THE OUTLIERS

Alice Creed hated the end of the school day. The halls of Tumberville High felt like a gauntlet, a place where her tormentors waited eagerly to strike. Today was no different. She kept her head low, clutching her books tightly as she tried to make it to the library unnoticed.

"Hey, Creed!" a sharp voice rang out.

Her heart sank. Turning the corner, she found herself face-to-face with Logan Taylor, the self-proclaimed king of bullies. He smirked, flanked by his usual crew of troublemakers.

"Still pretending to be smarter than everyone else?" Logan sneered, snatching the book from her arms.

"Give it back," Alice said quietly, her voice trembling.

"What was that?" Logan taunted, holding the book high above his head. "Speak up, nerd."

The word stabbed at her, as it always did. But today, Logan wasn't content with just words. He shoved her hard against the lockers, the metal biting into her back.

Alice winced, tears stinging her eyes. "Stop it..."

But Logan didn't stop. He leaned in close, his voice low and mocking. "What are you gonna do about it, huh? Cry?"

Her vision blurred as anger and humiliation boiled over. She wasn't sure what happened next—something inside her snapped.

---

Jimmy Price had no interest in school drama. He preferred the quiet solitude of the back parking lot, where he could light a cigarette and escape the noise of the day. He exhaled a puff of smoke, leaning against the wall, when he heard a scream.

"Ugh, what now?" he muttered, flicking his cigarette to the ground.

The scream was followed by a thud. Curious—and annoyed—he rounded the corner and froze.

Logan was on the ground, writhing and clutching his head. His friends had fled, leaving him alone. Alice stood over him, her face pale and tear-streaked, her hands trembling.

"What the hell?" Jimmy muttered, walking toward them.

Alice barely noticed him, her eyes locked on Logan. The bully's expression twisted in terror, as though he was staring into his worst nightmares. His voice was hoarse as he whimpered, "Get away... get away from me!"

Jimmy looked from Logan to Alice, raising an eyebrow. "You can't even bully a person properly, and yet you call yourself a bully. Sike."

Alice's head snapped toward him, her breath hitching. The fear in her eyes broke whatever hold she had on Logan. He scrambled to his feet and ran, not daring to look back.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Alice collapsed onto her knees, exhausted.

Jimmy sighed, crouching down and shrugging off his jacket. "Come on, get up," he said, draping the jacket over her shoulders.

Alice looked up at him, startled. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because," he said simply, holding out his hand. "You need to stand up for yourself."

She hesitated before taking his hand. As he pulled her to her feet, Jimmy couldn't help but think, Nerd.

Alice froze, her eyes narrowing. "Don't call me that. I'm not a nerd."

Jimmy stopped in his tracks, his expression twisting in confusion. "Wait... I didn't say that out loud."

Alice's face flushed. "Oh. Oops. You didn't, did you?"

Realization dawned on him, his eyes widening. "You can hear my thoughts?"

She bit her lip, glancing away. "Something like that."

Jimmy stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. "Great. First, I have to deal with bullies. Now I've got a mind reader on my hands."

Alice couldn't help but smile, despite herself. "You're not exactly subtle, you know."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to me saving your ass," he said, leading her away from the scene. "And don't go all psycho on me, either."

"Deal," Alice said softly, clutching his jacket tighter around her.

As they walked away, neither of them noticed the faint shimmer in the air behind them, nor the shadowy figure watching from a distance.