And there it was.
Alice made a face as Bradley finally chimed in with his own commentary. In a sense, she was glad he was picking on Georgia Lee, cruel as it was. She had been dreading it, the snide, explicitly sexual 'joke', unsure how she'd go back to her mother with a straight face. But Georgia Lee seemed much more resilient to the insults, almost like she were more angry with Bradley than offended.
It did not occur to Alice to wonder what led to that strength of the other girl.
She shrunk, visibly, back into her seat, shying away from the boy like a receding turtle. He was just...it could not be reiterated enough that he was an annoyance at best. Georgia Lee spoke up, and the comment she made caught Alice by surprise, and made her smile.
Then she winced, looking at Bradley's expression. Alice tried to be nice, tried to be respectful, but...this whole encounter was proving that she still had a lot to learn about niceness. She'd spent the whole time thinking terrible thoughts about the boy, but did she know anything about him? He was crude, made off-color jokes and such, but did he deserve her loathing?
Perhaps so, perhaps not. Alice would probably never know. So she brushed the thought aside for now.
Swipe Rite
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General Goose
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This was why he had targeted Georgia Lee over Alice. To mock Alice was cruel, mean, unrewarding - it was boring when there was no fight back, and it was a coarseness that crossed the line into straight bullying, rather than what Bradley saw as his own eclectic brand of witty and daring banter. He pushed boundaries, but he wasn't actively sadistic.
She had replied with a barb. Not a sharp one, not a painful one, definitely not one that conveyed much original wit or wordplay or insight. But hey, it was a good effort.
B-, he'd grade it.
"Nah, Georgia Lee, New Mexico is a pretty godawful place. They have a town called Truth or Consequences, y'know?" He turned to Alice for this aside, almost jarringly conversational and amiable. "Named for a radio show competition. Any state that names its towns after a radio show, Georgia Lee, is not a good place for you to get delivered to sexual heaven by yours truly."
She had replied with a barb. Not a sharp one, not a painful one, definitely not one that conveyed much original wit or wordplay or insight. But hey, it was a good effort.
B-, he'd grade it.
"Nah, Georgia Lee, New Mexico is a pretty godawful place. They have a town called Truth or Consequences, y'know?" He turned to Alice for this aside, almost jarringly conversational and amiable. "Named for a radio show competition. Any state that names its towns after a radio show, Georgia Lee, is not a good place for you to get delivered to sexual heaven by yours truly."
Georgia Lee folded her arms across her chest, as much a gesture of defence as it was a way of stopping Bradley from staring at it.
"How tragic. Even looking at you is a reminder of what I'm missing out on."
Her voice was flat, dead, and her face expressionless.
"The kind thing to do would be for you to simply stay out of my sight forever. To keep from constantly reminding me of this dreadful loss."
"How tragic. Even looking at you is a reminder of what I'm missing out on."
Her voice was flat, dead, and her face expressionless.
"The kind thing to do would be for you to simply stay out of my sight forever. To keep from constantly reminding me of this dreadful loss."
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General Goose
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Georgia was amusing. Not amusing in the way she intended, Bradley reckoned, but amusing nonetheless. And that's what mattered. Bradley was a consequentialist in that sense.
"Well, if you don't wanna look at me, I can always go in from behind. That's an option." He smirked. "Glad we've reached an agreement."
He pulled out his phone, pretending to write a message or a status. "Georgia Lee is..." He spoke as he feigned typing. "Into anal. Who knew?"
"Well, if you don't wanna look at me, I can always go in from behind. That's an option." He smirked. "Glad we've reached an agreement."
He pulled out his phone, pretending to write a message or a status. "Georgia Lee is..." He spoke as he feigned typing. "Into anal. Who knew?"
For a moment it was like Georgia Lee's hand was someone else's. It flashed out, unbidden, and knocked Bradley's phone from his fat, sweaty fingers. The phone skittered across the floor, coming to rest at the base of the booth opposite them.
Georgia Lee ignored it. She could feel her face growing hot, like the heat of her anger and her disgust was trying to seep out of her skin. Bradley venting his filth out onto her, that was to be expected, that was simply how he was, but to try and spread it around the school like that was truly vile.
Her fingernails dug into her palms, her fists balled on the table, and Georgia Lee was sure if she tried to unclench them they'd be shaking. She wanted to lash out again, to sink her fist into his oafish, cartoon face, to pry apart the muscles pulling his bloated features into that stupid smug grin and force her hand through his thick skull and close it around every stomach-churning, degrading, repellent thought he had and tear them out of him.
