream of being popular in high school. But total obscurity is all I ever wanted … to blend into the background. To be wallpaper.
    I push open the door to my English class and quietly sneak inside. Miss Wall hasn’t arrived yet, so I sit down, open up a book and start to read while I wait for class to start. A minute later, Tabby Freeman comes in. I watch in shock as she slides into the seat beside me, graceful as a cat.
    What’s she doing? Normally, she likes to hang out in the back with all the other piranhas and pass notes and send text messages away from Miss Wall’s nearsighted eyes. Why is she sitting next to me? I don’t want her next to me! I like being invisible and I want to stay that way! With all the rumours going around about her family, having Tabby Freeman sit beside me isn’t going to help me maintain my wallpaper status.
    I twirl a red ringlet around my finger and watch her out of the corner of my eye. She looks smaller and thinner than usual. Kind of deflated — like someone has let all the air out of her ego.
    Little by little, the other kids start to fill up the seats. So far so good — the piranhas are keeping to themselves. But then trouble appears in the form of a gap-toothed jock wearing a hockey jersey — Todd McGurk. On his way to the back of the class, Todd pauses in front of Tabby’s desk and snaps his thick fingers in her face.
    â€œHey, my dad wants his money back,” he says.
    Laughter bounces around the classroom. My stomach twists into a tight knot. I peek over the top of my book and notice Tabby turn away from Todd, as if she’s been hit. He leans across her desk and snaps again, just inches from her nose
    â€œDid you hear me? I said your father’s a dirty crook.”
    â€œShut up, Todd!” she hisses, trying to shove him away. But he doesn’t move. I’m horrified. Todd and Tabby used to be friends.
    â€œHe paid for that big house of yours by stealing money from our families.”
    When she doesn’t reply, Todd reaches down and sweeps her big leather purse off the floor. He pulls it open and starts rifling through it.
    â€œWhere’s my money? I want it back!”
    A moment later, he finds her wallet and holds it up for everyone to see.
    â€œHey look!” he shouts, dropping the empty purse to the floor. “Let’s see if the bitch has a credit card!”
    Jumping to her feet, Tabby releases a torrent of expletives so shockingly crude that I immediately feel myself transform into a mortified tomato. For that brief moment, I actually forget that she’s the one being bullied. With her long fingernails bared like an animal’s claw, her hands swipe through the air as she tries to retrieve her wallet. But Todd’s taller and he holds it over her head, just out of her reach. Cheers erupt around the room. The knot in my stomach tightens. What’s going on? This guy is mugging Tabby and they’re egging him on?
    â€œGive it back!” she shrieks. “Or so help me I’ll …”
    â€œYou’ll what?” spits Todd. “Tell your father?”
    Tabby’s face flushes pink and her eyes turn a bright,