Super Shy

SUPER SHY

By

Robert Deason

Smashwords Edition

Second Edition Copyright 2015 © Robert Deason

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in the critical articles or in a review.

Trademarked names appear throughout this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, names are used in an editorial fashion, with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

The information in this book is distributed on an as is basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank each of these people who helped make Super Shy a reality by offering their support, input, and advice: Carol Jean, Rachel, Ryen, Richard, Christa, Steve, and my precious Peggy. I couldn’t have done it without you.

For JJ and Madilynn

Table of Contents

Chapter One – Eighth Grade

Chapter Two – So Big

Chapter Three – Tom

Chapter Four – Secrets

Chapter Five – United

Chapter Six – The Game

Chapter Seven – Busted

Chapter Eight – Heroes & Villains

Chapter Nine – Down the Drain

Chapter Ten – The Car

Chapter Eleven – The Note

Chapter Twelve – The Dance

Chapter Thirteen – The Mall

Chapter Fourteen –The Rat and His Cheese

Chapter Fifteen – Ghosts

Chapter Sixteen – The Field Trip

Chapter Seventeen – The Cave

Chapter Eighteen – Powerless

Chapter Nineteen – Rock Solid

Chapter Twenty – Ransomed

Chapter Twenty-One – Looking Evil in the Face

Chapter Twenty-Two – Graduation

Chapter 1

Eighth Grade

Edelweiss Featherwhite desperately wanted her life to change. If only she had straight, blonde hair, dropped twenty pounds, and wore contacts things would get better; and if she filled out up there, and if just one person dared to be her friend. Who’m I kidding? she sighed into the mirror. That won’t happen this year or ever.

Even if the Looks Fairy magically disarmed the unruly red hair exploding about Edelweiss’s head and cleared up the angry pimples peppering her skin, she’d still get picked on. Looking like Taylor Swift wouldn’t change the fact that her freaking parents saddled her with the weirdest name of all time. Whenever Edelweiss met a new kid, they’d ask her to repeat it until they either burst out laughing or hit her. A’ dell vice, that’s how you’re supposed to say it. It’s a kind of flower, but it might as well be a sign on your back that says kick me.

Kids teased Edelweiss because of her name, and then quickly moved on to all of the other reasons to make fun of her: too round, too ugly, too odd, and too smart. Edelweiss hated being teased, so she lay low, kept her mouth shut, and retreated into her books until almost everybody kind of forgot about her. By the time Edelweiss hit middle school she blended into the puke green paint on the walls, which drove her nearly as crazy as being teased. She wanted to be noticed in a good way. She wanted a boy to come up to her and talk of deep things. She wanted kids to tell her good job when she won the science fair. She wanted someone she could call to go with her to the mall. Most kids acted like she didn’t exist, but one group, The Pops – the popular kids who ruled the school – treated Edelweiss as if she was a paper cut on the finger of their fame. Even if someone kind of liked Edelweiss they’d be afraid to get too close. Nobody wanted the Pops to do to them what they did to Edelweiss. I’m not the pretty Austrian flower Granny named me after, she said to her reflection. And, then, as if confessing to a stranger, she added, I’ll tell you the kind of flower I am…a wallflower. Edelweiss wore a new blue dress on the first day of ninth grade to show off what she considered her only good feature, her legs.

As she swam with the current in Mansfield Middle School’s crowded halls; Edelweiss realized she’d made the wrong choice. Every girl who passed Edelweiss in the hall strutted her stuff in skinny jeans. Edelweiss glanced down beyond her flat chest to her dimpled knees, and lamented that she didn’t have any stuff to strut. Edelweiss wrote off making a good impression on day one; the best she could hope for was getting to class without any trouble. She kept her head down so the Pops wouldn’t notice her, but it also kept her from seeing them coming. Edelweiss suddenly sailed across the polished floor and nearly collided with a startled seventh-grader. The contents of her purse took flight like frightened birds. Tinny laughter bounced off the full-length metal lockers lining the hall. A kid she’d never seen before stood over her smirking. He was the one who’d tripped her, but it was the gang of popular kids who’d put him up to it. They led the cruel chorus of laughter. What a great way to start eighth grade…sprawled on the floor. Last year, on day one Edelweiss showed up to first period with a painful red bruise on her cheek after some boy had accidentally smacked her into a locker. Things were looking up. This time she hurt only her pride.

Edelweiss slowly got to her feet. Dirt from the soles of a thousand shoes christened her once-new dress. She half-heartedly swiped her hand across the grungy mosaic, and then collected her things. Edelweiss actually admired the new kid for how quickly he’d figured out the social system. Would she ever figure out how to fit in?

***

Weeks later Edelweiss spotted an announcement: a new Science Club was meeting after school. Edelweiss liked science, but she wondered whether it was worth the risk. She decided that if she didn’t like it, or kids gave her a hard time, she could always quit.

