Member-only story
Big Man
A grieving boy gets revenge on a bully
Ting!
The bell above the entrance to the Quicky-Mart rings as the door opens. A customer enters. The boy’s eyes steal a peek at the new arrival.
Nope, not yet.
“Do we need four bags of potato chips?” Christie says, sipping from her oversized Mountain Dew.
Teddy glances around the convenience store. He looks hungry. He is severely thin; a blanket of pimples covers his face.
“Probably not. Especially if your mom makes the kind of lunch she usually makes.”
“You promised, remember? Be nice today. Okay?” she says, leaning in and kissing him, just a quick peck, as she wasn’t overly fond of public displays of affection.
—
Ting!
The glass door slides open, and a trucker enters. Teddy’s eyes flick to him automatically. Anyone watching might not have noticed it. It was a thing done in a blink: a blink accompli.
The round man wearing the red hat picks up a newspaper. For a large man, he is nimble on his feet. He steps forward and slaps the counter with the paper, startling Teddy and Christie.
They turn and face the cashier.
