Bullying Isn't Funny

"Rhyme" by Scratch21

Miles stumbled, the sixteen-year-old covering his nose which was now throbbing, "Cleo!" He yelled desperately, desperately calling for his sister to help him, "help me!"

"Oh look," Tyson sneered, shoving the lanky teen to the ground and pinning him down with one foot, "He's crying to his sister," he mocked, "like she can help you."

Miles looked up at the older and stronger teen, baby blue eyes flashing with fear. He hated changing schools, the switch between a high standard high school and a new school was horrible, he was always teased and bullied with his twig like stature, tall, but thin with barely any muscle. "Cleo!" He spluttered through the blood getting in his mouth through his bloody nose, "Rix!" He was losing faith in his sister coming to help him, she had been busy lately, with what she wouldn't tell him, but for the past two weeks, she hadn't been able to stop the bullies from beating him up and teasing him mercilessly.

"Your sister can't help you, Miles," Tyson sneered, "Who's your sister anyway? A fashionista?" He and the other seniors laughed while Miles squirmed, struggling under him. The senior shook his head mockingly, "You're sister isn't coming to help you little baby Miles, besides," he chuckled, "A girl can't stop me."

"Oh yeah? Well, eat the dirt you jerk!" Cleo yelled as she came running from behind a part of the school, Leroy on her heels, both teens looked a little flustered and a little pink in the face, Rix was running next to Cleo, the big dog snarling furiously. Cleo body slammed Tyson, knocking him to the ground face first before pushing his head down against the grass, determined to fulfill her threat, "Eat it!" She growled, pinning him to the ground and not letting him up, "Hurt my brother and you will not like the consequences!"

Leroy headbutted one of Tyson's lackeys and the other teenager dropped to the ground, his eyes rolling back while Leroy brandished his small switchblade, his fingers covering the flat side of the blade, hiding it from other onlookers while the others could see it. "Scram," he growled, sunset eyes gleaming with anger, "get out of here." He gestured with the hidden knife and the seniors scattered from the sophomores, everyone besides Tyson anyway, Tyson was still struggling against the enraged girl, really not wanting to eat the dirt.

"Eat it you, coward!"

"Cleo, let him go," Miles coughed as Leroy helped him to his feet, "A teacher is looking through a window."

"He hurt you, Miles," Cleo said through gritted teeth, "he will eat the dirt before I let him go."

"Get off me!" Tyson struggled, the strong senior having issues getting her off of him.

"Eat the dirt and I will!"

"Come on L-Cleo," Leroy said, stumbling slightly over her whole name and not using the nickname he had for her, "We need to get out of here."

Cleo shoved him one more time, making him successfully eat dirt before getting off him and helping her brother while Leroy quickly hid the knife. She then grabbed Miles' hand and pulled him and Leroy away from the sputtering senior while Rix barked in his face before racing after them.

"What took you so long?" Miles asked his twin, looking over at her and leaning forward from his position in the backseat of Leroy's car, the blonde currently driving.

Cleo shrugged, avoiding his eyes, "I didn't hear you till a few seconds before I arrived, sorry." She replied, fiddling with the zipper of her backpack, she was up front with Leroy, her backpack on her lap.

"You never take longer than a second of two, what happened?" Miles asked insistently, wondering why his sister took so long to come to his rescue.

"I was in the middle of something," Cleo replied, her voice frustrated, "I couldn't drop it and leave-"

"But you always do!" Miles snapped back, hurt that his twin didn't come to his aid right away. "You always drop everything to help me!"

Cleo's impulsive nature surfaced as she blurted out the reason she had been busy, "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, "I was in the middle of a kiss with Leroy and I didn't want to break it! I didn't hear your yelling and I didn't know you were being hurt until Rix bit me to get my attention!" She exclaimed before slapping her hand over her mouth, green eyes widening as she glanced over at Leroy who was sitting straight and stiff at her words.

"Starclan, Cleo!" Leroy exclaimed, "You weren't supposed to say anything!"

"I'm sorry!" Cleo exclaimed, putting her hands back in her lap and arguing with him, "I didn't mean to!"

"It's a secret remember?!"

"I know that! If I didn't I would've told him a while ago!"

"My mom is going to kill me!" Leroy groaned, "So is Irene!"

"Who cares if Irene is ticked off? I tick her off just by being in the room!"

"But usually you're not kissing me!" Leroy shot back, "Usually I'm not kissing my best friend instead of the girl I'm supposed to be engaged to!"

"Hey!" Miles interjected, "Stop arguing!" Cleo and Leroy went silent, neither of them looked very happy about stopping the argument. "First off, why in the world are you two getting involved with each other when Leroy is supposed to be engaged to Irene? Second, I don't care if you two act like lovesick dogs as long as you don't do it in front of me, and third, you have to do me a favor, Cleo."

