Excerpt:-

Tessa’s hand shoves at me again, and I hear her laughing as she does. Tessa. My friend. Why? What did I ever do? I push out one last time at Karen, arms flailing around, fighting with everything I have to break free of them but knowing I can’t get them off of me. I haven’t got the strength or ability. They’re right, all of them, I’m a fat slob who can’t even defend herself. Pathetic really. And as the scorch of flames becomes unbearable I just stare into them, somehow willing them to get on with it while my body begins to give up its useless fight. Maybe this is it, the end. Death. I’ve willed it to me enough. Thought of it over and over again because of these girls. Perhaps it should be. Maybe I should just let them do whatever they want now. Maybe it’s quiet in death, dark. Trouble-free.

Scalded wood starts creeping up my nostrils as I struggle to breathe through the temperature, gasping for air and hope as hands still shove and push at me. Pain starts to creep into my eyeballs as I eventually give up and fall to my knees, screaming into the fire as a last call for help maybe. But no one helps. No one’s coming, are they? It’s just me again, on my own and sucking in this acrid smell. It reminds me of my mum’s cooking. Burnt. It’s probably my fat cooking, I suppose. Roasting itself on the spit maybe, because it does feel like I’m melting now, like layers of me are being peeled off one by one to find the skinny person inside. I’m not even freaked out by it anymore as I feel someone’s hand still pushing, it’s probably a good thing to get this fat off. They’re probably right, aren’t they? And the pain has about gone, anyway. It’s sort of nice, really. It just feels like a beach somewhere that I’m lying on as the sun’s rays caress me. Warm, you know?

*-*-*-*-*

Break the Cycle is an anti-bullying anthology of 14 stories by 14 different authors. Each story features a different scenario.

Pre-order the e-Book:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Pre-order the paperback direct from SML (UK ONLY):

Google Form

Paperbacks will also be available direct from Amazon nearer the time.

Excerpt:-

After college Alice usually met me in the car park, but she was really late today. I’d had to move my car into a shadow to stop myself from baking. I tried to call her mobile, but it was just going to answer phone. I was tired and I thought I’d give her five more minutes before I went to look.

It had been a strange day, too…

I’d been calling to Alice across the art room when Natasha had stepped between us. At first I thought she was going to speak to me, perhaps explain what was going on with her. Instead she got right inside my personal space under the pretext of reaching a scalpel on the shelf behind me. As she drew back she turned her head towards me. Her cheek rubbed against my face and her mouth touched mine. It was so quick, I wasn’t sure whether it had happened, or whether there was something wrong going on inside my head. Her tongue had flicked out and licked the inside of my top lip. Nothing was said; she just turned and walked away back to her work station. Alice caught my eye, looking shocked and even, I thought, a bit upset. Her gaze moved over to rest on Natasha and Natasha gave her a wink.

Where the hell was Alice? I’d been waiting over an hour, the student car park was almost empty. The only other car was Natasha’s sky blue Audi TT. As I watched, Natasha strode into the car park, a satisfied grin playing across her face. Wind gusted over the roof of the buildings and tousled her hair, which she tucked back behind her ears. Something gold flashed in the sun, then it was gone. She jumped into her car and drove away.

I decided to go and look for Alice. The corridors were deserted and only a few teachers lingered in their class rooms. But the place was pretty empty. I was just going back to see if Alice was waiting at the car, when I heard crying coming from the girls’ toilet. Alice was in there alright, sitting on the floor holding saturated paper towels to her bleeding ears.

“Fuck! Alice.”

I raced to her, put my arm around her and pulled her hands away from her head. Both of her earlobes had been split through, the earrings gone. I managed to bundle her up and get her into my car.

I called Dad. He said he’d meet us at home.

Dad was there when we arrived. He took Alice into his study. I stayed and held her hand; the flesh was still raw and bleeding, but the cuts were straight, there were no ragged edges. Dad gave Alice some local anaesthetic and stitched the wounds closed. Her ears would be alright, but she was shaken. Dad and I took her into the living room. Alice snuggled up against him and fell asleep. He looked worried, sat there all afternoon stroking her hair while she slept. He didn’t ask me anything.

*-*-*-*-*

Break the Cycle is an anti-bullying anthology of 14 stories by 14 different authors. Each story features a different scenario.

