When Push Comes to Shove Back

By Janet M. Irvine

Jeremy enjoys making Matt's life hell. Matt's an easy target and he knows it.
Matt does everything he can to avoid Jeremy at school, but it is impossible.
So when Jeremy becomes the target of the school's biggest drug dealer, Matt is the last person he would turn to for help.
But when strange circumstances pull them together, they have no choice but to try to put their differences aside and work together to keep others from getting hurt, or worse...

Through the voices of Matt and Jeremy, and that of a narrator, the author weaves threads of threats, turmoil, and deceit, trust and betrayal, violence and fear, victimization and empowerment that not only pervade school systems, but also societies...

A NOTE TO READERS
As a writer, I focus on the telling of a story an action-packed adventure that will grab you. I want you to experience fast paced, unexpected events, and gripping suspense. I want the details and situations to be larger than life but I want them to ring true in the realities of your life. In short, I want When PUSH Comes to Shove Back to be a riveting read to the very last page.

A NOTE TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS
As a parent, I hope that teenagers, parents, teachers, and others who care about young people will think about the ideas and events in the story. I hope that all will see glimpses of themselves in the characters. I hope that, perhaps, a few will gain insights into being a teen, or being an adult in the life of a teen. I hope that some of those insights will give them pause.
As a teacher, I urge other teachers and adults to use the story as a catalyst for communication and debate about the issues that face young people issues that must not be ignored by distracted parents, dismissed by busy teachers, or hidden in embarrassment and shame by youth because these issues lead to tragic consequences, often to disturbing headlines, and more often, to the quiet crumbling of a defeated spirit.

TO CONTACT AUTHOR DIRECTLY re speaking engagements, workshops, or workbooks to accompany the novel, send email inquiries to [e-mail]

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463432799

Janet M. Irvine

This author has one of the top 10% most-viewed profiles @LinkedIn for 2012. http://www.linkedin.com Janet Irvine's career in education - as a teacher, a special education department head, a vice principal, and an advocate for teenagers - has won her the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation Provincial Award for “Distinguished Service to Education and Community.” She has a Master of Education degree, a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and psychology, specialist qualifications in reading and special education, principal’s qualifications, and postgraduate accreditations in both psychology and English. Janet has always been involved in school and community life, often working with teenagers and youth through music and drama. She has been a coach and an adviser to everything from volleyball to yearbook production to student travel. Janet has worked as both a member and chair of various crisis response teams, safe schools committees, special needs committees, gifted education groups, and school and regional ‘at risk’ task forces; she has also acted as liaison between local police departments and students. Currently, she is an Educational Consultant for a regional Children's Aid Society, serves on the Police Services Board in her area, and is Vice Chair of the Board for a thriving Community Counselling Centre. Through her own business, Alz Well That Enz Well, Inc., she conducts training workshops and speaks publicly on a number of topics concerning education, bullying, parenting, and care giving, In her spare time, she is an editor for an international editing firm. Her career, her extensive involvement in extracurricular activities, her community service, and her own family of four have provided her with insight into the many ramifications of bullying in schools and into the forces that create school terrorists and targets. As an editor and author, she writes about high school culture, bullies, and victims with accuracy and sensitivity. Always an admirer of “a good read,” Janet focuses her writing on the art of storytelling, the realism of the tumultuous teenage years, and the allure of mystery, suspense, and intrigue.

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© 2011 by Janet M. Irvine. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 07/21/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3278-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3280-5 (dj)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3279-9 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011911680

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

CHAPTER 1

PUSH

CHAPTER 2

GARBAGE

CHAPTER 3

WHAM

CHAPTER 4

T-GENE

CHAPTER 5

CLICK

CHAPTER 6

POTENTIAL

CHAPTER 7

HYPED

CHAPTER 8

GOT IT

CHAPTER 9

DAWN

CHAPTER 10

SNIPER’S NEST

CHAPTER 11

SPECIAL

CHAPTER 12

DROOL

CHAPTER 13

MISSING

CHAPTER 14

CATWALK

CHAPTER 15

SIGNALS

CHAPTER 16

ROUTINE

CHAPTER 17

P.O.W.

