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darkening
sky; a storm seemed to be approaching. He always set guidelines, even though he
rarely abided by any. ‘No cliff jumping. That crap is for the older kids and
grown-ups. If I catch you guys doing anything out of the ordinary, which
includes pyrotechnics, Jason—you will be in for hell. Do you guys understand
me?’
    ‘Yes
sir,’ we all said in harmony, with false motivation.
    We
were instructed to walk east if we became lost, and to look for the fire.
‘Which would be difficult if it rains,’ I pointed out. My dad just shrugged.
    As
soon as Bill cut us loose, we started to rush to the wood-line, eagerly
grabbing our compasses and flashlights. My dad yelled for me to come back
before I got very far. Checking to make sure that Jason and Travis were out of
earshot, he whispered conspiratorially to me, ‘Good job teaching that boy a
lesson today in class. He will not mess with you again.’ Bill patted me on my
ass and told me to catch up to them. He hardly ever gave me praise for
anything; and when he did, it was always for the wrong reason. Still, I’d take
what I could get.
    It
was a mad sprint, but eventually I met up with Jason and Travis.
    We
took the worn paths along the edge of the cliffs. The weather took a turn for
the worse, as drizzling rain fell and temperatures plunged. The sky was dark
and sinister, as a storm approached.
    I
had a coat on that my grandmother bought me from Big-Mart, back when it was
actually a cool place to shop. On the coat, there was a label: Flyboy. I
thought that was so cool.
    When
we had finally arrived at the highest cliff, we found ourselves peering out to
the gloomy river, a sheer fifty feet below. Perhaps it was the worsening
weather, combined with the dizzying sight from the cliffs, but when we rested,
the mood among us changed entirely.
    ‘You
retard! What were you thinking? I can’t believe you kicked me in the nuts!’
Travis shouted, his eyes scrunched. ‘You’re lucky the Bricky was right behind
you, otherwise it would have been your death wish!’
    ‘Whoa,’
I said, caught off guard. ‘What’s gotten into your beehive now?’
    Jason
said, ‘Travis, you have been tough on him, though, picking on him and stuff.’
    ‘I
don’t care,’ Travis said, and shoved me. Jason jumped in.
    ‘You
don’t need to push him, Travis!’ Jason said.
    I
stood tall, realizing Jason had just stuck up for me.
    Trying
to calm Travis down, I desperately tried to figure out what set him off. ‘Is
this about your dad beating you? Because...’
    ‘What!’
Jason turned to Travis, stunned.
    Travis
glowered with a dangerous look in his eyes. ‘No,’ he sneered, ‘it’s all about
you.’ He grabbed my collar and read out loud the label on it. ‘Flyboy, it
should say freak-boy.’
    Jason
leaned over and whispered, ‘Don’t take that crap from anyone, Theodore.”
    Despite
Jason’s gesture, I just lost my temper. I grabbed Travis’s shoulder, and as he
swung out in defense, I received the point of his elbow cleanly on my nose. My
nostrils were pouring blood, and once the blood hit my hands, my rage knew no
limits. I charged Travis. I was fueled by the hatred of being belittled and
battered for so long.
    All
my peripheral vision went black, and at the end of the tunnel was my nemesis.
In the thick of the frenzy, I felt Jason’s presence as his hands split the two
of us, trying desperately to break up the fight.
    The
storm delivered a thwack and boom of thunder. My necklace shone bright in the
dark wild terror of the fight, and I feared they would see the amulet. The rain
drenched our altercation in downpour. Drops of water dripped downward off the
edge of my hood, creating a curtain of water that obstructed my sight. I took
in water through my nostrils from my heavy breathing.
    Travis
lost his step near the edge of the cliff, and in reaction, grabbed onto Jason
for safety. When Jason also started to stumble toward the precipice, Travis
reached desperately for the tree next to