Effects of Bullying

Effects of Bullying - Zoë Laney (Jackson Academy, Ninth Grade)

“Oh sweetheart, I’m sure you’ll make tons of friends.  Everyone will love you. You’re a kind, smart, pretty, and caring girl and if people are mean to you, tell me, ok?  I’m your mom, and I will always, without a doubt, be there  for you.” Mom reassured me, and I smiled, “Yes Mom. I  love you!” I exclaimed, walked to the door,  opened it, looked back at Mom, smiled, and  said, “Bye Mom.” And she smiled and replied, “Love you, sweetie, have a great day, alright? See you when you get  home and remember what I told you.” And I nodded, turned around, and walked out the door, closing it behind me. I then walked off to school. I was feeling many different emotions as I walked to school. Fear, eagerness,  happiness, and many other thoughts clouded my mind along with those emotions. What if it all goes wrong?  What if what Mom said was…all wrong? What if people… make fun of me, bully me, make me…miserable like at my old school, and those thoughts…took over, and I sagged. 

I held on tightly to my backpack straps and walked on and as I neared closer and closer to the school, I became a nervous wreck. My brain went crazy, clouding up with more questions and “what ifs” like, what if no one liked me? What if they ignored me? What if I ended up being a loser? What if, what if, what if. Maybe I should just turn  back and beg Mom to homeschool me but no, I was too  close now to quit and, so as I neared so close to the  school that I could see it, I stopped, took a deep  breath, and composed myself, “You are smart, kind,  beautiful.” I told myself and then continued, a bit more confident. 

When I got to the school doors, I took another deep breath and opened them,  stepping into my brand-new school. I stopped to take in the newness but when I realized what I was doing, I  cringed, for everyone was staring at me like I was some… alien from a whole other planet. I then continued walking down the halls. The lockers were shiny and clean and everyone seemed so…well dressed. I guess the rumors about Northview were true, for this was a school for the rich and snobby, though I hadn’t seen many…snobs yet, but I soon would. I continued walking,  making eye contact with a few of my new classmates, but  they all responded with a weird look, so I just kept  walking, my confidence fading at each step, as I neared one of the classrooms, I suddenly bumped into  someone or something and without even knowing who or  what they were, I blurted, “I’m so sorry!” 

But when I  looked up, I saw three girls, and their looks told me that I  had done something very wrong, I soon figured out why, for when I looked at one of the girls’ shirts, I saw a big, huge stain, a stain which I recognized, for I used to work at a coffee shop. It was the stain…of coffee. My  eyes immediately widened, and I panicked, “You… little…freak!” Said the girl with the stain, and I looked up  at her but before I could speak, she stepped toward me,  grabbed my shirt, and began to rub her shirt with my shirt,  “H-hey!” I exclaimed, and she dropped my shirt and  jumped back, “Ew, I have a freak on me now!” She  exclaimed, her face generally disgusted as I just stared down at my shoes, her friends rushed to help her, but  she growled and shooed them off, 

“Get away! Oh my  gosh!” She said and as her friends backed away, she turned to me and gave me the most threatening look,  “You will get me a new shirt as well as a new coffee. Got  it…freak?” Said the girl, and I immediately nodded then ran off, totally forgetting about my locker and just focusing on getting away from that girl. I hadn’t meant to run into her. Why’d she have to be so harsh? I thought as my pace slowed to a walk. 

I walked down the hall until I  reached a classroom with “Mrs Hendricks homeroom” on it. I then took a deep breath and walked inside the class  where the teacher, whom I guessed was Mrs Hendricks,  was starting the lesson, “Today we’ll be—” She began but  then she stopped and turned to me, “Late slip!” She exclaimed and I just stood there, frozen in my spot, feet glued to the floor. I had no late slip, “I…s-sorry.” I said  and then I was about to walk off to the principal, but I  realized that she had no idea that I was new, so I  turned around and said, “I-I’m new.” And she turned back towards me and scowled, “You could’ve said that! Sit in  the back next to Rory Richards!” She shouted and I  nodded quickly and ran inside and to the back of the class people stared and snickered, some whispering.  

When I reached the back, I sat down next to a girl, whom  I guessed was Rory, and then began digging in my bag for my notebook, “I’m Rory. Mrs Hendricks can be a bit of a…Karen, some might say, but I just call her an evil witch,  it fits her. Anyways, why are you—” The girl said and I listened as I continued digging but then the teacher’s  stern voice made my gaze dart up to her, “Rory, anything  you’d like to…share with us?” Said Mrs Hendricks, and the girl looked at her and shrugged. At my old school,  there were rebels, but none like this, “Meh.” She said, and the teacher exploded on her, “Principal's office right now!  Right now, young lady! Right now! And new kid, move over there by…Sophia Anderson.” Said the teacher,  putting her attention on the girl and then on me the girl just grabbed her stuff and walked down the row of desks towards the door but as she passed a boy, she suddenly jerked to a stop, and her sleeve was rolled up.

“Mrs  Hendricks, I don’t think Rory needs the principal, but I think she needs a therapist. See everyone! This is what  our classmate here has been hiding under her  oversized sweatshirts.” Said the boy, a smirk on his face,  and the girl just stood frozen in her spot, her face drained  of color as the class gasped in unison, “Oh my!”  Exclaimed Mrs Hendricks, “Go get help, freak!” Shouted one of my new classmates and then everyone began shouting horrible things at her. Did this ever happen at  Riverside? No, it didn’t, and I…didn’t know what to do, but  I was sure that standing up for the girl would land me in trouble, so I stayed quiet. After several minutes, the girl broke free and ran out, tears streaming down her pale face, her sleeve still rolling up and showing her scars. How much did this happen to her? 

I felt…so bad. I had to do something, so I got up and ran after her, causing the class to go silent for a bit, but only for a bit, for they soon started up again, and the boy who’d rolled up her sleeve called, “Wouldn’t hang out with her, new kid, for you might end up as a crazy person, or she might eat you.  Who knows, just be careful. Ahahaha!” But I ignored him and ran out the door, down the hall, and to the bathroom where I heard the girl’s painful wails. How could I have thought, just for a second, that standing up for her would not have been a good idea? I didn’t care about reputation…or did I? I was a horrible person, though I had no idea. 

I ran into the bathroom and to the stall I heard her sobs the loudest, pushed it open, and revealed the girl,  who was sitting on the toilet crying her heart out, but she dried her tears when she saw me, and she looked frightened. I nodded understandingly, and she kept crying, “I know how you feel. I was bullied at my old  school.” I told her, and she looked up at me and she said,  “I bet it wasn’t as bad as how it is here.” As she choked  back tears, “I can be your friend, we can get through this  together, now cry it all out.” I told her and she did as told and began to wail even louder and by the time she finished, her eyes were red and snot was coming from her nose. She looked up at me and smiled, but only a bit, and  I smiled back. The following weeks after the…incident was, how do I put it, hard, really hard, for that boy, Jack,  and his friends, would make me, and the girl miserable,  but we would get through it together, and we became super close, the best of friends, inseparable, the end.