CHAPTER 18

BLOOD

CHAPTER 19

WINCE

CHAPTER 20

TRASH

CHAPTER 21

WAIT

CHAPTER 22

BASTARD

CHAPTER 23

WICKED

CHAPTER 24

TRUST

CHAPTER 25

BROTHERHOOD

CHAPTER 26

CLEARANCE

CHAPTER 27

INFO

CHAPTER 28

WHIZ

CHAPTER 29

TIM-HIT

CHAPTER 30

COVERED

CHAPTER 31

STOLEN PROPERTY

CHAPTER 32

SURVEYORS

CHAPTER 33

ILLUSIONS

CHAPTER 34

TECH SUPPORT

CHAPTER 35

COMPLICATIONS

CHAPTER 36

RENDEZVOUS

CHAPTER 37

STAGING

CHAPTER 38

INTERCEPTION

CHAPTER 39

A THOUSAND WORDS

CHAPTER 40

FOOTAGE

CHAPTER 41

SHOW TIME

CHAPTER 42

ENGAGEMENT

CHAPTER 43

ACCIDENT

CHAPTER 44

NEW ARRIVAL

CHAPTER 45

TRUST

CHAPTER 46

NO RETREAT

CHAPTER 47

MAYDAY 911

CHAPTER 48

AFTERMATH

CHAPTER 49

BITS AND PIECES

CHAPTER 50

PUSH

This novel is dedicated to

Dorothy E. Larocque

an inspired teacher and an inspiring friend,

who was never, ever a watcher.

REVIEWS

ABNA Expert Reviewer

This story grabs the reader from the first sentence and doesn’t let go. Fast-paced and told in an intelligent, unique style.

This story is told from the unique dual perspective of two troubled teenagers—one the target, one the terrorist. Well written and fast-paced, the concurrent first person accounts give the reader an insight into two very different, yet strikingly similar, main characters.

ABNA Expert Reviewer

. . . . The characters are strong and their background, motivation and current behavior is set out well. Already, you can see the potential for them to grow to understand each other—they’re not all that different when you get past the externals. The author has set up a real conflict and described it—from the perspectives of both the victim and the aggressor— well. Teenagers should find it easy to identify with both Matt and Jeremy.

From Blog:

"Intense. The portrayal of bullying is very realistic and the characters believable. This… . is well written and the subject one that is receiving a lot of attention (finally), a good combo for a success. (Review from Amazon website, Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest)

"A fast, interesting read. The topic is an excellent one—every year, students write pieces on the subject of bullying in my classes, and it is clear that this is a subject near to their hearts. We need more material that expose these problems… . I like that the characters are alive and multi-faceted… . a conscious, literate and professional piece of work! (CO)

I am looking forward  . . . .  to sharing it as a resource for other families. (Anonymous)

"I think it will become an important tool to provide insight on mindsets to how all involved are thinking. A book such as this one could provide a much needed understanding on how each party involved, whether passive or active is arriving at conclusions. I can foresee this book in many school libraries. (GG)

Young people, and those who care about them, will certainly relate to your story. (Anonymous)

"Very exciting! I wanted to read only a paragraph or two and then get back to it later, but just had to read to the end… . I expect this story will not only capture the interest of young adults but also be helpful to them in overcoming problems they encounter in their relationships with peers and others (Anonymous)

"I think the novel is fascinating on so many levels: interesting plot; deep character development; exploration of issues of abuse (drugs, crime, treatment of others) that are relevant to young adults and their parents; the concepts of right and wrong and that gray area in between that generates the more controversial reasons for making choices; relationships with family members, friends, oppressors, authority figures, and self. All these levels, and I’ve only read the excerpt! I think that many of those copies will be found in schools and public libraries. Heck, this novel puts you in the running for a public service award. (ML)

NOTE TO TEACHERS AND PARENTS

What is bullying, really, except an individual expression of terrorism?

Terrorism, drugs, intimidation, manipulation, blackmail, crime, fear - many schools have it all. It is the hidden underbelly of student life - fermenting just below classes and teachers and grades and sports and activities - not part of any curriculum, but part of student life just the same.

Some teachers and students may be oblivious, though many students either participate or remain on the sidelines, watching with amusement or repugnance, as fellow students become victims, and perpetrators flaunt their immunity from consequences.

Through the voices of Jeremy, a school bully, Matt, his victim, and that of a narrator, the story weaves threads of threats, turmoil, and deceit, trust and betrayal, violence and fear, victimization and empowerment that not only pervade school systems, but also societies…

As a writer, I focus on the telling of a story – an action-packed adventure that will grab the reader. I want the reader to experience fast paced, unexpected events and gripping suspense. I want the details and situations to be larger than life but I want them to ring true in the realities of young adults. In short, I want When PUSH Comes to Shove Back to be a riveting read to the very last page.

As a parent, I hope that teenagers, parents, teachers, and others who care about young people will think about the ideas and events in the story. I hope that all will see glimpses of themselves in the characters. I hope that, perhaps, a few will gain insights into being a teen, or being an adult in the life of a teen. I hope that some of those insights will give them pause.

