Bully Me

by C. E. Starkweather

  Kaine was speechless. Her? Pretty? She wanted to laugh out loud. She knew she wasn't as ugly as Shane and his friends made her out to be, but she never felt like she was pretty. Especially with her weight problem. Ignoring her new friend's assessment of her looks, she changed the subject. "So what are your plans for the summer?"

  Lucy grinned at her. "Our new house has an inground pool. I'm literally going to hang out by the pool and do nothing this summer."

  Kaine smiled wistfully. "I wish I had a pool. My dad keeps saying he's going to put one in, but every time I remind him he makes an excuse."

  "So just use mine," Lucy said. "It'll just be me there anyway. It'll be fun."

  Kaine smiled excitedly. "Really? That does sound fun."

  Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Hell yeah. I can't wait for today to be over. Is that all you're eating?" She asked, nodding at Kaine's apple.

  Kaine shrugged, feeling self conscious. "Yeah. I'm kind of on a diet." She didn't add that the diet she was on had started right now. After what Shane had done to her earlier, she didn't have much of an appetite anyway. But it had also been the last straw for her. Kaine made a vow to herself right then and there to never be made fun of about her weight again. She was done wasting her life trying to be invisible. Her mom would have wanted her to be happy, and she was far from happy. Kaine and Lucy chatted about their summer plans for a few more minutes then made plans to join a gym. Luckily, she didn't have any classes with Shane. She just hoped that she could avoid him for the rest of the day.

  3

  Mr. Murphy stared at the two boys, shaking his head. "You know, just because it's the last day of school doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want," he snapped. "There's a zero tolerance policy for fighting."

  Shane nodded seriously. "Sorry, sir. It was just a disagreement. We shouldn't have gotten physical."

  Camden just glared at Shane. “He started it."

  Shane burst out laughing. What a little bitch. “I’m pretty sure you jumped me, Camden."

  Mr. Murphy shook his head at Shane. "Given your history with me, Mr. Ellery, I find that highly doubtful. Detention for both of you. Get out of here."

  Camden stood up to leave, grateful for the minor punishment.

  "Detention? But it's the last day of school. Come on," Shane muttered. This time Camden was unable to control his laugh. Shane shot him a dirty look.

  "You're lucky it's not more. Now go to class," Mr. Murphy said, dismissing them.

  As soon as the boys left Mr. Murphy's office, Shane shoved Camden into the lockers. Camden sighed. "You really want to do this again? Cause I'll just whoop your ass again and you'll run away crying like a little bitch."

  Shane backed off. "What the fuck is your problem, man? You trying to get into Kaine's plus size pants or something? Ugh."

  "I don't like bullies," Camden replied. "I'm sick of watching you act like you're better than everyone. And apparently, you're the one trying to get into Kaine's pants. You probably just ran out of time after you ripped her shirt off."

  "It was just a prank," Shane repeated. "Although, for a fat girl, her tits were pretty nice. Felt good, too." He smiled at the look of fury on Camden's face. "And you can drop the ‘nice guy’ act any time now. Seriously, why do you care anyway? Unless you like her."

  Camden shook his head in disgust. "You're a fucking asshole. Remember what I said. Stay the fuck away from her." He turned and stormed off to class before Shane could say anything else. He didn't trust himself not to kick his ass again.

  Shane stared after Camden, fuming. He had been shocked when Camden jumped him. He and Camden had been friends for years, and he was pissed that someone like Kaine could get in the middle of them.

  Kaine.

  God dammit. He had gone too far before. He had intended on just talking to her, but the sight of her made him so mad. He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. He would apologize to Kaine later. Camden, though, was going to get the ass kicking of a lifetime.

  The end of day bell rang, and everyone, along with Kaine, jumped up and ran out the door. She couldn't wait to get out of this place. She stopped at her locker, making sure it was completely empty. She had made plans to go to Lucy's house later, and she couldn't wait. Lucy had made a few other friends in the short time that she had been here, and Kaine hoped that they would become her friends too. A summer filled with friends and swimming sounded fantastic. She shut her locker and turned around, walking right into Shane. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked around, desperately trying to find Camden, or anyone that would help her.

