Intermission 2: Bully
10 Years Ago
Royal Woods, Michigan
Royal Woods Middle School
Today is another beautiful day, Lincoln Anderson the only son of the Anderson family has finally graduated from elementary school and move up to middle school.
Normally kids wouldn't want to go to school but not Lincoln who is currently busy making cookies for his first day with Clyde who came over to help out with the baking while Lola, Lana and Lucy were there taste testing, though a bit too much tasting.
"Uh, I can't … eat … anymore." Lana groaned as she stuffed another cookie into her mouth.
"Me … too." Lola groaned who also ate another cookie.
"I can still eat more cookies." Said Lucy deadpan.
It wasn't a surprise to both Lincoln and Clyde that Lucy could eat more cookies than it was humanly possible for a kid to take and sometimes Lincoln and Clyde think that she may not be human though they knew that it isn't true nevertheless it's a funny thing to think about.
"Ok guys that's enough tasting, Clyde and I got to get to school and you have too." Said Lincoln as he packed some of the cookies into a container while leaving the rest for his sisters.
Sarah Anderson, their adoptive mother who has been waiting at the front door called out to her kids. In just a few minutes, the kids and Clyde came running to the family car except for Leni, Luna, Luan and Lynn rode in Lori's car which was given to her by Sarah.
This year onwards Lori will be going to college, to Fairway University, at least that was the plan until the accident a year ago. Lori couldn't bear the thought of leave her siblings for a college so far away but at the behest of her adoptive mother, she decided to go to Great Lake Institute which is much closer to home.
A few minutes later after dropping of Lola, Lana, Lucy and Lisa at elementary school, they finally arrived at Lincoln's new school. "Ok, Lincoln have a good first day."
"Thanks mum." Said Lincoln
As his sister casual walked towards the school, Lincoln and Clyde were stuck in place. They didn't know what to do for a first good impression, they had the cookies but they wondered whether it is enough.
"What are you fellows doing standing out here?" Came a voice that turn out to be Liam's and with him the rest of the gang.
"Oh, we are just nervous, this is our one and only chance to give a good impression to the rest of our fellow middle schoolers." Clyde responded.
"And you thought it would be best to give out cookies?" Said Rusty while pointed at the container filled with cookies.
It was then Lincoln and Clyde realized how ridiculous the idea was, not wanted to waste the cookies they put it away in their backpack but it still left them thinking of what to do for a first impression but in the midst of being lost in their thoughts, the school bell rang and Lincoln and his friends quickly ran into the school.
In the midst of running to their class, Lincoln accidentally bump into a senior middle schooler causing him to drop the books he was carrying.
"I'm sorry." Lincoln apologized but soon became afraid when he saw how big he was.
"Oh, you are goanna be sorry all right." The senior said and grabbed Lincoln but before he could punch him, a teacher who happen to pass saw the commotion.
"Mr. McCann! What do you think you are doing?" The teacher said
The senior quickly put Lincoln down and dusting him a bit. "Nothing Mr. Bolhofner, just introducing myself to the freshmen. Isn't that right?" He said while pressing down Lincoln shoulder.
"Y-Yes sir. W-We were just introducing ourselves." Said Lincoln while winching in pain.
Mr. Bolhofner was skeptical but didn't care much about it. "Well the bell has rung, so get to class now."
After Mr. Bolhofner left, McCann turn back to Lincoln. "You're lucky Bolhofner was here but next time I see you squirt; you are dead meat."
Once McCann left Lincoln started to panic. "Ah guys! What should I do? I didn't mean to bump into him."
"I don't know Lincoln but we should really get to class first." Said Clyde
Lincoln and his friends quickly went to their classroom but was shocked to hear that he wasn't the same class as his friends and was sent to Mr. Bolhofner's class which is more of a sauna room than a classroom.
Hours later and after much abuse from Chandler, physically and emotionally, Lincoln made his way to the cafeteria only to meet Chandler on the way. "So, I heard you met my brother, this morning."
Lincoln immediately perked up. "Your brother? You mean that big guy I bump into was your brother?!"
"Ya and I have to be honest for you Stinkcoln, I feel sorry for you. Greg is the biggest bully in school. Now that you caught his eye, you are going to suffer for the rest of your entire middle school life." Said Chandler.
Lincoln was shaking in fear, he had to content with bullies in elementary but none were more than a simple name calling or the occasional stuffing food down his pants but Chandler's brother doesn't seem to just to that to him, he is likely to hit him for the smallest of offences.
For the rest of the day, Lincoln tried his best to avoid bumping into Greg. When the school bell finally rang, Lincoln quickly ran towards the bus but unfortunately Greg was there waiting for him. Lincoln tried to reason with him but he wasn't going to listen, all he wanted was to hurt him.