Pre-order the e-Book:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Pre-order the paperback direct from SML (UK ONLY):

Google Form

Paperbacks will also be available direct from Amazon nearer the time.

Excerpt:-

Many things passed through David Goodrew’s mind as he walked through the corridors soon afterward, seeing the students pass by him. A lot of them were the same questions, the same admonishments. He thought of asking the questions, interviewing his staff, demanding to know why he’d not been told, demanding to know why he’d thought it was unique and a quirky edge to his school. Who in their right mind would have thought that?

But those thoughts passed by quickly, as he turned through a door and out into the cool, spicy air. It wasn’t about him, and all of his years had at least taught him that. It was about Peter.

The sky above had turned a miserly grey, the clouds a flat-pan across the sun. The golden-brown leaves churned up like years, and with each step David walked through all of the days he’d been teaching. But he would not recount them all, only the highlights, those that would ready him for the next few moments.

His feet touched the grass, and as the bell rang out in the main building, across the yard, his steps took him to the furthest flung corner of the school field. And why? Because those years had taught him that bullies were cowards, and would hide their victims away, out of sight, where they’d be and feel most vulnerable. Those years had taught him that he had to stick to the rules, but to be unpredictable would catch them clean, because bullies liked routine, loved their victims to know that a certain place, a certain time, would bring them fear. Those years had taught him. He’d only forgotten.

Apathy, he thought.

Most of the students had gone now, left the field leaving muddy footprints, churned up earth and scattered leaves—so many leaves. A mitten was on the floor, and he thought perhaps a hat to go with it, near the trees over there. But where would they take Peter?

The trees to the left marked the very edge of the meadow and cut sharply to the left, following the line of the main road beyond it. The limbs were almost completely bare, the bark dark and crusty, and clustered with their contemporaries they made a hollow of their trunks where lots of things would live. Including spiders. Including bullies.

David stopped at the corner, aware that he was a man on a deserted field, that the classrooms would now be filling up and eyes would be on him. He heard voices though, and they were the voices of the three boys who’d chase Peter every day.

He listened.

“…love them. We know you do. Eat one. Go on.”

“The bell’s gone.”

“Who’ve we got next?”

“Seaman.” The boys laughed, though David had heard it so many times. That’s Mrs Seaman, to you, he heard her cry.

“She’s never on time. We have a few minutes.” That was Billy Phillips, ring leader no doubt. “Enough time for Peter here to show us his super spider eating powers.”

“Yeah.” Robert Gallagher. Not in any of his classes, but known to him. Constantly in detention.

“Spider Boy, Spider Boy, does whatever a Spider Boy does.” The tuneful one was either Craig Norman or Stephen Goymer.

There was a muffled sound, and that was enough for David.

He stepped round the tree line and walked toward them quickly. “Just stop right there.”

*-*-*-*-*

Break the Cycle is an anti-bullying anthology of 14 stories by 14 different authors. Each story features a different scenario.

Pre-order the e-Book:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Pre-order the paperback direct from SML (UK ONLY):

Google Form

Paperbacks will also be available direct from Amazon nearer the time.

Excerpt:-

She waved at me, the swollen joints on her fingers still trembling as she pushed on the door to exit. I smiled at her back as she headed in the direction of the apartments. I’d planned on waiting for her to disappear before I started moving about and checking stock and dates for something to do. I also had to refresh the coffee, which would, undoubtedly, be burned.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get that far. Marilyn had barely made it out of the concrete courtyard of the gas station when two lanky boys approached and flanked her on either side. It wasn’t difficult to see that they’d startled her. She jumped almost a foot in the air at their appearance and her posture seemed to deteriorate with every step they took together.

Moving from behind the desk, I approached the doors, my hands on the cool metal bar as things escalated quickly. The boy on the right pushed Marilyn harder than any woman should be pushed, making her stumble. With precarious balance to begin with, she lost her footing and toppled over, landing hard on her knees. My stomach dropped at the scene as it unfolded in front of me, and things moved quickly. With Marilyn on the ground, one of the teens kicked her viciously and stooped to grab her purse while she was disorientated. I was sprinting across the concrete before I was conscious of moving.

