Gwen. E. Lippert
or in the lunchroom, she was fair game. It looked like Claire was pretty good at ignoring the taunts of “Your hair looks like a rat’s nest” or “Hey, buy some conditioner!” or “Hey, gimpy!” or “You’re in the wrong school. First graders don’t go here!” and, of course, the ever-popular “Hey, shorty.” Gwen suspected this was not new to Claire.
What was difficult for Claire to ignore was the physical abuse. It started with kids just pushing her in the hallway. It quickly escalated to pushing her hard enough to knock her down. Some of the taller kids would steal her books and then hold them up high enough over her head so that she couldn’t reach. Others would simply knock her books out of her hands and then laugh as she knelt down to pick them up. Not only was Claire too meek to defend herself, she was also too small.
By about the fourth week of school, Gwen had enough. She was angered by what she saw, and she pitied this small girl. She had seen kids bullied before and never thought twice about it, but something about Claire pulled at her heart. Every time she saw someone mistreat the girl, she would become infuriated and sad at the same time.
Her first defense of Claire came almost immediately after she had made up her mind to step in. Walking to her next class that day, Gwen came upon Claire being tormented by a boy named Sam. He was holding her books up high, and Claire was trying to pull his arm down to get to them. Gwen couldn’t see Claire’s face, but she knew how she felt. She knew that Claire was probably close to tears and trying hard not to let them see her cry.
Gwen kept walking until she was even with Sam and Claire. Without looking at anyone or even breaking stride, she switched her books to her left arm and threw an amazing punch with her right arm, catching Sam right in the gut. Gwen kept walking. She never looked back, but based on the sounds that followed, she knew the books had fallen to the ground, and so had Sam. Gwen smiled and continued on to her next class.
Over the next few weeks, Gwen learned Claire’s schedule and made sure to hurry to Claire’s class at the bell and then follow her to her next class. If anyone laid a hand on the girl, Gwen would wait and then follow them. Once out of Claire’s sight, Gwen would find the offender.
Even the bigger kids weren’t safe from Gwen. They may have had height and muscle on their side, but Gwen was ruthless, merciless, and fearless, and most of all, she was prepared. She would wait until the bully had his or her locker open and brutally bump into that person from behind, hurling them into the locker. With girls, sometimes, she would follow them into the ladies’ room and wait patiently for them to use the stall, and as soon as she heard the latch open on the inward swinging stall door, she pushed against it with all her weight, catching the student by surprise and hurling them backward against the wall or, better yet, the toilet. Sometimes, it was as simple as tripping the bully in the hallway, on the stairs, or, and this was Gwen’s particular favorite, in the cafeteria while carrying a tray of food. Some bullies would return to their lockers at the end of the day to find their coats drenched with water or milk. Her attacks were stealthy, quick, and painful, and Gwen would nonchalantly walk away before her victims even knew what happened. But always, later that day, the bully would find a note in his or her locker telling them that if they bothered Claire again, the punishment would be much worse the next time. And Gwen made sure it was.
It didn’t take too long for the bullying to stop, but Gwen continued to walk behind Claire every day between every class. If anyone called out to Claire, Gwen stared them down. If anyone even looked at Claire the wrong way, Gwen stared them down. While no one had proven that Gwen was Claire’s avenger, it was well-known, and the unassuming, unfortunate-looking, chubby seventh grader inspired fear among her classmates.
She was walking behind Claire one day after things had settled down. The two girls had never spoken, and Gwen didn’t think Claire knew the role she played in lessening her torment. But that day, when Claire reached her classroom door, she turned back to Gwen. “I know what you’re doing.”
“Me?” Gwen said, surprised.
“Yes, you.” Claire smiled. “I know you’ve been protecting me. I don’t know how you’ve done it, but thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Gwen turned to walk away.
“Hey, wait,” Claire called after her. “Do you want to come to my house this afternoon? We can play a game or something.”
“I don’t know,” answered Gwen. She hadn’t been invited to anyone’s house in years. She had no idea if she wanted to go or not.
“Think about it, okay? I’ll see you after class.” And with that, Claire entered her classroom.
Oh, crap, Gwen thought. What do I do now? She worried as she hurried to her class, and she worried all during class. I feel bad for this girl, but I don’t know if I want to hang out with her. She sighed. What else are you going to do this afternoon, Gwen? she asked herself. In the end, she decided, I’ll go today, and if I don’t like it or she even looks like she’s going to turn on me, I won’t go back.
Gwen met Claire at the end of class, and this time, for the first time, they walked together. Gwen kept an eye out for any threats, but Claire seemed unaware. They chatted about their classes and teachers. When they made it to Claire’s classroom, Gwen said, “I would like to come over today, if that’s still okay.”
“Great!” said Claire, smiling brightly. “I’ll meet you out front, and we can walk there together. Do you have to go home first?”
“No, nobody is home at my house until around six, so I’m good.”
“Yeah, nobody’s at my house until five today.”
“Okay, see you in an hour then,” said Gwen as she turned and walked away. She was hoping that she had made the right decision. Her goal was to play a game or two and then hightail it out of there before Claire’s parents got home. Making a new friend was enough excitement for one day.
As scheduled, the two girls met in front of the school at the end of the last class. Both were carrying an armload full of books. The burden was not a problem for Gwen, but Claire seemed to be struggling.
“Can I help you carry any of those?” asked Gwen.
“No, thanks. I’m used to it.” Claire smiled. “It’s not a long walk. I only live a few blocks away. Mom says it helps me build muscle.”
Gwen smiled and thought to herself, Yeah, as long as you don’t fall over.
As they walked, Claire chatted on and on about a lot of things—school, her house, her mom. Gwen listened politely but, inside, was terrified, worrying about how to act and if Claire’s family would like her. Before she knew it, they were walking up the sidewalk to Claire’s small house. Turned out, Claire only lived two streets over from Gwen. The house was much smaller and the yard completely overgrown with weeds, but it seemed like a nice house. Balancing her books in one arm, Claire fished in her pants pocket with the other to retrieve her key.
“Are you sure you don’t want help?”
“I’ve got it.” Claire smiled. “I do it every day. It’s easier than putting everything down and having to pick it all up again! It’s all about balancing the books just right.”
“I can see that,” replied Gwen, nodding and smiling. “Impressive.”
With that, Claire had the door open, and both girls went inside. Claire led Gwen into her bedroom where they both dumped their books on the bed. Gwen looked around; the room was nothing fancy—a bed, a desk, a dresser, a closet. But Gwen’s attention was drawn to one entire wall in Claire’s room that was nothing but bookshelves. The top shelf had pictures and knickknacks, and the bottom shelf had games, but the middle two shelves were jam-packed full with books. “Wow!” said Gwen, impressed. “This is awesome. Have you read all of those?”
“Yes, the ones I haven’t read yet are here,” said Claire, opening her closet to reveal a smaller bookcase packed with books. “I love to read.”
“So do I,” said Gwen, “but I don’t think I’ve read