Just Another Hero by Sharon M. Draper Page B

this time,” Eric said, relief in his voice.
    â€œYou can carry me if you want,” Jericho teased him.
    â€œI’ll pass on that one, dude. But Olivia might want the job,” Eric said with a laugh.
    â€œHey, don’t be messin’ with Olivia the Superwoman,” she said as they got to the end of the hall. “You make me pull out my red cape and I’ll dust the floor with both of you!” They all laughed as they headed outside.
    Thick snow fell on the students as they milled outside the building, stomping their feet and cursing the weather.
    â€œIt wouldn’t be so bad if it was spring,” said Jericho, shoving his hands into his pockets.
    â€œThis sucks !” Cleveland grumbled. “It’s, like, the coldest day of the year.”
    Kofi wondered if it was the cold that was making his head suddenly start pounding. Doesn’t matter—pain’s the same! he reasoned. He thrust his hands deep into his jeans pockets—partly for warmth, but mostly to locate the bottle of pills he’d hidden there. Just touching the container made him relax.
    â€œKofi. Dana. November. Jericho. Eric. Luis. Olivia. Susan. Osrick. You okay, sweetie?” she asked. Osrick nodded. Mrs. Witherspoon took attendance on a handheld Blackberry device, which was awkward through her gloved hands. “Rosa. Arielle. Brandon. Roscoe. Cleveland. Eddie.” She paused and looked around, concern and suspicion on her face. “Where’s Eddie?” she asked.
    â€œRight behind you, Spoon,” Eddie said into her ear.
    The teacher gave Eddie an uneasy look, but made no further comment.
    Once again the classes waited for twenty minutes for the all-clear bell and finally went back into their classrooms, frosty and bitter.
    Kofi’s head still throbbed. As they hurried down the hall, he popped a pill into his mouth, chewing it dry and making sure Dana didn’t see him do it.

ARIELLE
CHAPTER 14
    FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11
    â€œHAVE YOU SEEN IT?”
    â€œGirl, that was too funny!”
    â€œI almost peed my pants!”
    â€œNo, but I bet the little weirdo peed on the floor!”
    â€œWhat you talking about?”
    â€œWeird Osrick’s butt cheeks!”
    â€œFor real?”
    â€œHow do you know it’s him?”
    â€œI’d know that hoodie anywhere.”
    â€œShut up!”
    â€œCheck out You Tube, man.”
    â€œHe’s got his pants down and you can see everything !”
    â€œEverything?”
    â€œWell, almost. Skinny little legs. Skinny little thighs. Skinny little butt!” The laughter was loud and raucous.
    â€œI gotta see this!”
    â€œWho filmed it?”
    â€œI don’t know. But somebody is holding him down. You can only see their hands.”
    â€œPoor little geek.”
    â€œAh, he probably liked it—he got to be the center of attention for a change.”
    â€œShow it again! Show it again!”
    Three girls huddled around an iPhone and laughed so loudly that the bus driver glanced back to see what they were up to. They passed the phone around to almost everyone on the bus, and everyone who watched the video seemed to think it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen.
    Arielle, who was riding the bus because the Mercedes was still in the shop, sat two seats behind them. She listened to the conversation helplessly. She knew that by the end of the day the video would have gone viral and there would be nothing she could do about it.
    And she knew she should say something to defend the kid—she felt so sorry for him—but what could she say that would stop the video?
    She hadn’t noticed Olivia, however, sitting near the front of the bus. When someone passed the phone to her, she looked at it briefly, then immediately tossed it back and stood up, outraged.
    â€œNo standing on the bus,” the driver said mechanically.
    Olivia ignored him. “You think that video is funny?” she bellowed.