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Thanks," said Jody. As his Mother turned to walk into the kitchen, Jody stopped her.
    "Can I ask you a question, Mom?"
    "Sure," she replied.
    "If you loved a person who had a really bad disease, would you stay with them?"
    "I think you already know the answer to that question," she answered. "Your father left me, not the other way around, remember?"
    "Oh, yeah, right," said Jody. "I guess he had one of the worst diseases of all, huh?"
    "Yes, he did," answered his mom. She turned around and headed back towards the kitchen.
    Just before eight o'clock, Jody sat down at the computer again. He had never viddied anyone, let alone a girl. He could feel adrenalin begin to course through his body. His hands shook as he positioned his camera to display him from the neck up. No sense in highlighting his defects, he thought.
    When the clock displayed "8:00," Jody clicked on Missy's viddy link. After a few seconds of beeping, Missy appeared on his computer screen, still wearing her kerchief. She greeted him first with the most elementary greeting possible.
    "Hi Jody."
    "Hi Missy. It's nice to see you again."
    "Did you have time to check out my BFF site?" she asked. She looked worried.
    "Yep. Man, you've got a lot of stuff on there. Your friends seem nice," said Jody.
    "So did you see the viddy of me without my kerchief?" she asked, looking a bit scared.
    "Yeah," said Jody plainly.
    "So what did you think?"
    Jody was ready with his rehearsed response. "I think Angelina Jolie didn't look nearly as pretty as you when she shaved her head."
    Missy visibly exhaled. The worried look disappeared from her face. Her eyes sparkled as she laughed. "Wow, I think that's the best compliment I've ever gotten."
    "It's the truth," said Jody. He knew that other people might not feel the same way, but he meant what he said.
    "You look awesome on camera yourself," said Missy.
    Jody thought she might be overstating, but he hadn't been complimented on his looks for so long that her words washed over him like a soft ocean breeze. The two of them began chattering animatedly. Before long, it felt to Jody as if she were right there in the room with him. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that sticking with her was the right move.
    It was quite a while before Missy asked him the question that caused him shame.
    "So who is that guy who threw your books in the hallway today?"
    "That's Jimmy Hines," answered Jody. "He's kind of the school jerk."
    "I noticed," said Missy. "How long has he been messing with you?"
    "Ever since he knew I couldn't defend myself."
    "That figures. That's what bullies do. They prey on the ones that they know can't fight back. I've been thinking about Jimmy. I've got a plan, if you've got the guts."
    Jody was certainly not about to admit that he wasn't brave enough to fight back. "O.K., what's the plan?" he said hesitantly. He listened as Missy described her idea. By the time she finished, he was on board.
    "Let's do it," he said. Missy told him that she already had what they needed to accomplish their ninja mission, and she would bring it to school tomorrow. Jody could feel his enthusiasm growing as he anticipated a chance to get back at Jimmy. She was so cool!
    Just before 10:00, Jody's mother's curiosity about the voices emanating from Jody's room finally got the better of her. She crept up to Jody's closed door and put her ear as close to the door as she dared. Ten minutes later, she crept back. She climbed the stairs to her bedroom, so happy for Jody she could barely contain herself. She thought of Jody's initial response to her query about how his school day had gone. "The usual, my butt!" she thought happily.

Chapter 6
    Jody awoke early the next day. Normally groggy when he first woke up, he was instantly alert today. For the first time in a very long time, he was eagerly anticipating his arduous hike to school. Unaccustomed energy coursed through his body. He sailed through his shower and dressed faster than he had in months.