Up close, the scene was even more disturbing. I could hear what they were saying, which only fueled the anger that was burning through me and mingling with the adrenaline that came with the fear.  Marilyn had a death grip on the strap of her bag as one of the boys pulled with all of his might, dragging her inches across the unforgiving concrete below her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I screeched, coming to a stop, my stance protective over Marilyn. The shock of my approach had momentarily stunned the boy pulling the bag into losing his grip, but a moment was all I had. He turned on me, his chest pushed out in aggression.

“Mind your own business, you fat whore.”

His friend, who had been silent up to that point, stepped to the first boy’s side, the nod of agreement weak considering they’d been beating up an old lady. They were taller than I’d first thought and much broader, and my bravado curled up in the pit of my stomach leaving me with nothing but anger and adrenaline.

“Seriously?” I asked, looking between them. I was pretty sure they were both younger than me. “What are you doing? What are you thinking? How dare you attack anyone, let alone a woman who deserves nothing but your respect? What did you hope to achieve?”

I crouched slowly, always conscious of the two boys glaring at me, even as I wrapped one arm around Marilyn and gripped her elbow with the other. I barely had her moving when the first boy made a grab for her bag again. Snatching it from where it was tangled with her legs, I handed it to Marilyn, helped her to her feet and stepped in front of her defensively.

“Give me the purse. I have a knife.”

*-*-*-*-*

Break the Cycle is an anti-bullying anthology of 14 stories by 14 different authors. Each story features a different scenario.

Pre-order the e-Book:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Pre-order the paperback direct from SML (UK ONLY):

Google Form

Paperbacks will also be available direct from Amazon nearer the time.

Excerpt:

“Katie’s got the lurgy! Katie’s got the lurgy!” They chanted, taunting her as they rode home on the bus. Katie shuffled down in her seat trying hard to become invisible, to blend into the background but with her bright orange hair she knew it was impossible.

“Don’t sit next to her you might catch it! Urgh!” Spat out one of the girls.

“I bet she’s covered in spots, everywhere!” There was a collective laugh and Katie clenched her eyes shut.

“It’s because she’s dirty. She needs to be scrubbed clean!” Another sniggered. The three girls were a couple of years older than her and their collective presence intimidated the rest of the bus load of children.

Their taunts had become more scathing but Katie had done her utmost to avoid being anywhere near them, both in school time and on the ride home. Today she was a sitting duck. Her stomach ache ploy hadn’t worked today and Mrs Bush had kept her back a few minutes asking her if she was alright now, making her late for the bus home. She’d missed getting her coveted seat right at the front behind the driver, where she knew she’d be safe. Now for the rest of her twenty minute ride to her stop, she would be subjected to their name calling.

Katie’s eyes fixed on the familiar roads as she kept her face angled to look out of the window. She’d gotten hardened to the teasing. Carrot top, ginger didn’t bother her any more. In fact she was ever grateful of J.K. Rowling’s Weasley family and Ron for making red hair almost cool. But of late her torturers had shifted their focus off her hair colour and were now zeroing in on her freckles.

Just ignore them, she said to herself as she counted the seconds to her stop where her mother would be waiting for her.

There was sniggering and laughing and Katie thought that her indifference to them may have finally made them give up, until one of the girls sidled up to where she was sitting.

“You’re so ugly.” She pulled a face and her comrades laughed. “Your face needs to be white.” She jibbed but Katie turned away and gathered her bag hoping she’d just leave her alone. Her stop was the next one so Katie stood up to leave, relieved she had an excuse to get away, but before she could shuffle out of her seat the second girl grabbed her ponytail from behind her seat while the other two tried to paint over her face with white correcting fluid.

Katie struggled against them, lashing out with her hands as the toxic liquid burned against her skin, wherever it landed, flicking all over her face. During the struggle one of the other children alerted the attention of the driver just as he pulled up to Katie’s stop and he called out to them halting their assault. Katie instantly ran down the bus to the open door where she knew her mother would be waiting. Her eyes stung from the toxic liquid that had been splattered into her eyes and in her frightened hurry she pushed passed the concerned driver. Her vision marred by tears pooling in her eyes, the stinging increasing as she fumbled, and in her haste she tumbled down the steps of the bus falling onto the hard tarmac headfirst.

*-*-*-*-*

Break the Cycle is an anti-bullying anthology of 14 stories by 14 different authors. Each story features a different scenario.

Pre-order the e-Book:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Pre-order the paperback direct from SML (UK ONLY):

Google Form

Paperbacks will also be available direct from Amazon nearer the time.

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