Miles stood quietly, strumming his guitar as he started the song in front of the entire school, his older brother at his side and his twin behind him on the drums. 'Finally, I can be done with the bullying. Finally,' he looked over at his siblings, both gave him a small encouraging smile. Flynx put one arm around his younger brother's shoulders and gave him a small noogie in the process, silently telling him he wasn't alone and that he wouldn't be bullied anymore. Miles took a deep breath and started singing, "Hold your breath

While you watch me fall,

It's easier to

Say nothing at all,

I need a friend

Playing pretend's not working,

These pills are useless

And the shadows keep lurking,

Let me go,

There's nothing left inside,

To run and hide

Is all I know to survive,

The nightmare won't end

This life grow colder,

Come wake me up

When it's all over." Miles finished the first verse, closing his eyes as they broke into the chorus.

Flynx joined in, his much higher voice contrasting against his younger brother's much deeper voice."Some of us made it,

But no one deserved it,

I'm silent, I'm screaming,

Sticks and Stones was,

The rhyme that they taught us

To fight off our monsters,

To help numb the darkness,

But what they forgot was,

Is you don't need to break my bones

For you to break me,

The voices won't stop

Don't let me be alone,

Please someone

I just wanna go back home…" Flynx sang with his brother, standing beside him, proof of Mile's sincerity was in the form of the black eye he had, obviously, he had been bullied for a long time. For a few moments, the two brothers strummed their guitars while Cleo reached up over her drumset to put her keys down on the keyboard, preparing for the next verse, one hand on the keyboard, the other on the snare drum.

"Lock the door

I'm rotting in my room," Miles started the second verse on his own, his blue eyes open and gazing around the gymnasium at all of the seated students and even some parents. His eyes sought out his parents standing at the doors, having brought the equipment for the three siblings.

"I hope tomorrow

Doesn't come too soon,

My tears ran dry,

My heart's suffocating,

The bruises and I

Are slowly fading,

Make it stop,

There's whispers in my head,

The mirrors echo

Everything they've said,

To rise and shine is

So hard to do

When all the light

Has been taken from you…" Miles trailed off, allowing Flynx to sing the chorus while he took a few deep breaths to give himself confidence and to prepare him for the next part that wasn't even really a song.

"Some of us made it,

But no one deserved it,

I'm silent, I'm screaming,

Sticks and Stones was,

The rhyme that they taught us

To fight off our monsters,

To help numb the darkness,

But what they forgot was,

Is you don't need to break my bones

For you to break me,

The voices won't stop

Don't let me be alone,

Please someone

I just wanna go back home…" Flynx smiled encouragingly at his brother as he finished and Miles plunged into the next part.

"I remember every story

They wrote on my back...

Bruises like words tattooed

Into my skin in blue and black ink.

I remember every kitchen sink

Surgery where family had to

Stitch me back together." That was a slight exaggeration, but true, Miles's mother usually had to call Jay and get him to come over and help them, sometimes giving him stitches for bad injuries.

"I remember every happily ever

After that never came to pass.

We didn't go to school

In fairy tales,

We went to school in all the gory

Details of a horror story while

Monsters made us victims

Of their comedy.

We, the recipients of their punch

Lines they hung insults around

Our necks like signs inviting everyone

To join in,

Their words were invisible ink

That they tattooed on our skin." Miles finished and he and Flynx launched straight into the chorus, ignoring the wide-eyed students looking at them as they continued.

"Some of us made it,

But no one deserved it,

I'm silent, I'm screaming,

Sticks and Stones was,

The rhyme that they taught us

To fight off our monsters,

To help numb the darkness,

But what they forgot was,

Is you don't need to break my bones

For you to break me,

The voices won't stop

Don't let me be alone,

Please someone

I just wanna go back home,

I know that I'm stronger

Broken heart of a fighter

My scars remind me

That I'm a survivor,

This life is a tough game

And I don't wanna play it,

I'm reaching for a hand

Help me make it,

But It's too much

So I give up,

Just please don't hate me,

My letter's on the pillow

With a kiss goodbye,

I'm sorry, mom

But I promise that I tried…" Miles and Flynx finished, trailing off and ending the song before Miles spoke, looking out at the other students.

"It's not funny bullying someone," He said, his mixed voice easy to hear, "Nobody should have to be scared to go to school because of the people bullying them if the school is supposed to be such a safe place then open your eyes!" He exclaimed, "Open your eyes teachers and stop turning a blind eye to all of the bullying! Self-defense is acceptable, but bullying should not be! You all wonder why students drop out? Well partially it's because of the bullies injuring and scaring the hell out of them, I'm lucky I have a sister who would do everything in her power to help me, a lot of people don't have that and it's not fun getting bullied! People who do it aren't a cool as they think they are, it just makes them scarier and they act horribly so cut it out." His blue eyes flash, "Put a stop to it before someone gets really hurt."

Character Emails (all are gmail accounts)

Caylee and any other side character – youngcrazyteenageauthor

Cynthia – athleticsapphiresinger

Leon – athleticgoldenboy

Bree – cheerfulcuriosity

Jay – perfectgrumpytone

Holly – emeraldintelligencequeen

Fini – gingerandwhiteteenager

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