Earth Angel by Laramie Dunaway Read Free Book Online

as part of the in-crowd, but I had my own group of pseudo-intellectual,
     political-activist, poetry-writing knuckleheads who drank black coffee and white wine and felt superior. Especially to the
     bunch that Tanya Zdunn hung out with.
    “I remember it so… clearly,” Tanya was telling Jenny. Tanya was heavy back then and even heavier now. Her hair was hacked
     into some sort of style that accented her bad skin. She wore bright red lipstick that framed crooked teeth. “She used to call
     me The Fly, the Human Fly. Because my last name begins with a
Z
. Whenever I passed, they’d all go
Zzzzzzz
and pretend to be flies.” Tanya was crying now, mucus bubbled out of one nostril. She couldn’t go on.
    My stomach was puréeing a combination of acid and chipped ice. I remembered sitting in the cafeteria seeing Tanya approaching,
     carrying the tray low to hide her stomach, and I know for a fact that I was the one who said, “Here comes Tanya
Zzzzz
dunn, the Human Fly.” And how everybody laughed and made buzzing sounds as she passed by. The look on her face, as if someone
     had splashed hot soup on her, I never forgot. I might have made fun of her after that, but never to her face, never when there
     was any chance she would hear. A childhood compromise. But I was the one who’d tagged her with her nickname. I had opened
     the door to her private childhoodhell and booted her in. And now she was about to name me as her bully in front of millions of people. My hands balled into
     fists which I pressed against my erupting stomach.
    “And what was your bully’s name, Tanya?” Jenny asked.
    Tanya stopped sniffling long enough to murmur…
    I leaned forward. I felt dizzy with guilt.
    “…Linda Timmons.”
    “Linda Timmons!” I said.
    “Linda Timmons?” Mom said. “That the one with the blue Mustang? She always seemed like a bitch.”
    Linda Timmons hung with the ultra-popular crowd, the ones who all lived within the same four blocks of each other, went to
     the same church and summer camps, and never had part-time jobs in their parents’ delicatessen that had a giant Star of David
     on it—badge of the Christ-killers. The couple times Mom had met Linda, she’d made a big deal later of how poised and spunky
     Linda was. I’d taken that as silent criticism at my lack of poise and spunk.
    Now Linda walked out on stage, smiling at Jenny, at Tanya, at the audience. She was gorgeous, dressed in a modest dress that
     nevertheless made her look as if she’d wandered into this room by mistake, could someone direct her please back to the models’
     convention. The audience didn’t applaud, angry as they were at the parade of bullies who had spent their fifteen minutes of
     fame trying to defend their cruel actions. But Linda marched right over to Tanya, hugged her, kissed her cheek, and started
     right in talking.
    “First, let me say this, Tanya.” She took hold of Tanya’s hands and looked her right in the weepy eyes. “What I did to you
     back then was inexcusable. Yes, we were kids, but that’s just not a good enough excuse. I knew right from wrong, and I knew
     it was wrong to hurt another person. So, even though I don’t deserve it, I’m asking you now to forgive me and to accept my
     apology.”
    Tanya just stared dumbly, like an animal who’d already gnawed off one leg in a trap sniffing what looked an awful lot like
     that last trap.
    “And to prove my sincerity, I’d like you to have dinner with me tonight, at which time I promise to reveal some of the deep
     dark secrets of my childhood, which you can use as ammunition against me if I ever get out of line again. Including who I
     lost my virginity to.” She smiled and patted Tanya’s thick, hairy arm.
    The audience didn’t wait for Tanya’s response. They burst into lavish applause. Linda hugged Tanya again and the applause
     grew even louder. Tanya was laughing now, enveloped by the warmth of audience approval and the embrace of her new best