A few hours later at the Anderson residence, most of the kids were home except for Lori who has moved to GLI's dormitory and Lincoln who hasn't come home yet.
Sarah checked with Lynn and his friends about his whereabouts, sadly none of them had seen him. She was about to leave to search for him when the front door open to reveal a badly bruised Lincoln with parts of his clothes torn.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." Said Lincoln weakly.
Everyone was shocked at the state he is in and barraged him with a bunch of questions but all Lincoln told them that he met a series of unfortunate events that led to his current state and left to retire to his room without eating his dinner.
Sarah and the rest of the family have always known Lincoln to be reckless whenever he goes on one of his adventures but somewhere deep down, they knew that Lincoln is lying about what had happened to him, so Sarah tasked Lynn to try and find out what going on before things get worse.
The next few days, Lincoln kept getting picked on by Greg. Lincoln tried everything he could to avoid him, to the point where he would eat his lunch in the bathroom or even run in the hallway just to go to his classes but Lincoln soon found out that it would be pointless as Greg would always find him in the end.
The only solace that Lincoln could find is whenever a teacher would happen to be there and stop Greg from hitting Lincoln.
As for Lynn, she tried her best to find out what is happening to Lincoln but most of his classmates were tight lip about it, even Lincoln friends refused to speak. The only clue that Lynn could get was that her little brother was being bullied but by who was a mystery to her but she had a feeling who it was.
One day when school was out, Lynn happen to catch Greg in the act when she spotted him guiding Lincoln to the back of the school. What happen next was to be expected.
Lynn got angry and fought with Greg to the point where both of them were severely, normally when Lynn fights a bully, they would stop but Greg was different he swore to Lincoln that he would be ten times worse from that day onwards. Lynn scowl at him as he left but she could tell in that she had made the situation even harder for her brother.
On a normal day, Lynn and Lincoln would take the bus home or even wait for their mother to fetch them but because of the state that Lincoln is in, He has opted to walk back home mostly in fear of meeting Greg.
The walk home was one of the hardest day of his life, Lincoln kept thinking what he should do to stop Greg, at one point he had considered asking Lynn to protect him but after the way seeing how Greg and Lynn was evenly matched, he tossed that idea.
He was so lost in his thoughts until Lynn brought him back. "Lincoln! Did you hear what I said?"
"Huh what? Sorry Lynn, I was thinking to myself. What were you saying?" Asked Lincoln.
"I said why didn't you tell mum about Greg? You know he's going to keep picking on you until you tell someone." Said Lynn
Lincoln became furious when he heard Lynn suggest that. "You think I didn't want to tell mum about this Lynn?! You think I want this to keep happening to me?! He threatened me, he said he will beat me so bad that it would be no different to an accident injury."
Lincoln went on to cry out his grievances and all the plan he and his friends had concocted to stop him until finally he broke down and started crying. "I-I-I don't know what to do anymore Lynn. I know I should tell m-mum or teachers about it but I'm so scared that I don't e-e-even dare to. Please Lynn tell me what I should do."
Lynn had never seen Lincoln like this before he had always been the 'man with the plan' but never this. Lynn did the one thing that any older sibling would do, give him a hug and calm him down.
That night when Lincoln and Lynn got home, their entire family were horrified and demanded an explanation to which Lincoln went on to explain on how he was being treated in school, from the condition of Mr. Bolhofner classroom to the distance of the classroom to the cafeteria and to the bullying he had to endure while at school.
"My gosh Linky that is so horrible." Said Leni
"This Greg dude is going to have trouble hearing once I'm through with him." Said Luna who was holding two cymbals in her hand.
"Well when I'm through with him, he's going to beg me to stop messing with him." Said Luan.
"I'm going to ask my ghost friends to haunt him until the end of his days." Said Lucy in her not so usual monotone voice.
"No when we're through with him, he's going to cry to his mummy." Said the twins.
"I for one will make a robot to bully that bully for life." Said Lisa.
"Lily will poo poo on bad guy." Said Lily.
While Sarah agree that Greg is a bad apple, she does not agree with the excessive measures that her kids are planning even more on Lucy, Lisa and the twins.
"Ok kids that is some good suggestions but you should never stoop to a bully's level and Lincoln you know you can tell me if there are problems, you should never be afraid to tell someone when you do." Said Sarah.
Lincoln felt touched when he heard his family support him, he can't help but cry his heart out as his family came to his side and comfort him.
The next few hours, Sarah has been treating Lincoln and Lynn's injuries in her study while the rest of her kids were busy doing their own business though Sarah has a feeling that they were concocting plans to ambush Greg tomorrow.
"Now Lincoln, Lynn I know I said you shouldn't stoop to Greg's level and I know after I dismiss the both of you, you will likely gather your siblings to create a plan to do something terrible and possibly catastrophic." Sarah pointed out which made both Lincoln and Lynn sheepishly shy away.