  "Who are you looking for?" Shane asked casually, not moving. Kaine shook her head. "Nobody."

  "Uh huh," Shane smirked, not believing her. "So anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

  Kaine raised her eyebrows. That was the last thing she expected him to say.

  "You're sorry?" She repeated.

  Shane laughed. "Is that so hard to believe?"

  "Well...yeah. It is." Kaine looked in his eyes, trying to gauge his sincerity.

  "I went too far before. And this whole year. I'm sorry for humiliating you. I won't bother you anymore. Unless you want me to," he said with a smile.

  Kaine felt her face turn bright red. "No, I'm good. Thanks though." She didn't tell him that she forgave him because she didn't. And she didn't believe for a minute that he was really sorry.

  He shrugged. "Whatever. See you around."

  Kaine stared after him for a minute, wondering what he was up to. She made her way outside, just in time to see the buses pulling away. "Oh, come the fuck on!" She cried out loud. This day was never going to end.

  She pulled out her phone and called her brother. Her dad wouldn't be out of work until 5, and her brother was home from college for the summer. The phone rang and went to voicemail. "God dammit, Jay," she muttered. She texted him.

  Pick me up? I missed the bus.

  After a minute her phone beeped with a new message.

  Can't. Work till 4. Can't you get a ride from a friend?

  She rolled her eyes. What friends? She didn't even know Jay had gotten a job. She typed back.

  They all left already.

  She went back inside and went to the library, sitting down. She looked at her phone and saw a text from Jay.

  K. I'll pick u up at 4:15

  She looked at the time and scowled. It was only 2. She wondered if Shane had made her late on purpose. She felt stupid for standing there and listening to him. She pulled a book from the shelf and started reading, only half paying attention. By 2:40, she was going stir crazy. She usually loved the library, but since it was the last day of school, she couldn't wait to leave. She wondered if she should just walk home. It was probably a good hour walk, but it was a beautiful day out and she could use the exercise. And she would be home before Jay got out of work. Making up her mind, she put the book back on the shelf and gathered her stuff to leave.

  As she left the library, her heart skipped a beat when she saw Camden walking in front of her. Her first instinct was to hang back for a minute so that he didn't notice her. But she really should thank him for sticking up for her today. "Camden!" She called, hurrying to catch up to him. He turned around and grinned when he saw her. "Hey Kaine. Why are you still here?"

  "Missed the bus," she replied. "I just wanted to thank you for defending me. You didn't have to do that."

  He shrugged. "Honestly, I've been waiting to do that for awhile. Shane's a bitch. How are you getting home?"

  "Walking," she answered. "I was going to wait for my brother, but he can't get here for another two hours."

  "Where do you live?"

  "Gramatan Ave."

  He shook his head. "Isn't that like 5 miles away? That's crazy. Let me give you a ride."

  She shrugged shyly. "It's not that far. I don't want to inconvenience you."

  He grabbed her backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Kaine smiled at the sweet gesture. "You're on my way home.
I'm not too far away from you. Come on."

  Kaine followed him to his car and he opened the door for her. She got in, trying to hide the smile on her face. She knew this wasn't a date or anything, but his sweet gestures made her swoon.

  Camden pulled out of the parking lot. Trying to break the awkward silence, she asked, "Why are you still here?"

  "Detention," he replied, grinning at her. "Shane and I both got detention. We're lucky that's all we got. I think Mr. Murphy just mentally checked out already and didn't feel like dealing with us."

  Kaine laughed. "Well, I'm sorry that you got detention."

  He glanced over at her. "I'm not."

  She looked out the window, trying to hide her blush. Was he flirting with her? No, probably not. He probably just meant that it was worth it to beat up Shane.

  Thankfully, Camden changed the subject. "Shane didn't bother you anymore today, did he?"

  "No. Not really. He did apologize though."

  "Oh really?" Camden asked suspiciously.

  "Yeah," Kaine replied. "Which is actually the reason that I missed the bus. I wouldn't be surprised if he did it on purpose to make me late. I don't believe him for a second."

  He nodded. "Good. Don't."

