Jake Drake, Bully Buster

Jake admits that Abby is smarter than most kids her age and that she can be good to talk to. He goes back to where she is watching television and apologizes to her. When he explains about Link, Abby tells him that Link’s younger sister, Linda, is in Abby’s class. Linda is also a bully. Jake recalls a time when he was six and Abby was four and they visited their grandparents. Jake was mean to Abby for days because he was mad about being expected to hang around with “a baby”. Now, he asks her why she did not get mad about him being so mean to her. Abby explains that getting mad is unproductive. Getting mad makes her feel mean, and she does not want to be mean, so she just tries not to get mad in the first place. Jake goes to his room to think about his situation and what Abby has just said. He wishes that there were a way to avoid Link for most of his day—get a ride to school, stay in the library at recess, and so on. He acknowledges that there is a part of him, too, that wishes he would magically grow overnight into someone even bigger than Link. Then he could turn the tables and bully Link. On the bus, Jake could “push [Link’s] face against the window […] paint his nose with a red Magic Marker […and] call him Fink. Fink Baxter” (33-34). Deep down, though, Jake realizes that his sister is right—being mean is not fun. He decides that tomorrow he will make a real effort not to get mad when Link tries to bully him. This will help him not feel mean. It might also cause Link to see that being mean is not actually fun.

On the ride to school, Link wipes his muddy boots on Jake’s book bag, but Jake does not react. Link calls him “Fake” again, but Jake simply joins in the joke, suggesting nicknames like “Snake Drake” and “Cheesecake Drake” (35). He enjoys it this time when the other children laugh. Jake sees, however, that Link does not enjoy it. Link gets more and more frustrated throughout the day. Link puts gum in Jake’s workbook and pours glitter in his paint—but Jake ignores the gum and congratulates Link on his good idea with the glitter. At recess, Link comes down the slide immediately after Jake and tries to knock Jake into a puddle. Jake quickly gets out of the way, and Link ends up stepping in the puddle himself. After lunch, Jake finds himself in the bathroom with Link. He is scared, but he tries to smile. Link throws water on the front of Jake’s pants and then announces to everyone that Jake has wet his pants. People laugh, and this time Jake cannot keep himself calm. Link is delighted when he sees how angry Jake is, and he laughs. Jake lingers in the restroom, trying to dry his pants off with paper towels, but eventually he has to go back to class with wet pants. Link has told everyone in class that Jake wet his pants, and when Jake sits down Link theatrically holds his nose and makes a face. Other students stare at Jake, and he feels his face turn red. He loses his internal battle and lashes out at Link, hitting him in the arm. Link reacts in an exaggerated way, making it seem as if Jake has really hurt him. Mrs. Brattle tells Jake that she is ashamed of him and escorts him to the principal’s office.

Mrs. Karp, the principal, points the way into her office. Jake has never been there before, and he notes how gray everything—including Mrs. Karp’s outfit—is. Mrs. Karp sits Jake down in a gray chair and asks him why he broke the rules by hitting Link. Jake feels unsure how to respond—he does not want to tattle, but he also does not want Mrs. Karp to think he acted without provocation. He settles for telling her that water “got on” his pants and that he “thought” Link was making fun of him, eliding Link’s responsibility as much as possible. He thinks that Mrs. Karp understands, however, as her face becomes softer and her voice is gentle as she points out that hitting is still wrong. Jake agrees with her. He does think fighting is wrong—and he also thinks that, in particular, it is not a good idea to try to fight Link, because Link will win. Jake is relieved when Mrs. Karp sends him back to class without calling his mother. When he is on his way out the door, Mrs. Karp asks whether he has learned his lesson. He says yes, but he is not sure whether they are “talking about the same lesson” (43).

As Jake walks down the hallway, Link comes out of the nurse’s office. He falls into step beside Jake. Jake wonders, as they walk in silence, whether a bully still wants to be a bully when there is no audience around. For a moment, he feels like Link is just an ordinary kid, like him—albeit much taller. He lets his guard down enough to ask why Link bullies him. Link gives him a scornful look and tells him this is a stupid question. Later, though, Jake realizes something important: Link did not answer the question because he was unable to. Link has no idea why he is a bully—but Jake is determined to find out.