Sarah laughed a little a how shy they become. "Look both of you, I'm serious about not stooping to his level. Even if say your plan works, two things will happen. One, your plan works but it will probably land him in the hospital a couple of months and by then he will be back with a vengeance or two, he will leave you alone which is highly unlikely."
"But how can we know if we don't try, he might actually leave Lincoln alone and stop being a jerk." Said Lynn.
"Trust me Lynn, I'm very familiar with people like Greg. Sure, you can get back at him now but what does that get you, a few weeks of satisfaction than you would be no different from him." Said Sarah.
Lincoln and Lynn thought about what their mother said and felt ashamed.
Sarah smiled knowing that she could impart some of her life lessons to her children, it is something she always wanted to do, something that she has been giving but life lessons are never ending and Sarah knew one day her kids would have their own someday.
The following day, Lincoln and Lynn went to school on their own. They had hope that their mother would send them as she always has but surprisingly Kotaro had called her in early to help with some problems at the restaurant.
The first thing that Lincoln saw when they got off the school bus was Greg who is grinning from ear to ear. Lincoln having remembered the Greg's declaration from the day before, is frozen in place.
Greg advanced towards Lincoln with intent to beat to death if need to while Lynn moved in front of him to protect him but before Greg could even get an inch close, the school PA system turned on.
"Greg McCann, Lynn Anderson and Lincoln Anderson, please report to the principal office immediately."
The three of them were puzzled, school hadn't even started and they were called to the principal office, one can even say it was a highly unusual situation but it saved Lincoln from getting a deadly beating.
Once they arrived at the principal office, they were surprised to find that both Greg's father, Mr. McCann and Sarah inside chatting with each other or rather Mr. McCann was shouting his heart out while Sarah was trying to eloquently explain her side and sadly Principal Ramirez was caught in the middle of it and was, she glad to see the students in question.
"Ah students you're here, please have a seat. Mr. McCann and Mrs. Anderson if you please calm down and we can proceed to have a civil discussion."
Mr. McCann wanted to voice his opinion more but agreed to sit down for the sake of the children. "Now Mrs. Anderson, Sarah, you called me last night to inform me that your son is being bullied by Greg. You must understand that this is a serious accusation I hope that you have some sort of proof."
"Of course, she has no proof. My son has been a good student in this school for years, even in elementary school he was a good boy. You think you can just come back to Royal Woods as start pointing fingers Sarah! You are sorely mistaken." Said Mr. McCann.
"Mr. McCann please calm down but Sarah he is right. Greg has been one of our more model students in this school and is also our best football players we had. I asked again do you have proof?" Asked Principal Ramirez.
Sarah calmly took out a rather large file and passed it to Principal Ramirez, as she read the file, she was dumbfounding as all the findings that Sarah had gathered on Greg activities from the year, he started middle school till now which also included pictures from security footages.
Once she finished reading the file, Principal Ramirez became exhausted and then angry at her own inability of not realizing such problem sooner. "Greg according to this file, you have bullied nearly twenty other students since you came to this school and please tell me the truth."
"How dare you, yo-you believe whatever she wrote in that file rather than believing my own son who you also admitted is a model student." Berated Mr. McCann.
Principal Ramirez looked over to Sarah who simply gestured towards to Mr. McCann and then pass the file over to him. Once he began reading the files, he became angrier.
"This file is full of nonsense; how do we even know any of this is real!"
"Principal Ramirez, do mind if I borrow your laptop?" Said Sarah calmly while ignoring Mr. McCann question.
Principal Ramirez handed over her laptop to Sarah who then took out a thumb drive and played a number of videos that showed everyone of Greg bullying other students, intimidating them into doing his homework even worse was how he force them to cheat for him during exams by swapping out their test sheets.
It was appalling to see even more so for Principal Ramirez who failed like a failure as principal, with all evidence in hand she decided to expel Greg from school who wanted to protest but his father agreed with her in shame as well.
"Are you kidding me dad! How do we know that those pictures or videos weren't doctored?!" Greg demanded who expected an answer instead was met with a slap to the face.
"I am ashamed of myself; you really pulled the wool over my eyes. Those times I defended you, now I wish I didn't. if there's one thing I've forgotten about Sarah, is that she never presents a case without hard evidence, it's one of the reasons everyone in town respects her." Mr. McCann responded.
"Sarah, Principal Ramirez, I'm sorry for wasting your time. I'll have my son empty out his locker immediately."
Just as everything was about to be wrap up, Sarah got up and stared down on Greg with eyes so cold that it felt like ice or something colder to the point that Greg felt like he was choking.
"Principal Ramirez, Mr. McCann. I would like a few minutes to chat with Greg please. Now don't worry I won't do anything to him." Said Sarah.
