At the end of the previous school
year, Drew had been overcome with a strong feeling that something like
this was going to happen. To this day, he could remember one
of his classmates in science class, their grade's really "bad" kid,
mercilessly teasing and spitting on him during a movie the last week of
school. No teacher stopped him. He'd always been an
outcast, a bit of an oddball, but never before picked out specifically
for ridicule.
The entire scene is still clear in his mind. They were
sitting on the floor. A few wads of spit hit him.
Drew yells at the kid. The teacher yells at Drew
for being loud during the movie. A few girls laugh behind
them. Another boy dumps pencil scrapings in his hair.
Walking down the hall to the next class, he makes an abrupt
detour to the bathroom in order to throw up after being suddenly
overwhelmed with anxiety. Staring into the toilet, he knew he
was doomed.