As a teacher, I urge other teachers and adults to use the story as a catalyst for communication and debate about the issues that face young people – issues that must not be ignored by distracted parents, dismissed by busy teachers, or hidden in embarrassment and shame by youth – because these issues lead to tragic consequences, often to disturbing headlines, and more often, to the quiet crumbling of a defeated spirit.

CHAPTER 1

PUSH

Monday 8:45 a.m.

Terrorism: the calculated use of, or threat of, violence to inculcate fear, to coerce, or to intimidate

Four boys quickly made their way down the crowded hallway, laughing and talking, just like everyone else on route to Monday morning classes. But they were on a different mission. It had to be timed right. It had to be fast and accurate. They had done it before.

They rounded the corner and moved into their final lap  . . . .  fifty lockers away from their target. Change formation  . . . .  forty lockers. Pick up speed  . . . .  thirty lockers. Check for teachers  . . . .  twenty. Get out of the way girl  . . . .  ten. One on his right, one on his left, two at his back. Aaaaaand PUSH. Slam the door. Keep moving. Don’t look back. A direct hit.

They continued down the hall, high on the adrenaline of combat, trying to keep the bursts of laughter bottled up until they hit the stairwell, where they collapsed in fits of hysterics.

Inside the locker, Matt Carver waited. It was dark and he couldn’t breathe. His arm hurt and his leg was turned at a weird angle. He wished he could just disappear. Instead, he kicked at the door. On the third try, it flew open. The homework assignment he had been about to hand in was ripped and scrunched up on the floor. As he crawled out of his locker, he could hear girls giggling. Someone from across the hall yelled, Slam Dunk, and the laughter that followed told him that, as usual, there had been spectators.

His arm was scraped. He pulled his sweatshirt down over the blood oozing out. He picked his books up off the floor and retrieved what was left of his assignment. Without meeting anyone’s gaze, he slammed the misshapen locker door shut, forced his lock through the opening, and went to class.

CHAPTER 2

GARBAGE

Earlier Monday 6:00 a.m.

The Man of the House

MATT

I wake up most mornings at exactly the same time, whether I set my alarm clock or not. No one wakes me up. I like it that way. This morning is the same as all the others. The only difference is that it is Monday morning and a whole week of school is starting all over again.

My sister gets up earlier than I do so she can get to the bathroom first. I can hear her running the shower, drying her hair, brushing her teeth, doing whatever it is that she does for over an hour every morning. My mornings start with a bursting bladder while my sister puts on her makeup and pops zits.

I keep to myself at home. It’s not that I don’t like my family. It’s just that my mom likes to believe that everything is fine all the time, that we’re happy, that life is great. There’s no point in spoiling that.

I think my mom misses my dad. She would say that she doesn’t, but she has changed. She sleeps in until after we go to school. She watches TV all the time. She doesn’t volunteer at the animal shelter anymore and I don’t hear her talking with her friends on the phone the way she used to. I’ll bet she doesn’t spend over an hour in the bathroom like Cynthia. She doesn’t get dressed up and I don’t think she ever wears makeup. Maybe she just used to do that for my dad. Anyway, she looks and acts a lot older than she used to and she always looks sad. I try not to bother her.

I don’t miss my dad much anymore. I sure missed him when he left. He said that he would keep in touch and that we would always do things together, but we don’t. Now he has moved to another city and he has another wife and a baby. We don’t fit in his new life. I will always be his son, I guess, but we’re part of his past. We’re the part of his past that he wants to forget. This year, he didn’t even call me on my birthday.

My mom says I’m the man of the house now. In our house, that means that I get to take care of the garbage. It sucks. I have become the garbage man, my sister has become a working girl with a job to make extra money, and my mom has become… I don’t know what she has become. I sometimes think she has become a ghost. She’s not really here. She lives in the house and she cooks for Cynthia and me, and we pretend to enjoy family dinners together almost every night, but mom is somewhere else. She picks me up when I need a ride, she goes to parent-teacher interviews, and she asks how I’m doing in school, but it’s like she doesn’t really hear the answers. It’s kind of creepy. She never gets angry, never raises her voice. She never laughs. I don’t know if she cries.

I know it should be different, but I don’t know how to change it. Maybe she doesn’t want to change it. Or maybe she doesn’t know how to change it either. Sometimes I wonder if the man of the house is supposed to be taking care of her too. But I end up just bagging the garbage.

CHAPTER 3

WHAM

Earlier Monday 6:00 a.m.

The Accident

JEREMY

I wake up most mornings all wound up in the mess of blankets and sheets that I crawl into the night before. No one touches my room. I like it that way. This morning is no exception. The only problem is that I just crawled in a couple of hours ago.

