The following story is based on real events. Trigger warnings are deeply in effect.
Henry Locksley walked along the halls of his high school. He was in his last year here in Newport High, and he believed it couldn't have come soon enough. But it was only day one of school which meant a complete year if bullying and being made to feel small. People had constantly reminded him that the ones doing it only did it because they were insecure about their own lives and wanted him to feel the same. Well, it worked. And having Victoria Belfrey as a Principal again didn't help matters. She was the type to just look past all the bullying thinking it was character building. Henry knew otherwise though. Bullying never built character. It was a poison to your brain and heart that spread throughout your entire body and made you feel numb. Casualties even occurred from time to time.
Sure, Henry had a good life back home. His mom, Regina was caring and kind. His father Robin, was almost the hero type. Both parents always knew the right thing to say but sometimes when he needed to hear it most, they weren't around. Then there was his younger brother, Roland. He was nine and such a loving, caring kid. Henry felt as though it was only a matter of time before people began making him feel like this as well, and that made Henry feel even worse. Henry walked down the halls the same as he did every single day of his high school life. On the alert and afraid of what someone would say next. Trying his best to avoid those who liked to make him feel small.
That wasn't always easy though. Especially when the biggest bully of all knew exactly where his locker was at. Henry turned the corner and walked over towards his locker when he saw Nick leaned up against it with a cocky grin. He knew what was coming next but he completely ignored him. "Hey Locksley." Nick said, not letting Henry go to his locker. "I heard that you finally started menstrating over the summer. Good for you. You're finally becoming a woman."
As cruel as it seemed, this was actually weak for Nick. Henry shook his head and pushed Nick aside to get to his locker. "If that's a sign you want to sleep with me, I'm not interested." Henry said as he spun the dial of his locker.
Nick turned Henry around with a look of anger on his features but it quickly contorted to his cocky grin again and he straightened Henry's shirt up for him. "You're just not my type, Locksley." Nick said as Henry cocked a brow, "You're one of those little girls that won't even put on a tampon and it's just sickening."
"What are you talking about?" Henry asked but no sooner were the words out of his mouth, that Nick moved and his best friend, Paige, threw a cup full of red paint on to the front of Henry's pants.
Everyone around began to laugh and Henry was humiliated. But, to their dismay, Ashley Boyd the Guidance Councellor had just come around the corner and caught it all. And when tears began to form in Henry's eyes everyone laughed harder. "Someone get Henry some chocolate. She's gonna cry!" Nick yelled above the laughter and torment.
Ashley rushed over and took Henry by the arm as she ushered him away from the group. She wanted to get him away before the situation worsened. Ashley led Henry down to the Principal's office and sat him down outside the door before walking in. "Mrs Belfrey?" Ashley said as Victoria looked up from her file, "I need a word."
Outside the door, Henry could hear every word spoken inside. "Seriously, Miss Boyd, first period hasn't even begun yet." Victoria said.
As she spoke those words, Henry's phone chimed with a notification. He took it out and looked, seeing a blog he was tagged to and pressed play as Ashley explained what had happened to the Principal. It was a video of the front of his pants, covered in the red paint. The description of the video saying, 'Apparently, Henry's mommy needs to buy him more absorbable tampons.' And had comments underneath like, 'What a loser.'... 'If I were him, I'd kill myself' and, 'He should kill himself.'
Henry stuffed the phone back in to his pocket just as he heard Mrs Belfrey's response to Ashley inside the office. "Just ignore it, Ashley. They are kids and kids can be cruel."
With those words, Henry grabbed his bag and left. He wasn't going to class, and he wasn't staying on the grounds. He was going home where he knew his mother and father wouldn't be, because they would both be working. "Kids can be cruel?" Ashley asked with a cocked brow and then shook her head, "And what are you doing to stop it?"
"You need to learn when to hold your tongue if you want to continue working here, Miss Boyd." Victoria stated, firmly.
"Maybe I don't want to continue working here." Ashley said and now Victoria was quiet. "I quit."
