Page 15 - Cyber Nightmare
P. 15

‘Someone made a remark about my clothes,’ he said.
              ‘Someone? Who?’
              ‘I  don’t  know  who  it  was.  It  was  a  text  message.
            Anonymous.’
         5    ‘What did they say?’
              ‘That I dress all wrong. I’m out of style or something.’
              His mother shook her head as if she couldn’t believe
            what she was hearing. Then she reached out and touched
            his arm. ‘Listen, Neil. I don’t know who said that or for

         10  what reason, but I wouldn’t pay any attention to it, if I
            were you. Your style is perfectly okay.’
              Neil looked her in the eye. ‘Are you sure, Mom? Or are
            you just saying that to make me feel better?’
              She held his gaze and said, ‘I’m sure. You look good in
         15  your clothes, you really do.’
              Neil gave her a little smile but then his face darkened.
            ‘It’s not the first message like this,’ he said.
              ‘Tell me about it.’
              ‘I  don’t  know  if  I  should.’  Neil  hesitated  a  moment.
         20  Then, suddenly: ‘They said I stink.’
              ‘What?’  A  look  of  shock  crossed  his  mother’s  face.
              ‘Obviously,’ she said slowly, ‘someone’s trying to hurt
            you. Who could it be?’ Her eyes studied his.
              ‘I’ve thought about that but – but no – I don’t know of
         25  anyone who would want to hurt me.’
              His mother  took his hands in hers and looked him
            deep in the eye. ‘I don’t give you advice very often,’ she
            said. ‘You’re so grown up you don’t usually need it. But
            right now I think you do.’ She paused to emphasize the
         30  importance of what she wanted to tell him. ‘Listen! Don’t


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