So, it's March 3 for me today (well, tonight) and I'm off to bed. This is written for the BTR Anti-Bullying day.
It had been going on for a few weeks now. Ever since she had gotten a higher mark in an assignment than Julie, her school life started getting worse. The first day or so afterwards, some of her friends stopped hanging out with her. But by the end of the week they all had ditched her.
Walking home from school that Friday, Katie stopped wondering why all her friends avoided her and started wondering what was wrong with her.
There must be something wrong with meKatie thought to herself.
"Well look who we have here girls."
Katie looked up and found that Julie and her two friends, Leah and Holly, had surrounded her as she was thinking.
"Katie Knight." She spat in disgust. "Where's you friends Katie? why aren't you walking with any of them?"
Before giving her a chance to reply, Leah and Holly both pushed her onto the ground.
"I know why," Holly said with a smile. "They don't like her anymore. I mean...who would? Look at her. She's so small and pathetic." With that said, they turned around and walked away laughing.
Katie stood up with a tear or two in her eyes and brushed off her hands and knees from where she fell before leaving to get home before anything else happened.
I better not tell the guys or they'll get angry and probably do something they will regret later. She thought, Nope. this thing stays a secret for now.
That was two weeks ago now and the bullying had gotten worse and worse. Usually they would tease her and push her onto the ground But today was different.
"Hey! Look who's coming. It's the skinny, little, shrimp of a loser."
Oh no,Katie thought to herself. I thought I missed them today. Guess I was wrong.
Looking around, Katie tried to see if anyone was around or if she could run off somewhere. For the last two days she had run away before Julie and her friends could do anything, but they must have learnt something because today there was no where.
"We've missed you shrimp!" Leah said with a smirk. "We haven't done anything exciting thanks to you. So we are going to triple our exciting time today okay shrimp?"
Leah pushed her towards Holly, who pushed her towards Julie, how pushed her back to Leah. All the while they were calling her names and insulting her.
When Katie was in front of Julie again, she was stopped. "I'm so glad I'm not you, shrimp. I have friends who stick with me, I'm taller than most girls, and I am a heck of a lot stronger than you. You have no friends, are short, stupid, and weak." At this, Julie punched Katie in the face which through her backwards onto the footpath. "Come on girls. She's not worth this anymore."
Katie was curled up in a ball as they walked away. Crying, she uncurled herself and sat up.
They're right. I'm pathetic and weak. I don't deserve friends.Standing up she moved to the bushes on the side of the path and sat down in them, pulling her knees up, wrapped her arms around her legs, and cried.
Carlos was walking home when he heard a noise. Wonder what kind of bird that washe thought to himself as he kept walking. He heard it again, but this time it was closer.
That's not a bird. That sounds like someone crying.Looking around, he tried to see where it was coming from.
Up ahead in the bush he noticed two legs. Running up to them he asked, "are you okay?"
She lifted her head when he knelt down beside her and was shocked to see it was Katie.
"Katie! What's wrong? Are you alright?" He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a massive hug.
When Katie felt Carlos's strong arms engulf her she knew she was safe. bursting into tears again she gripped onto his shirt and held tight.
"Aww Katie. It's okay, I'm here and I wont let you go." Carlos reassured her, rubbing her back.
They sat like that for the next five minutes. Carlos waiting for when Katie was finished and ready to talk, and Katie finally giving up on trying to keep this a secret, deciding to tell the boys everything.
Carlos, feeling Katie move, loosened his arms around her to let her sit up.
"Thanks Carlos." Katie told him, still leaning on his shoulder.
Keeping an arm around her, Carlos asked, "what's going on Katie? I've never seen you like that before. Are you alright?"
Katie sighed and then began telling him what had been going on.
To begin with, Carlos was upset, but by the time Katie had finished telling him what had just happened, he was angry. "How dare they! They shouldn't be doing this. Why are they even at school? You should have told us before Katie."
"I'm sorry. I thought they would have stopped by now."
"It's okay Katie." Carlos told her, giving her a side hug. I know now and we can tell Kendall when we get home. He will want to know. Do you know why they bully you?"
"I think so." Katie answered. "A few weeks ago we had an assignment to do and Julie kept saying how she was going to get top marks and that no one else was to get it. I didn't listen to her. Well I did but I was like 'if I want to get a good mark then I'm going to get a good mark. She's not going to tell me what I can and can't do.' I ended up getting a better mark than her and from then on she has been making my life miserable. I think that's why."