My dad gets up early. I can hear him clattering in the kitchen, making coffee, banging cupboard doors, angry because no one cleaned up dishes and food from last night. Mom makes dinner so she expects us to clean up. Tanya and David argue about it until they have to get homework done or go out somewhere. I just stay away. No one does anything to change it. It’s been going on forever. It’s kind of funny though, to hear my dad so pissed off about dirty dishes every morning before he goes off to protect the public from crime.

I don’t eat with my family any more. They don’t miss me. They haven’t once asked why I stopped coming home for dinner.

I think my parents are probably happier without me there. I know my sister is. Her disgust for me always made her look like a ferret with her mouth all scrunched up and her eyebrows pulled together. None of them liked having me at the table, but with Tanya, it was obvious.

Dad was never happy. He complained about what my mother did or didn’t do every day, and eventually, he would get around to cursing everything from the government to the dog, including me. He let me know that I didn’t measure up. I was a disappointment.

My parents were annoyed with me before I even said a word, like they were trying to start a fight with me or something. I was a nuisance. I didn’t fit in. I didn’t know about politics or sports or what was in the news. And I sure didn’t want to discuss all the things I was supposed to have learned at school. Their questions were like a frigging inquisition. They would never have spoken to anyone else the sarcastic way they did to me. I stopped saying anything.

The whole thing was an invasion of my privacy. They thought they had the right to know every little thing about my life, which they didn’t. There are things happening in my life that are nobody’s business—especially not my parents’.

They work. They go to Tanya’s concerts and David’s games. They volunteer. They go to church. They entertain. They’re tired. They used to try to force me into this image of what they thought our family should be. They’ve given up. In our family portrait, I’m the invisible one. No doubt, if they could magically photo shop a better specimen into the portrait, they would.

My parents didn’t count on a third kid. I know I was an accident because I heard them joking about it with their friends. They had a boy and a girl. They decided that was it. Then WHAM, Jeremy arrived ten months later. The accident. The troublemaker. The one that buggered up their plans. They have never said that, but they don’t have to. I know. I have known for as long as I can remember.

They talk about Tanya’s good marks, her solos in the band. They boast about David’s basketball scholarship. They don’t say a word about me being bumped into high school without really passing grade eight or about my scrapes with the law. They forget about a squad car driving their son home in the middle of the night.

They don’t talk about my not coming home for dinner.

I’m like a drifter, a transient. I spend time at the pool hall, at the arena, in the coffee shops. I hook up with friends at the park or behind the laundromat. I crash at Joe’s or Nick’s and grab something to eat when I can. I stow my backpack wherever I land. Sometimes I forget where it is and go to school for days without it. It doesn’t matter.

I do go to school. I never miss a day. I go home at some point every night too—to get clothes and grab some sleep in a bed. That keeps my mom and dad quiet. There’s a routine. The school doesn’t bug them. They know I’m not missing  . . . .  or dead.

That’s pretty much how it goes. I act like I don’t care because I don’t. I tell my friends it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t. I’m independent. I do what I want. I say what I want. I go where I want. I don’t take crap from anyone. And I don’t need help from anyone. My life, my rules. So far, things have worked out pretty good.

My parents think it should be different, but they don’t know how to change it or maybe they don’t want to. I don’t know how to change it either—even if I wanted to, which I don’t.

No family dinner? No problem. Fine by me.

CHAPTER 4

T-GENE

Monday 9:10 a.m.

Terrorist: anyone who uses violence, terror, and intimidation to achieve a result

Target: an object of planned or immediate attack

MATT

I wish the day were over instead of just beginning. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to listen to Ms. McNally. Who cares that whatever you do to one side of an equation has to be done to the other? Who cares? I don’t want to be told what to do. I don’t want to be pushed into my locker. I don’t want to be anything. I want to be able to do something to one side of an equation and leave the other side alone. I want to be left alone.

Jeremy is sitting behind me. I know that he and his friends pushed me. I didn’t have to see them. I just know. Right now, he’s sitting behind me, laughing. Laughing while blood still seeps through the sleeve of my sweatshirt.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a target. I don’t know why. I guess it’s just me being me—not a good thing. I try to stay out of the way, especially from Jeremy and his terrorist friends. I’m not very good at it. I should be by now, but I’m not. I take different routes to school. I find out-of-the-way places where I can spend time when I don’t have to be in class. It’s like military strategy, really—reduce exposure, blend in, avoid enemy contact. But my enemies don’t play by military rules. Bullies are like hidden IEDs—they’re always there, just beneath the surface. They’re embedded. You can’t avoid triggering them. They explode just because you’re where they are.

I know a lot about military strategy. I’ve read every book on the subject in our school library, which is one of my hiding places, and I spend a lot of time on my computer. I have a program that lets me set