"It was a joke," Derek mumbled, suddenly unsure.

Mom put an arm around my shoulder and led me to the minivan. As the door slid shut, she handed me a juice box. "You okay?"

It was a gray Tuesday afternoon when Derek "The Wall" Thompson decided to make my life hell again. He cornered me behind the gym, his knuckles cracking like twigs as he leaned in. "Lunch money, nerd. Or I break that anime keychain you love so much."

Derek turned to me, jaw tight, then forced out: "I'm sorry, Elias. It won't happen again."

"With bells on."