Mom kept pacing the living room, back and forth, not saying a word. It would have been easier if she just had just come out and told us how disappointed she was, announced our punishments, and sent us to our rooms. She wanted us to apologize, to explain. Finally, I could not stand the silence any longer.

“You said we should always be brave to stand up for what’s right…”

“Yeah, Ma. We were only trying to stand up to those jerkwads,” Raelynn added as she cried. “They were saying mean things.”

My mother’s long strawberry blonde ponytail flipped forward as she buried her head in her hands. She took a long breath and looked up at us. Her tone was taut.

“I didn’t mean to act in a violent way… standing up truly means deciding to resolve things another way!”

“What is another way?” I asked. “Calling the police?”

“No. Respond with no action and smile. Because they will learn that Karma is much meaner than they are,” she smiled. “Now go to your rooms.”

Earlier in the day…

“Hey! Give that back!” Raelynn shouted in her shaking voice. “Give me back my journal!”

Two teenage boys from the neighborhood ran off with Raelynn’s little fuzzy pink unicorn notebook. They laughed as they read her entries and ran from her.

“Haha! Look at this, Aaron. She believes she will be a famous lawyer one day.”

“A lawyer?! Retards can’t be lawyers. They only can be losers. Haha!”

I had just finished putting air into my bike wheels when I saw Raelynn putting her black and purple Permobil motorized wheelchair on the highest speed to catch up with them.

“Rae! Hold up!” I hollered as I got on my bike. “Don’t listen to them!”

The teenage boys tossed the notebook back and forth to one another whenever she was close to grabbing it.

“Uh-huh! Too bad ya can’t sue me or even be quick enough!” Derek exclaimed as he threw it to Aaron.

My speed increased as much as my anger. Aaron caught the notebook and flipped through a couple of pages. “Woah! She also has a crush on your little brother, Derek.”

Derek burst out laughing and turned to her. “Hate to tell ya this… Chandler is only into pretty girls.”

“I think we should still tell him,” Aaron added.

“No! Please don’t!” she screamed with tears rolling down her freckled face.

I finally cut them both off with my bike and grabbed the notebook from Aaron’s hands.

“Y’all are nothing but stupid boneheads,” I said. “Better watch your calves…”

“Uh?”

Before Aaron knew it, Raelynn knocked him off his feet by driving straight into him at full speed. He moaned as the pain hit.

“Is that retarded enough for you?” Raelynn smirked.

“You little b*****,” Derek said as he started to come at her.

Without thinking about it, I grabbed his shirt and threw a punch. Blood instantly gushed out of his nose.

“Let’s go before they kill us!” Raelynn exclaimed.