A/N: This week from Nov. 19th to Nov. 25th is Bullying-Awareness week. Please take the time to learn about bullying and how much it hurts and what you can do, even the smallest things help. This story is from a Family Channel Stand-Up Commercial.
Sharpay stood at her perfectly pink locker with her two friends Cassie and Krista. They stood gossiping when Krista noticed a shy, quiet brunette sitting on a bench by the stairs with her nose in a book.
"Hey, check out the geek" Krista nodded towards the new girl Gabriella Montez.
"Watch this" Sharpay gloated.
The three girls sauntered over towards Gabriella.
"Hey, you're Gabriella, right?" Sharpay asked.
"Um, yes" The shy girl replied. She set the book beside her.
"So, um are you going to the dance?" Cassie asked.
"I don't think so" Gabriella sighed.
"You should totally go, I heard that Troy Bolton was going to ask you to dance tonight" Sharpay gossiped.
"Well, thanks, I'll think about it" Gabriella smiled. The book lay forgotten.
The three girls erupted in giggling when they were out of earshot. Sharpay spotted Troy walking down the hall.
"Hey Troy, guess what?" Sharpay said excitedly.
"What?" He asked confused about why the girls in front of him were giggling.
"We just told Gabriella that you wanted to dance with her at the dance tonight, isn't that hilarious?" Sharpay giggled.
"You guys are really funny," he said sarcastically. He brushed past the laughing girls.
The three girls strutted through the doors into the gymnasium. "Hey there's freakazoid," Cassie pointed to Gabriella, who looked dejected standing by the punch bowl.
"Hey, guys," Troy said. Troy glanced over his shoulder. "Excuse me ladies."
Troy walked over to the dejected brunette.
"Hey wanna dance?" he asked. Gabriella's head tilted upwards and slightly nodded. The two brushed past the three girls who had there perfectly glossed mouths dropped to the floor.
"Have a nice night ladies"
85 of kids just watch a kid get bullied and 57 of the time if a bystander stands up the bullying stops. The bully just does it for an audience, so if your not brave enough to stand up, walk away, standing there watching is part of the problem
-Kathryn