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I burst through the door that leads directly to the stage. I know the drama room well, even though there’s no way I would ever be part of any kind of production.
I search for Courtney in the group of kids standing around, but I don’t see her.
I head for the hall leading to the prop room, and one of the boys calls out, “The gym is on the other side of the school.”
The drama teacher, Miss Garrett, calls my name, but I ignore her. My whole body breaks out in a cold sweat. I’m going to get in trouble for this—from Miss Garrett and definitely from my dad when I’m not back in two minutes—but I don’t care. Lavender needs me.
It’s dark behind the curtains, like a starless night sky, because the walls are painted black. As soon as I start down the hall, the noise of the students on the stage disappears, replaced by Courtney’s nasal voice.
“What’s wrong with you? You just do this to get attention. You know no one likes you, right? Everyone thinks you’re a weirdo and a loser. They’re only nice to you because of your brothers and Kody.”
I rush toward her voice and the plaintive, low sound of Lavender trying not to cry. When I finally reach them, I find not only Courtney, but two of her other friends too. They form a wall in front of the prop room, blocking the way out. The room is dark, but the glow of a phone illuminates the girls’ faces and the fact that one of them is covering the light switch with her hand.
They don’t notice me, so I approach quietly, waiting until I’m right behind them before I growl, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Courtney shrieks, and the other two girls gasp and spin around. I slap the light switch on the wall, bathing the prop room in a harsh fluorescent glow. Rage makes my blood boil when I see Lavender backed into a corner, curled in on herself on the floor, forearms pressed against her ears to protect her from their words, face tucked into her knees, hands clenched into fists.
Courtney raises her hands, eyes wide, feigning innocence. “Kody! Oh my gosh, Lavender’s having one of her meltdowns, and we were trying to help.”
I get in real close and drop my voice. “By calling her a weirdo and a loser? Get outta my way,now.”
I push between them and crouch down in front of Lavender, acting as her shield. “Leave us alone,” I snap, running a gentle hand over the back of her head and softening my tone. “It’s okay, I’m here.”
A full-body shudder runs through her, and she makes a sound, but there aren’t any words yet. I wrap her in a protective hug and whisper the calming words that help bring her back down.
“Just ignore them, Lavender. It’s you and me right now. I got you.” I put my hand over one of hers and encourage her to unclench her fist so I can put her palm against the side of my neck. This helps the most, for her to feel how much her panic is mine too, and then we breathe together until she’s calm again.
Her palm is damp and slick, and her nails bite briefly into the side of my neck as I flatten it there. I’m worried she’s hurt herself. It happens sometimes when the panic gets really bad, like that time she got locked in the closet.
The sound of heels coming down the hall barely registers as Lavender drags in deep, gasping breaths, struggling to match her breathing to mine.
“What’s going on back here?” Miss Garrett demands.
“Lavender’s having an episode. We were trying to help her, but you know how she gets, Miss G,” Courtney lies.
“You should’ve come to get me instead of trying to handle it yourself,” she chastises. “Kody? What are you doing here?”
“I’m helping. And Courtney is a liar. They were bullying Lavender, calling her names and making things worse.” I don’t bother looking over my shoulder when I address the teacher.
Suddenly Courtney and her friends are loud, defensive, callingmea liar.
Lavender scrambles to get closer, to hide more of herself. She’s tiny, the smallest girl in her class, and I’m already five-seven, so I dwarf her and cover her almost completely, keeping her safe from Courtney and the other mean girls. She buries her face against my chest, trying to muffle the desperate sounds that leak out of her.
I keep telling her it’s okay and that I’m here and no one can see her while Miss Garrett orders the girls to go to the office.
“Kody, I need you to let go of Lavender, please,” Miss Garrett says.
“Just give me a minute. I can make it better,” I tell her.
Miss Garrett touches my shoulder. “I know you’re trying to be a good friend, but this isn’t appropriate.”
“She needs me!” I snap.
“If you don’t do as I ask, Kody, I’m going to have to get the principal.”
Lavender takes a deep breath and lifts her head, those bright blue eyes meeting mine. She mouths the wordsI’m sorryand drops her hand from the side of my neck.
I don’t want to let her go, but I also don’t want to get in trouble with the principal, and I’m already going to be in shit with my dad over this. There’s no winning, Lavender is going to be embarrassed, and there’s a good chance she won’t be at school tomorrow as a result.
