Adam wore glasses too big they also covered a quarter of his cheeks. They fell when Brodus held him up by the collar against the school’s back wall. Adam’s feet hung in the air facing Brodus’s knees.

“Bro—Brodus, let me—let me go,” he hit Brodus’s hands but Brodus never let go.

“shut up, pussy!” said Brodus, spit flew to Adam’s face as he snarled. He wiped him with his rough thumb but didn’t say sorry.

“don’t hit me, plea—please,” Adam was about to cry now. He’d wet his pants if the bladder was full. “don’t hit me,” he cringed against the wall and covered his face.

“that’ll depend on you, boy,” Brodus said. “I’ll hurt you so bad.”

“I’ll do it, ok—okay? I’ll do it, I’ll do it. Just — HELP!” Adam screamed but got hit by a blow on his belly, a cold fist compressing deep as though it were on a surface of a trampoline. He fell down on his knees and coughed. Brodus held him on the shoulders and brought him up to his wobbly feet. Adam quickly wrapped his tummy for another punch but it seemed one was enough.

“scream all you want but nobody’s gonna help ya ass,” Brodus said. “it’s just you and me, boy.”

Really no one was going to help Adam, even if there were any kids from school they’d only watch because Brodus Flay was the most feared (every school has that one leaner who is feared by all). It has been two hours and a half since the school bell rang for departure, the cottage man was minutes away from coming in to lock the gates. The parking lot remained empty; every teacher gone.

Adam Perkins had been attending afternoon classes, as always, while Brodus served his time in detention, as always. This time it was for not handing in his Physical Sciences assignment so Mrs. Burnout, the subject’s teacher, gave him an extension — he said he forgot the assignment at home — and detention for punishment.

“if you don’t write that shit, boy, I swear…”

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it. I’ll — I’ll write it,” Adam said.

Brodus smiled. “Good boy,” he said. His face was big, dark and rough. The type of look which made him an easy suspect in any crime; he appeared the way he acted and how he sounded, older than his age. He failed grade 11 three times.

“I done lied and said I forgot it at home. So you finna give me it tomorrow,” he said.

“To—Tomorrow? But that’s —”

Brodus stopped smiling.

“Alright. It’s—it’s fine. Yoouuu — you’ll get it tomorrow,” said Adam.

“now that’s what I wanna hear,” Brodus patted him on the shoulder and picked up the glasses, put them on Adam’s eyes as if Adam was blind. “see you tomorrow, pussy. Bring my shit, or else…” he laughed and walked away.

Tell us: have you ever been bullied?