Cory McBrown: Year 1-Chapter 8

28th of October, 2001

Night two of slumber party with my two best friends. We’ve set up sheets and dining room chairs as a big tent in the living room. We have a lantern in the middle and all our sleeping bags around it. We’re pretending we’re camping in the woods. Except we have sandwich cookies, crisps, and coffee ice cream. The movie for the night is Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (and we are not sorry). To top it off, we have the Clue board set up. Bart is on the couch reading a book for school, while we stuff our faces in front of the movie.

At one point he chimes in. “Ugh! I hate this book!”

I look at him. “Why?”

“Well, I don’t really hate it… It’s actually pretty interesting… I’m just tired of reading it… But I’ll get in trouble if I don’t,” he explains.

“So you might even say ‘yousa be in biggo trouble’.” I giggle, using my best Jar Jar Binks voice.

Bart gives me a look. “Watch your movie.”

I turn to Sam. “So did you ask Harry to go to the dance with you yet?”

“No! I don’t want him to think I’m desperate for a date.”

“You told me you were gonna ask him five days ago,” I say.

“Asking for a date is a delicate thing, Cory,” Bart says.

“Trudy asked me the day it was announced,” John says. “I didn’t find it desperate.”

“But you’re already dating her. That doesn’t count.” Bart says.

I look at him. “Weren’t you reading a book you didn’t like?”

Bart nods, and we go about our slumber party.

29th of October, 2001

Mum and Edward got back sometime in the night, and the next day we went to school as normal.

Except Bart seemed a little on edge. I saw him keep looking around when he was in the hall.

Between history and Irish Gaelic, I go up to him, completely not caring that Iain McGarrey (his best friend, remember?) is standing next to him. “You’re worried about McClaggen, aren’t you?”

Bart looks at me, and then at Iain, who raises his eyebrows. “What gave you that idea?”

“You don’t usually make a habit of acting like a spy in the halls,” I say.

Iain laughs. Bart frowns. Then he looks at me. “Cory, I told you you didn’t need to worry about me and McClaggen. It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

I frown. “You’re my brother. Of course it has something to do with me.”

“Just tell her, Bart,” Iain says.

Bart looks at him. “I haven’t even told you.”

“I know. Do you know how irritating it is when your best friend won’t confide in you?” Iain says before walking off.

“Come on, Bart. Quit being a lunar Capricorn for just one minute and talk to me. Why is McClaggen picking on you, and how do we stop him?”

Bart sighs. “You can’t stop him. He’s a bully and bullies bully no matter what.”

“So why does he do it?”

Bart doesn’t answer right away. “He thinks I’m a wuss for spending so much time with you, and Sam, and John. How many times this year, already, have I said ‘No, I can’t go to that party, I have to make dinner for my sister’. ‘No, I can’t go to that football game, Cory needs company’… ‘No, I can’t crash the Sadie Hawkins Dance, cause I’m taking my sister’… He gave me a lot of crap for that one.”

I just stand there. “I didn’t realize I was being so much of a bother.”

“No, listen to me, Cory,” Bart takes my hand and sits down with me on the bench. “You are not a bother to me. You’re my little sister, and you are way more important to me than some stupid 6th year. I like taking care of you, and that is McClaggen’s problem if he thinks I’m some kind of sissy because I’m kind to my family. Do you understand?”

I nod. “And believe me, McClaggen’s gonna catch hell that he made you feel like a problem.”

I frown. “Isn’t that going to cause more problems for you?”

“I didn’t mean I would confront him… I’ll tell the school.”

I frown again. “Aye, right. You were never even thinking of going up to McClaggen and giving him what for. Cause you’ve never mouthed off to anyone in your life.”

Bart tousles my hair, then pulls me up, putting his arm around me as we walk. “Come on. You gotta get to class, and so do I.”

“You’re not going to pick any fights with Rooster McClaggen in the meantime?”

“Well, luckily, he has math the same time I have English, so I won’t see him.” We part at the Irish Gaelic classroom. “Good luck.”

Today, Sam, John, and I, and Bart all walked home together. We met by the sign and chatted while we organized our backpacks.

“So, did you ever ask Harry to go with you to the dance?” I ask Sam. “It is the day after tomorrow.”

“I did, and he said yes!” Sam says, triumphantly. “I have tied down Harry Barton.”

“Please,” Bart says. “You’re only 13. You’re gonna have like a zillion dates before you ever tie anyone down.”

Suddenly, McClaggen comes over, with a couple of his friends. “Squealer!”

Bart frowns at him. “What did you say?”

McClaggen pushes Bart up against the sign. “You told McDowell about our little chats.”

“You mean your bullying?” Sam pipes up. John looks like he’s gonna die right there when she does.

“Shut up!” McClaggen yells at her.

“Hey! Leave them out of this.” Bart says. “It’s one thing to bully a 5th year and a whole other thing to go after a 2nd year.”

“Why’d you tell McDowell?”

“I didn’t tell her anything! Now leave me alone, okay?”

“Why? You gonna go cry to your mommy?”

I do something I don’t expect, which I immediately regret. “You know what, McClaggen, I’m tired of you picking on my brother just because he’s protective of me. It wouldn’t kill you to care about someone for once. And it wasn’t Bart who told McDowell. I did.” Suddenly, my heart goes up into my throat.

“You what?” Bart says. I don’t think he’s offended as much as worried that I just said that in front of McClaggen.

“Why you little pest!” McClaggen lets go of Bart and turns towards me.

Bart grabs his arm immediately. “Don’t you dare touch her-“

McClaggen whirls around and punches Bart in the face. Sam ushers me and John away. “Come on, let’s go,” she says.

“What about Bart?” I ask, worried.

“We’ll go find Mistress McDowell,” Sam says.

We don’t need to. Mr. Maloney, the Senior cycle PE teacher comes over, blowing his whistle, and pulls McClaggen off of Bart. “Enough! What the hell is going on here?”

Bart is holding his bleeding nose. “I didn’t start it, Mr. Maloney.”

“Oh, go ahead and be a snitch. I’ll catch you later in the halls.” McClaggen blusters.

“Enough, McClaggen!” Mr. Maloney says. “What happened?”

“It was my fault, Mr. Maloney,” I say. “McClaggen’s been bullying my brother, and I told Mistress McDowell last Friday… McClaggen was calling Bart a squealer, so I told him it was me who told Mistress McDowell. McClaggen tried to come after me, and Bart tried to stop him, so McClaggen punched him.”

Mr. Maloney nods. “Thank you, Ms. McBrown.”

He looks at McClaggen. “You go to my office. We will speak in a moment.”

McClaggen and his friends leave. Mr. Maloney looks at Bart. “You should visit the nurse.”

Bart nods. “You guys head home, okay?”

“Are you sure?”

“Aye, I’ll be fine. Go home.”

And what about Mum? She’s not going to be happy that Bart didn’t tell her he was being bullied. Or maybe he has. I guess I don’t know. Either way, I’ll leave it up to him to talk about it. I probably shouldn’t have been the one to tell Mistress McDowell, but I was worried. He is my older brother, and I know I’m the younger one, but he’s also my friend. I like taking care of people I love, even when they don’t need it.