Jeremy's School Bully

As he trudged toward an almost certain doom he remembered two important things he'd learned in BB's school on 'How to Survive Life with a Bully'. One is that it is never worth it to try to avoid your meeting with a bully. They will keep their promises about catching you later and you do indeed get it much worse, because by then they have made it their mission to deliver the missed torture, ten-fold. Second is that occasionally they forget about the meeting themselves and you can get off scott-free. Jeremy was fervently praying for the last.

Hallways and steps slowly slid past him like some inanimate funeral procession in reverse. He desperately wanted to stay in one place and yet it was as if time and space were working against him by propelling him toward Lana against his will. His brain screamed for him to run even though he knew it was useless. He walked down the last set of steps to the hallway containing his locker. He took each step down ever so slowly, allowing him to see just a bit further down the dimly lit hallway. One of the tired old fluorescent lights buzzed and flickered fitfully at the end of the hall, bringing to his over active mind scenes from just about every B horror movie he'd ever seen. At long last he reached the first step where he had a clear view all the way to his locker. To his amazement no one was waiting there for him. Jeremy jumped the last few steps and broke into a dead run. Sliding to a stop in front of his locker he shoved his hand into his pocket as he desperately dug for the accursed half sheet of paper that had started all of the problems today. He yanked it out too quickly and only succeeded in ripping it in two. He pulled the remaining piece out of his pocket then fumbled desperately to put the pieces together so he could read the combination. Left 36, right 24, left 36. 'Now why the hell couldn't I remember that!' he thought with scorn. Blessedly the locker opened on the first try. He slung his books into the bottom of the locker, slammed the door, turned and bolted face first into Lana's waiting chest.