It didn’t.
Her locker was vandalized.
The words jumped out at her immediately, written in thick, dark marker:
RUNT
WEAK
USELESS
Her chest tightened painfully.
She stared at them, numb.
She shouldn’t have been surprised.
And yet… it hurt.
It hurt so much she thought she might collapse right there in the hallway. Her hands trembled as she opened the locker, ignoring the snickers behind her, ignoring the way her vision blurred.
She shut it again quickly and walked away.
Class felt endless.
The walls too close.
The air too thick.
When Lori slid into the seat beside her, relief and dread collided violently in Iva’s chest.
“Don’t,” Iva whispered without looking at her.
Lori blinked. “Don’t… what?”
Iva swallowed hard. “Don’t sit next to me. Don’t talk to me. I’m… I’m a pariah no
