Blame Game ; Eli Moskowitz

09 ― pinning the blame.

Flora raised her hand in the air.

"Do you have a problem, Tree Hugger?" Johnny asked her.

Flora decided to ignore the nickname. "Are you sure it's a good idea for us to walk across scrap metal and glass? What if someone actually does fall?"

"Then you better hope that your parents have good health insurance," Johnny replied. "Now, line up!"

"Oh..." Flora mumbled quietly.

Miguel went first, standing at the top of the bin. He took a deep breath before he began to walk across the beam. He held his arms out to the side to maintain his balance.

"Come on, princess," Johnny called out. "Let's go! Move that ass!"

Hawk went next, staring down into the contents of the bin. He started to cross the beam, taking his time.

"There's nothing to fear except fear itself," Johnny shouted. "That, and falling into sharp metal and broken glass, so don't do that!"

Hawk's foot slipped slightly, but he caught himself before he fell. After Aisha, it was Nathalie's turn. Nathalie stared down into the bin, the sharp metal and shattered glass staring back up at her.

"Don't just stand there, Runt!" Johnny shouted at her. "Move!"

Nathalie turned her head to him. She held up her middle finger. She started to walk across the beam, holding her arms out on either side. She stared down, keeping her eyes focused on her feet. When she made it across, she jumped down and made a point of glaring at Johnny as she walked by.

Flora's breath hitched when she realized that it was her turn. She glanced at Nathalie, a wary look on her face. Nathalie gave her two thumbs up. Flora took a deep breath and then started to move her feet one after the other. She took her time, careful not to make a misstep.

Sebastian went next, thinking it would be a piece of cake. He had skated across metal beams much smaller than this one. He stepped into the beam, walking across it with no fear whatsoever. At least his fear wasn't visible from the outside. On the inside, he was freaking out. Oliver went immediately after him, practically running across the beam so that he could get it over with as soon as possible.

When the entire class had gone, they all stood in front of Johnny. He began passing out beef jerky. "If you wanna win, you gotta be hungry. You guys hungry?"

"Yes, Sensei!"

Miguel handed Nathalie a few pieces, and she passed them to Flora, Sebastian, and Oliver.

"Good," Johnny responded. "'Cause so are they."

Nathalie glanced around, wondering what he was talking about. She turned to Flora. The girl shrugged her shoulders in response. Johnny blew a whistle, causing the confusion to further escalate. At the sound of dogs barking, Nathalie turned her head. A group of snarling dogs were running toward them at full speed. Nathalie's eyes went wide as she turned to look at Flora.

"Oh shit!" Aisha exclaimed.

"Run!" Nathalie shouted at Flora and their brothers.

"Don't be afraid! They smell fear!" Johnny shouted.

The four of them ran separate ways. Sebastian jumped on top of a car, throwing his beef jerky. Oliver managed to slide over a car and narrowly avoided getting bit. Flora had thrown her piece jerky on the ground and ran as fast as she could until she jumped on top of a truck.

Nathalie dropped her piece of beefjerky and started to run. She kicked up dirt with her feet as she ran towards the farthest car she could. One of the dogs was nipping at her heels. As she jumped into the hood of a truck and then climbed on top, the dog turned away and started chasing someone else.