She tried to calm herself. She failed.
"Do you know why everyone hates you, Bradley?"
It was like someone else was talking with her voice. Georgia Lee knew she should stop herself, wanted to stop herself, knew that taunting Bradley would just feed his infantile ego, but somehow the words wouldn't stop pouring out of her mouth.
"They hate you because why wouldn't they? Because there is no reason to like you, not a single thing about you that is good and nothing that you are good at. There isn't one person in Cochise who doesn't think you're disgusting and pathetic, Bradley. They don't think you're funny, or charming, or whatever it is you think you are. People just think you're sad and revolting, and they are relieved when you're not around."
She stood, clasping her bag with white knuckles, struggling to keep what remained of her calm.
"I hope you had fun imagining yourself on me Bradley, since that's the closest you will ever get to anyone because no one will ever touch you because you look like shaved ham."
[Georgia Lee Day continued elsewhere]
Georgia Lee ignored it. She could feel her face growing hot, like the heat of her anger and her disgust was trying to seep out of her skin. Bradley venting his filth out onto her, that was to be expected, that was simply how he was, but to try and spread it around the school like that was truly vile.
Her fingernails dug into her palms, her fists balled on the table, and Georgia Lee was sure if she tried to unclench them they'd be shaking. She wanted to lash out again, to sink her fist into his oafish, cartoon face, to pry apart the muscles pulling his bloated features into that stupid smug grin and force her hand through his thick skull and close it around every stomach-churning, degrading, repellent thought he had and tear them out of him.
She tried to calm herself. She failed.
"Do you know why everyone hates you, Bradley?"
It was like someone else was talking with her voice. Georgia Lee knew she should stop herself, wanted to stop herself, knew that taunting Bradley would just feed his infantile ego, but somehow the words wouldn't stop pouring out of her mouth.
"They hate you because why wouldn't they? Because there is no reason to like you, not a single thing about you that is good and nothing that you are good at. There isn't one person in Cochise who doesn't think you're disgusting and pathetic, Bradley. They don't think you're funny, or charming, or whatever it is you think you are. People just think you're sad and revolting, and they are relieved when you're not around."
She stood, clasping her bag with white knuckles, struggling to keep what remained of her calm.
"I hope you had fun imagining yourself on me Bradley, since that's the closest you will ever get to anyone because no one will ever touch you because you look like shaved ham."
[Georgia Lee Day continued elsewhere]
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General Goose
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Bradley, of course, knew what she was saying was false. Not everybody disliked Bradley. He had that on good authority. Of course, some people really did dislike him. He was cool with that. You can't please everyone. Having enemies meant you stood up for something, that you changed something. Einstein or Gandhi probably said that. They were always saying things like that. Was a talent of theirs. And they definitely made enemies - the Brits in Gandhi's case, the church (probably) in Einstein's case.
He wished he had something to eat in that moment. Nothing would have agitated her more than calmly chewing on a tiny square of steak, nonchalantly masticating, during her tirade. Alas, he had no props, so just sat there, crossed arms, smile unflagging and unfaltering in the face of her unjustified abuse.
And hell, he'd had women before, so that final concluding statement was provably false. Not that he rushed to correct her. He knew that dissecting her remarks would be perceived as defensive, would be to grant her a win. "Bye babe" was all he said, and blew her a kiss, grin not breaking.
"Well." He turned to Alice, and smiled, hoping Georgia Lee would hear his parting remarks, but not too worried either way. "Looks like I'm the bigger man. Not to say she's a man." He stood up. "Would explain why she'd prefer I go in from behind." He paused, as if seriously contemplating that quandary. "Good day, Alice."
And with that, he left.
((Bradley continued on the island.))
He wished he had something to eat in that moment. Nothing would have agitated her more than calmly chewing on a tiny square of steak, nonchalantly masticating, during her tirade. Alas, he had no props, so just sat there, crossed arms, smile unflagging and unfaltering in the face of her unjustified abuse.
And hell, he'd had women before, so that final concluding statement was provably false. Not that he rushed to correct her. He knew that dissecting her remarks would be perceived as defensive, would be to grant her a win. "Bye babe" was all he said, and blew her a kiss, grin not breaking.
"Well." He turned to Alice, and smiled, hoping Georgia Lee would hear his parting remarks, but not too worried either way. "Looks like I'm the bigger man. Not to say she's a man." He stood up. "Would explain why she'd prefer I go in from behind." He paused, as if seriously contemplating that quandary. "Good day, Alice."
And with that, he left.
((Bradley continued on the island.))