As soon as the final bell of the big day rang, Edelweiss raced to the science lab. She craned her neck through the classroom door. She felt oddly at ease, almost as though she belonged, until her nose was stung by the pungent odor of formaldehyde. What if hanging out in the lab made her smell like that? Edelweiss weighed whether she loved science more than she feared being made fun of.

While she deliberated, the usual suspects piled up behind her and shoved her into the room. Yeah, well I was going to do it, anyway, she said as if to convince herself that a mob hadn’t made the choice for her. Her fledgling optimism wilted right away; some of the Pops, the stars of Mansfield Middle School, also liked science, and they were practically twinkling from their seats at the lab tables. Edelweiss felt like a black hole next to the stars. One fact of science was staring her in the face: the food chain can’t be broken, even in Science Club. Someone must be the worm at the bottom. As if to spare the Pops the humiliation of sharing a Bunsen burner with a geek, Mr. Martinez, the club sponsor and science teacher, assigned lab partners according to the rules of the food chain. He paired the Pops together, and teamed Edelweiss with the only other girl likely to compete for the title of Biggest Loser in school. Accidentally echoing her thoughts, Edelweiss said under her breath, Loser.

Hey! You did not just say that! bellowed the bull of a girl fidgeting next to her. Edelweiss flinched, and sweat broke out on her upper lip. I’m sorry. I...I didn’t say anything, she said meekly.

The stranger arched an eyebrow suspiciously. Uh-huh. Sure.

Uh, I mean, I didn’t mean you, added Edelweiss, trying to smooth things over. Edelweiss pulled away from the imposing figure. She was quickly ruining any chance of making a friend in Science Club, so Edelweiss cleared her throat and spoke more confidently than she felt. My name’s Edelweiss. The big girl’s eyes widened, then, doubling over, her deep-throated laughter erupted. Edelweiss blushed, but determined for once to stand up for herself, she began rambling before she even knew what she was doing. "My mom wanted to name me Sophia, but Granny loved the name Edelweiss, ‘cause that’s a song in her favorite movie, The Sound of Music, you know, the one with the singing nun? Anyway, Granny had a stroke before I was born and they thought she was going to die, so Mom agreed to name me Edelweiss. The stranger was still laughing, as Edelweiss’s story ran out of steam. It’s a small white flower, she added quietly, but Granny didn’t die, and I was stuck with the name. Thanks a lot, Granny."

Girl, I’ll just call you ‘E’, if it’s the same to you, her partner said as she wiped mirthful tears from her eyes. My name’s Dewanna Dratch.

Her name’s as weird as mine, thought Edelweiss, but instead of making fun of it, she offered what she thought was a perfectly reasonable question. How tall are you? At six feet something, Dewanna towered over the girls, and most of the boys. Her front teeth stuck out noticeably, and she had skin a shade darker than anyone else in their school of mostly Latino and white kids. Dewanna’s face clouded in response to the question. She crossed her arms and turned her back on Edelweiss.

Don’t you start with me. I know what everybody say.

Edelweiss’s false bravado faded along with her voice. She squeaked,

What do they say? I’m sorry, I don’t know.

Dewanna whipped back around and hissed, That I’m too tall and butt ugly! But you ain’t nothing special yourself, girl, so don’t be dissin’ me.

Dewanna glared at Edelweiss, whose porcelain cheeks burned like Twinkies frying in hot oil. Beneath the mass of red hair, Edelweiss’s neck grew damp with sweat. She stepped further away from the angry giant and stammered awkwardly, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it. Believe me, I know how you feel. Dewanna’s eyes narrowed and the corner of her mouth twitched. From that look, Edelweiss imagined Dewanna must be thinking: How could this red-headed dwarf know anything? Dewanna had a smart mouth, but it didn’t help her once her height shot up in sixth grade. She’d always been treated differently because of her skin color, but in subtle ways. Now, kids openly teased and bullied her for being so big, so out of place. The Pops served humiliation to Dewanna as regularly as dinner at six. She choked on the steady diet of worthlessness. As a little kid, she’d been afraid of stuff like the dark and loud noises; she still was, but the list had grown to include bullies and their mean words. You’d think it’d be hard to make a 6-foot tall girl feel small, but their insults did just that. The fact that she felt too beaten down to stand up to the Pops made her feel even smaller.

Dewanna liked singing more than anything. She sang in a youth choir at church.

She sometimes wondered if the bullies would treat her better if they heard her sing, but they were never going to find out. After all the grief they’d given her, she was too afraid to get up in front of them at school.

Just then, a boy standing by himself at the side of the room loudly interrupted the girls’ brief and unsatisfying introduction by nearly shouting, Mr. Martinez! I didn’t get a lab partner! The teacher peered over his glasses at the boy, then looked back at the sign-up sheet on his desk scrawled with the names of kids wanting to be in Science Club. I’m sorry, son. Did you sign up? The boy kicked at the floor and replied hotly, "Yeah, I’m