Carlos nodded and then looked at his watch. "Are you ready to go home? The others are going to wonder where we are soon."
Katie nodded. Carlos stood up and then gave Katie his hand to help her up. When they had both dusted off their clothes from the dirt they had been sitting in, Carlos swung an arm over Katie's shoulder and they walked home.
Logan was sitting down at his desk when he heard the door open.
"Guys, we need to talk." Carlos yelled.
"Carlos, I'm doing my homework. Can this wait?" Logan yelled back, not bothering to get off his chair.
"Nope. This is a lot more important. I need you now."
Logan sighed and stood up. Everything was more important than homework to Carlos. But, the quicker he gets this over with, the quicker he can get back to his homework.
Walking out of his room he saw James walk out of the kitchen and Kendall out of his room. Looking at Carlos he stopped. "Why do you have your arm around Katie?" Please don't tell me they are going out he thought.
"We have something to tell you." Carlos said, not catching on to where Logan's thought was headed.
"Katie, are you alright?" Kendall asked, seeing his sister. Although her tears had dried up, her eyes were still puffy from all the crying.
Katie, looking over at her older brother, burst into tears again and ran, letting go of Carlos, over to her brother, wrapping both of her arms around him.
Kendall, shocked by what she had just done, crouched down to comfort her and asked
"What happened to her Carlos?"
"She's being bullied at school."
"What!" James was shocked. Why would anyone bully their little sister? Well anyone for that matter.
I think I would have preferred it if they were going out Logan thought, angrily. It would have been better.
"What happened?" Kendall asked, still holding onto his little sister.
After Carlos told them what he had found and what Katie had told him, there was silence. They were all furious and thinking murderous thoughts.
"How dare she!" James said, punching his hand on the table. "When I get my hands on her... I'll..."
"You'll what? Logan asked him. "You can't hit her, she's a girl. You can't bully her back because then that means you're just as bad as her."
James was stumped. "I hate being a guy sometimes."
Katie, hearing this, laughed. Still holding onto her brother she looked over to James. "Well I don't think you could handle being a girl."
"True, true. Well what shell we do?" Looking at Kendall. "Kendall, any ideas?"
"You need to go to the principal Katie, and tell her."
"What! No, I can't. Everyone will think I'm a tattle then. Please Kendall, no."
"Sorry Katie, but Kendall's right. There are some things I'd say to work out yourself but this isn't one of them." Logan told her. "If we did something to Julie and her friends, then we would be just as bad. We need to do this properly."
"But what if the principal doesn't believe me? What then?"
"We'll work it out Katie. Don't worry." Kendall hugged her again.
The next day they all walked to school together. Katie in between Carlos and Logan, with James and Kendall on the outside. Once in the building heading to the principal's office Carlos said, "I've got to do something, don't wait for me okay. Everything will be fine Katie."
"But Carlos, we need you." Katie pleaded. "This isn't part of the plan. We said we will all go in."
"I have to do something Katie." Carlos looked upset by the way his brothers and sister looked at him, but he didn't say anymore.
"Carlos..." Kendall pleaded.
"I'll be back." Carlos turned around and left.
"Why?" Katie asked. "Why isn't he helping? He always helps me."
"I'm sure he has a good enough reason Katie," Kendal said through gritted teeth. He better!He thought. "Let's go see Ms Meredith."
Slinging his arm over Katie's shoulder, Kendall let them to the Principal's office.
"So you're saying Julie, Holly, and Leah have been bullying you for the last few weeks?"
Katie nodded, "Yes they have."
Standing up, she walked passed the three boys (Carlos still wasn't back) and Katie, and opened the door.
"Jo, Could you please get Julie Stephens, Holly Jones, and Leah Daniels to come here. I need to talk to them."
Closing the door, Ms Meredith turned around and walked back to her chair. "You do know I have to talk to them as well, right?"
"But they'll say that I'm just making it up."
"Has anyone seen this happening?"
Katie looked down at her lap. "No, It always happened on the way home from school when no one was around."
"Thought so. I want to believe you but I also have to hear their side. I can't really do anything unless I have proof."
Just then the door opened and Jo, the receptionist stuck her head through. "The girls are here Jen."
"Thank you Jo." Ms Meredith nodded to her. "If you four will just wait outside, I will have a talk to the other three."