It was standard protocol to leave a parent with the accused student but this meeting itself was not standard protocol either. After a few seconds of consideration, Principal Ramirez and Mr. McCann allowed and left the room with Lincoln and Lynn.
Once it was just Sarah and Greg, Sarah began to slowly move from window to window and bring down their blinds, as Greg observe her bringing down the blinds, he can feel that cold feeling being intensified as the room became darker.
A few minutes has passed since Principal Ramirez, Mr. McCann, Lincoln and Lynn were asked to leave the office. Mr. McCann knows Sarah would do no harm to his son but he can't shake the feeling that he had left his son with an angry mother bear.
As he was about to open the door, the door open itself to show a now disheveled Greg with Sarah following afterwards. "Greg has come to an understanding and has gladly accepted the expulsion Principal Ramirez, isn't that right Greg?"
"Y-Yes ma'am, I will clear my locker immediately." Said Greg.
Principal Ramirez was glad that things hadn't escalated as she had expected but she should have known better when Sarah was involved, she went back into her office with Mr. McCann who are going to finalize the paperwork.
Greg on the other hand, walked towards Lincoln and Lynn in a manner that Lincoln and Lynn perceived as a threat but to their surprise, he bowed his head down in an apology.
"Lincoln, Lynn please forgive me for all my wrong doings."
Lincoln and Lynn were puzzled but seeing Greg like this at first but upon seeing their adoptive mother giving them a sign telling them it is fine.
"Umm thanks Greg, I appreciate it." Said Lincoln.
"Ya, don't sweat it, just don't bully other kids again alright." Said Lynn.
After the McCann left and once Sarah had finished talking to Principal Ramirez, Lincoln and Lynn wanted to asked what she said to Greg but instead were told to get to their class before they could even pop the question.
Word began to spread of Greg's misdeeds and expulsion and the first thing everyone did was celebrate even the older school staff joined in on it to the point that classes were mostly used for partying.
Once the day was over, Lincoln for the first time in his life felt safe in the school hall but It wasn't just him, it was also anyone who Greg had picked on. It was a what Lincoln had hoped to see ever since he started, he middle school and now thanks to his adoptive mother, he would be able to experience just that.
That night, Lincoln couldn't sleep well, it was not due to lingering trauma but more of a need to speak to his adoptive mother. He left his room and made his way to his adoptive mother's room and was surprised to find Lynn standing outside looking very nervous.
"Lynn? What are you doing outside mum's room?" Asked Lincoln.
Lynn yelp in surprise by Lincoln's sudden appearance. "Jeez Lincoln, my heart nearly gave out … and I could ask you the same question."
"I had to ask mum something … so what about you? You didn't actually answer my question." Said Lincoln.
"Well, I also couldn't sleep as well, I had to ask mum something … and I think we may have the same question." Said Lynn.
Then all of a sudden, the door open and Sarah was standing and gestured for them to come inside. "I can hear both of you and it's late whatever you wanted to ask you got five minutes then it's back to bed."
"I WANT YOU TO TEACH ME HOW TO FIGHT/DEFEND MYSELF." Said Lincoln and Lynn at the same time.
The sudden outburst nearly caught Sarah by surprised but it was the question itself that caught her attention and for the first time since their adoption, Lincoln and Lynn saw a frown on their adoptive mother face that they have never seen before.
Sarah sighed, slightly disappointed in hearing the request but she was willing to hear her kids out and withhold judgment for now.
"Is this about Greg? Because if it is, I will not teach you if you are going to use them to be like him. Martial arts should only be used for self-defense or to protect those who can't protect themselves. So, if you tell me its so you could be strong, I suggest you go back to bed and forget this conversation ever happen."
Lincoln and Lynn could tell that mother was putting on a face to test their resolve, so they steel themselves to give the answer that they believe is true to themselves.
"WE WANT TO PROTECT OURSELVES BETTER AND ALSO TO PROTECT OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY FROM BULLIES LIKE GREG!"
Lincoln and Lynn panted heavily after giving their answer and waited anxiously for their mother's answer then all off sudden, she gave them a big smile and a hug.
"That's the right answer and I'm proud of the both of you that you didn't take choose the wrong answer but for now it's time for bed, you two have school tomorrow and I'll be having the both of you work hard from now on especially you Lincoln, you need more muscles if you intend to take my lesson." Said Sarah.
Lynn was extremely happy while Lincoln though happy that he was going to learn martial arts was starting to doubt a little when he realized how skinny he was but he told himself that he will preserve and promised to himself that he will not give up.
As Lincoln and Lynn left their mother's room and bid each other good night before returning to their rooms, one thing still raced through their minds and that is that their mother can be an extremely scary person when she needs to be but they slept soundly knowing that someone like her was their adoptive mother.