He had a lot to learn about the art of giving back.

Thin and Shredded

Being new was like wearing a dirty old coat to school every day—and there wasn’t a thing he could do to change it. Thomas wondered when he could finally take it off and breathe a little easier. But almost a year since arriving at Greer High and that old coat still clung to him. Kids didn’t really bother noticing him because they already had their friends. He didn’t fit into a box and he didn’t look interesting or rich or funny or peculiar enough to make others take note. Thomas just looked like an old coat you ignored in a closet day after day.

The only people who actually did notice him were the ones he wanted to leave him alone.

People like Vic, who had suddenly found his mission in life: annoy Thomas as much as he possibly could.

Bullies don’t just beat you up. They badger and belittle and break down every single good thing until you are broken. Thomas knew that the ground he walked on was cracking ice. It was just a matter of time before he was going to plunge into the freezing depths below.

Today might be the day.

It started with the bus and the silent stares and the small bubble of isolation surrounding him. Nobody ever bothered to talk to him or even say hi. A girl on the bus named Naomi stumbled on his backpack. She gave him a look like she was smelling something really bad, and it was coming from him.

Vic got to him before his first class. The guy’s locker was on the other side of the school but he’d managed to make a special trip just to see Thomas.

“What’s up, champ?” Vic said.

Thomas nodded as he took out some of the books in his locker.

“Next time we’ll catch you.”

He of course was referring to the game of tag they’d played. Thomas on foot and Vic in his truck.

“Gonna be quiet, huh?”

Vic wore a faded Metallica T-shirt, old and dirty jeans, and shoes that looked almost shabbier that the ones Thomas wore. He had the slightest bit of facial hair on his face in bits and pieces. Thomas really wanted to say something about the hilarious look Vic had going on, but he bit his tongue.

“You think this is a purdy big high school, don’t you?” His accent was thick today.

I’m not sure what purdy means, you dumb redneck.

“You can’t get away from me,” Vic continued. “You’re gonna be seeing a lot of me.”

This was a nice way to start the day. Yesterday, their car broke down. Now this.

Next came second period, where the two of them shared the same English class. Thomas doubted that Vic was ever going to be a Shakespeare or even James Patterson—he paid too little attention and made too little effort. Usually, Vic tried to draw embarrassing attention to Thomas. Sometimes he would just be outright mean, calling across the room—before the teacher came in—names like “trailer trash” or “hillbilly.” Sometimes he would follow Thomas after class, harassing him and pushing to get into a fight. The worst came earlier today when Vic decided to engage others in the game.