  She furrowed her brow, trying to figure out why Camden was so sure that Shane was full of shit.

  As if reading her thoughts, he said, "I don't trust the guy. You don't do what he did to you today and be truly remorseful two hours later. He's dangerous, Kaine. Just be careful, ok?"

  "Ok," she whispered, her good mood disappearing. What did Camden think was going to happen?

  He turned onto her street. "It's this one on the right," she pointed. He turned into her driveway.

  "Thanks for the ride," she said, opening the door.

  "Wait," he interrupted. "Give me your phone."

  She hesitantly dug through her bag and pulled her phone out, handing it to him. After a minute, he gave it back. "Here. I put myself in. If he bothers you, let me know. I'm only two streets away."

  She couldn't help but smile. "I'll be ok. But thanks. I'll see you around."

  4

  After texting her brother that she got a ride home, Kaine flopped down on her bed, thinking about Camden. She was sure that he didn't have any romantic interest in her, but it was nice that he seemed to care about her. Even if it was only as a friend. She had liked Camden for a long time, but was too shy to talk to him. At least something good had come out of Shane's humiliating "prank."

  She got up and stripped off her clothes, studying her body in the mirror. Her face was her best feature, not really matching her body. Her face showed no signs of chubbiness. Her cheeks were slightly rounded, but not too bad. At least she only had one chin. She always looked bigger than she was, being large chested and wearing oversized shirts. She actually had a pretty nice shape to her body, even though it was covered in fat. She sucked in her stomach and looked a lot better. She laid down and did as many sit ups as she could do, which was sadly only 10.

  Trying not to get discouraged, she put on shorts and a tee shirt and went downstairs to find a healthy snack. She rummaged through the cabinet and found potato chips, twizzlers and cookies. Almost out of instinct, she reached for the cookies before stopping herself. She sighed, deciding that she would just go hungry until she had a chance to ask Jay or her dad to take her food shopping. She went back upstairs and laid back down, turning on the TV. A few minutes later, the front door opened. She ran downstairs to greet Jay, who had bags of food. "You went shopping?" She asked incredulously. Jay laughed. "Don't be so surprised. My new job is at Nika's Market. I get a 30 percent discount on groceries. Their shit is so overpriced that it comes out to about the same cost as the Stop and Go." He pulled out groceries and handed them to her. "Help me put this shit away."

  Jay had bought mostly junk food, but had also bought bananas and apples. He, like their father, could eat whatever he wanted and not gain an ounce. She finished putting groceries away and unpeeled a banana. "I was going to ask you to take me food shopping tonight, but can you grab a few things for me if I make a list?"

  Jay sighed as though she had asked him to run a marathon. "What's wrong with what I just got?"

  She laughed. "It's all crap, Jay. I'm trying to lose some weight this summer. I need real food."

  He rolled his eyes. "Fine, make a list. How'd you get home, anyway?"

  "Just a friend. When did you get a job?" She changed the subject.

  He shoved a handful of chips in his mouth. "Today was my first day. Dad said I can't laze around the house all summer. It's bullshit. Not like we need the money."

  "Jeez, I hope he doesn't want me to get a job."

  Jay shrugged. "That's the good thing that comes from not driving. Dad works too much to worry about hauling your ass around."

  Kaine phone buzzed and she knew it was Lucy. Nobody else texted her besides Jay and her dad's occasional two word attempt at a text message.

  Come over! My pool is lonely!

  Kaine smiled and texted her back, asking her address and hoping she lived close enough to walk.

  "Who's that?" Jay asked, peering over her shoulder. "A boy?"

  "No, nosy. Just a friend from school. I'm going swimming at her house. I'm just trying to find out if she lives close enough to walk."

  "Well, I can't drive you. I have a date," Jay proudly announced.

  Kaine rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you do." Girls surrounded Jay everywhere he went. He had the same grey eyes and light blond hair that she did, and a tall muscular body to go with it.

  "Don't be jealous, Kainie. It's not my fault I'm irresistible."

  Kaine burst out laughing. "Oh my god, go get ready."

