"Elias," she said quietly, setting down her fork. "You’ve got that look. The one you had when you were seven and afraid of the basement."
"I—I won't bother him," he whispered.
I smiled. "Deal."
Mom tilted her head. "Let me tell you a joke, Derek. When I was in logistics in Kandahar, I had a colleague who thought he could intimidate people too. One day, he cornered the wrong supply officer. That officer made sure his unit ran out of toilet paper, boot insoles, and hot meals for three weeks." She smiled wider. "He apologized. In writing." the bully meets my mom (2022)
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." "Elias," she said quietly, setting down her fork