James stood up first and the others followed him out of the office, passing Julie and her friends as they went. All three girls had smirks on their faces.
Sitting down James said "this isn't going to work Kendall, we need to do something else."
Katie looked depressed so James, sitting next to her, gave her a side hug. "Don't worry Katie, we'll think of something else."
"I'm sorry guys. This was just a waste of time."
"Don't say that Katie." Kendall told his sister. "If nothing happens today then at least they will be looking out for it in the future. And if anyone complains about being bullied by them they will have a record of it."
"You all can come in if you want."
Looking up, they saw Ms Meredith at her door calling them in.
Walking in, they found the three girls sitting in the chairs still with smirks on their faces.
"Julie tells me that you have it all wrong." Ms Meredith started telling them. "None of them have ever done anything like what you told me to you."
"You know they're lying, right?" James pointed out.
"I'm sorry James, but unless you have any proof of what happened, then I can't do anything."
"Yeah James." Julie spat out. "Unless someone actually saw if anything happened then we can leave."
"This isn't right!" James yelled.
"Um...excuse me Jen."
They all looked aver to the the door where the receptionist was standing.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but you might want to see this."
All of them followed the Principal out the door and stared. There was Carlos standing in front of a whole group of girls.
"Ms Meredith. I'm Carlos." Carlos smiled as he introduced himself.
"Yes, I know you're Carlos. Can this wait? I'm in the middle of something."
"Carlos, what the heck do you think you're doing?" Logan whispered out loud.
"Nope sorry, but this can't wait. These girls would also like to report that they have been bullied by those three as well."
"What! How dare you. You're making that up" Julie screamed.
"Hush Julie." Ms Meredith said crossly.
One of the girls behind Carlos stood forward. "It's true Miss. They have bullied all of us. And I have even seen them bully Katie. Julie said that if we ever told anyone then we would regret it. But when Carlos told us that Katie was reporting it then we thought we should back her up."
Turning around to look at Julie, Holly and Leah, Ms Meredith had an angry look on her face. "My office girls,. Now!"
Once the office door had closed Katie walked over to Carlos. "What was that about? Was that why you left?"
Wrapping his arms around her, he told them all "I'm sorry I left without saying. I wasn't sure if it would happen or not. But I heard Laura and Elle talking a while back about them being bullied. When I asked about it they denied it and last night I got thinking that maybe they could help but I didn't want to get your hopes up so I didn't mention it. Turns out, a lot more than just them had been bullied. Oof"
Carlos stopped when Katie ran into him and hugged him tightly. "I love you loads Carlos! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Ms Meredith couldn't do anything because no one had seen anything but now...thank you!"
"It's okay Katie." Carlos rubbed her back. "I could never let anything happen to my little sister."
Ms Meredith came out of her office after a while. "I'm going to need everyone to write down what happened to them so I have it all in writing for the Board of Trustees but they won't be coming back here again."
With lots of thank you's said, the room soon emptied leaving only the boys, Katie, Jo, and Ms Meredith. "I'm sorry I almost let them go, but with nothing, I couldn't have expelled them. The Board wouldn't have allowed me. But with all of these girls, I am glad to get rid of them. I don't like bullies. I was a victim in school and I vowed to never let it happen here." Looking at Katie, she smiled. "I'm glad you came forward Katie, otherwise we would never have known about it. I'm sorry you had to go through that but thank you."
"Thank Carlos, he was the one that found me. Otherwise I still wouldn't have told." Katie said, giving Carlos another hug.
"Well, since that's over, I guess we better get to class." Logan said, reminding everyone that they still had to learn.
"Trust you to think of that." Carlos pouted. "I'd rather hang out with those girls again, they seemed really nice."
"I'm with you there bro," James added.
"Sorry boys." Ms Meredith looked at them all. "If I see an absent by any of your names for today, then you're staying after school for detention. Got it?"
"Yes Miss." Came the reply from all of them.
Heading to class, Katie smiled to herself. This day can't get any better! I can finally have a peaceful day not worrying about how to get home.
"Katie."
Katie looked over her shoulder and saw her old friend from before this started.
"I'm sorry about before, but Julie came to me and told me she would stop bullying me if I stopped being your friend. At that point, I was ready to do anything to get her to stop. But I realised I was wrong. I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"
"Of course I forgive you Jane."Katie smiled, walking over to Jane to hug her.
Maybe this day can get better she thought.