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Description

Talking like this wasn’t going to be productive. I moved to my left to get out from between her and the lockers, the only way I could move since she was already blocking my right.

She took her right hand off her hip and pushed on my chest. There’s a certain sound lockers make when their doors are slammed shut. My shoulder blades apparently make the same sound.

She was assessing me too, and got a grin on her face. “But I was meaning harm,” she said. “Mildred was annoying me, and now you’re annoying me.”

One of my older brothers had had a problem with a bully a few years back when he was in junior high school. My dad had told him to face the situation head on, stand up to him as soon as possible, with violence if need be. My brother explained that the bully was a big kid, and popular. It didn’t matter, my dad had said, even if you lose, you’ll be better for it in the long run. ‘That goes for you too, squirt’ he had said to me. My mom had chided him, but in the end he was right; my dad was right a lot.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” I said, as calmly as I could. Still time to deescalate.
“Luckily for you,” Winnie said, relaxing her pressure on my chest a bit, “I’m in a relatively good mood, it being Friday and all.”

Description

Talking like this wasn’t going to be productive. I moved to my left to get out from between her and the lockers, the only way I could move since she was already blocking my right.

She took her right hand off her hip and pushed on my chest. There’s a certain sound lockers make when their doors are slammed shut. My shoulder blades apparently make the same sound.

She was assessing me too, and got a grin on her face. “But I was meaning harm,” she said. “Mildred was annoying me, and now you’re annoying me.”

One of my older brothers had had a problem with a bully a few years back when he was in junior high school. My dad had told him to face the situation head on, stand up to him as soon as possible, with violence if need be. My brother explained that the bully was a big kid, and popular. It didn’t matter, my dad had said, even if you lose, you’ll be better for it in the long run. ‘That goes for you too, squirt’ he had said to me. My mom had chided him, but in the end he was right; my dad was right a lot.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” I said, as calmly as I could. Still time to deescalate.
“Luckily for you,” Winnie said, relaxing her pressure on my chest a bit, “I’m in a relatively good mood, it being Friday and all.”