And before Victoria could say another word, Ashley was out the door. Her eyes wandered the area for Henry and no signs of him. Henry had made his way home, throwing all of his things to the side as he stamped up the stairs and in to his parents bedroom. He went in to their bathroom and opened up the medicine cabinet, taking out about five bottles of pills, and going under the sink for the small bottle of Drano. Henry then went to his room, and fired up his laptop. He set down all the pills and everything down before going in to the same site that was used to put up the video of him. He looked at the time and when he saw it was between classes he hit 'live video' and everyone got the notification. It took no time for the count to be up to twenty just looking at the stony expression on Henry's face.
It took him a moment before he began to speak. "Kids can be cruel." Henry started off with, a small laugh ushering from his lips. Violet, the one friend he had, looked over another students shoulder to watch Henry. She had been wondering where he was all period. Henry continued; "Its a saying that came out to prove the laziness of adults. It's their way of saying, they don't want to help. And making us think it gets better in time. But, it doesn't. I see this woman all the time, and she bullies my mom. All because my mom got the man she had always wanted and she has kept it up since mom and dad were together. Bullying doesn't stop. And the one doing it doesn't care who they are hurting. I know more people go through bullying then the ones who are doing the bullying but I can't do this. Not forever. I'm not as strong as my mom, or everyone else who has to go through it. I can't do it. And to those I love and who love me? I'm sorry."
At this point, Henry grabbed the pills and opened up the bottles. He poured them all in his mouth and drank them all down with the Draino. Gasps and whispers filled the halls of the school. Cries were heard, and skeptical remarks about whether or not it was real. Violet knew it wasn't something staged so she quickly took out her phone and dialled Henry's cell. The ringing of the phone heard loud and clear over everyone's speakers but he didn't pick up. And as everyone watched on, Henry began coughing up blood before moving out of the camera's lens. Violet hung up after reaching voice mail and yelled out for someone to call 9-1-1, while she dialled Regina.
Regina had been in the middle of an important business meeting when her phone rang, and everyone in the board room looked towards her. "I'll just shut that off." Regina said as she took out her phone. Before she could turn it off, she saw that it was Violet and thought it strange for her to be calling. So before she could even think it through, Regina answered the phone and put it up to her ear. "What is it Violet?" Regina asked, and she could hear the panic and cries in the background. It made her stomach twist.
"Henry just did a live video blog." Violet cried in to the phone, "Regina, he took a bunch of pills and washed them down with Draino!"
It all echoed in Regina's mind. This had to be a prank, right? "Mrs Locksley?" She heard her boss speak, everyone there looking towards her with concern.
"Family emergency." Regina said as she stood from her seat and hung up her phone.
Regina rushed out the door. On the way she called Robin and told him he needed to get home now. They had a situation that needed to be dealt with. In Regina's mind, it was helping Henry. Taking him to the hospital, helping him get better and talking him through it all. Her heart was not prepared for what she was about to endure. Regina ran in to the house, the ambulance parked in her driveway. The door ajar from them going inside. "Henry!" She screamed out before running up the stairs.
When she entered his room, the sight of him laying on the ground made her fall to her knees. She heard one of the paramedics call it and say there was nothing they could do. Regina crawled over to her son's lifeless body and put a hand to his once beating heart. Tears left her eyes and ran down her cheeks like thick, wet sheets. Regina laid her head to his chest. "I'm so sorry." Regina kept repeating, as though she could have helped what happened.
Regina didn't want to let go. Didn't want to move and she didn't. Not for the paramedics. It wasn't until Robin walked in, that she finally stood and ran in to his arms. The tears quickly came to Robin's eyes as well. Shock setting in but still protectively wrapped his arms around his wife. Holding her tight and watching as they put Henry in to a body bag. When Regina went to look, Robin put a hand to her head and gently kept her head to his chest. Not wanting her to see this. He didn't even want to see it, or believe it. Their son gone, because of kids doing what they thought was fun.