What Happens Next

What Happens Next is a raw, realistic story told by an unnamed protagonist who is made to feel different from everybody else—even invisible sometimes. Bullied by a girl at school, our narrator gives a terse script of the related facts (What Her Friends Do: Laugh. What Everyone Else Does: Nothing.) and emotions (How I Feel Sometimes: Bad. Really Bad.).

The narrator takes these hurt feelings home, where Mom listens and offers some ideas. At school the next day, the child confronts the bully ...