  Jay left the kitchen as Lucy texted her back with her address. It was only about a 10 minute walk. "Thank god," she muttered, happy that it wasn't on the other side of town like her school was. Kaine ran upstairs and grabbed her swimsuit, yelling to Jay that she was leaving.

  She found Lucy's house easily and knocked on the door. Lucy opened it almost before she was finished knocking. "Hey! Come on in!"

  Kaine followed Lucy through the house and out the back door. "Holy crap!" She exclaimed.

  "I know," Lucy replied. "Isn't it awesome?"

  Lucy's pool was huge, with a diving board and lounge chairs surrounding the pool. "Can I just move in?" Kaine asked, laughing.

  Kaine changed into her suit and gently lowered herself into the pool. She tried not to be jealous of Lucy's thin body. "Why do you want to join a gym anyway? You're so thin already."

  "For exactly that reason," Lucy said. "I wasn't blessed with natural curves like you. No hips, no boobs, no ass. I want to talk to a trainer and see if there's anything I can do to tone up so I don't look like Miley Cyrus anymore."

  Kaine laughed. "I wish I could give you some of my curves. I'm sick of them."

  "Camden seems to like them," Lucy teased. Kaine felt herself blush.

  "I knew it!" Lucy cried. "You like him."

  "I might have a crush on him," Kaine admitted. "But he's just a genuinely nice guy. He gave me a ride home after I missed the bus today."

  "What?!" Lucy shrieked. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Kaine found herself giggling. "I missed the bus because of Shane. He didn't do anything bad. He just apologized for being a dick. Which I don't believe for a second, but whatever. Anyway, they had both gotten detention for fighting, so I was about to walk home when Camden stopped me and offered me a ride. It was so sweet of him."

  "That's so romantic," Lucy said dreamily. "I didn't know you took the bus. I would have brought you home."

  Kaine shrugged. "I don't mind the bus. I mean, when I actually make it. But I don't think Camden actually likes me. I think he was just trying to be nice."

  "I don't know, Kaine. That was pretty sweet how he defended you today. Why is Shane so mean to you, anyway?"

  "I honestly don't know," Kaine answered. "He just always has been. I can't figure him out. He's not
just mean, either. He's hateful. The look in his face when he was touching me was..."

  "Wait," Lucy interrupted. "He touched you? Like how?"

  Kaine bit her lip. She hasn't meant to tell anybody what Shane had done, but she could already tell that Lucy wasn't going to drop it. "You have to promise not to tell anyone, ok?" Lucy nodded. Kaine told her about being dragged into the classroom and stripped.

  "He looked at me like I had ruined his life. He was SO mad, Lucy. And I can’t figure out why. Before he left he grabbed my breast. Thank god that's all he did. That's when Camden found me. He gave me his jacket so that I had something to cover myself with until I got to my gym locker," she said, remembering that she still had Camden's jacket in her backpack.

  Lucy stared at her in disbelief. "I can't believe he did that. And he actually put his hands on you. Why didn't you tell anybody?"

  Kaine sniffed. "What's the point? Best case scenario is that he gets in trouble and everybody hates me because golden boy can't wrestle anymore. Worst case scenario is that it's my word against his, he denies it, and I look crazy and desperate. It's not worth it, Lucy. Besides, it's the summer. I'm looking forward to two and a half months without worrying about how Shane Ellery is going to humiliate me today."

  Lucy and Kaine swam and talked for awhile until it started to get dark. "Do you want a ride?" Lucy asked as Kaine put her clothes on over her swimsuit. "Nah," Kaine replied. "It's only 10 minutes. I'll be fine."

  Kaine walked home in a happy cloud. What started out as a horrible day had turned into a wonderful one. She had a blast swimming with Lucy. Tomorrow morning Lucy was going to pick her up and they'd sign up for gym memberships. Halfway home, Kaine started running. By the time she reached her house, she was gasping for breath and holding her sides, but she had done it. She walked inside feeling great. "Hey, dad," she gasped.

  "Hey, pumpkin. Why are you so out of breath?"

  "I ran home," she managed. Her dad chuckled. "Home from where?"

  "Just a friend's house."

  "A friend? Really?" Her dad asked.