I don't Own Twilight!
Change
Once we got back to the hotel, Charlie and I went to our room to pack our things while Edward spent some time talking to his family about our visit with Mike. We met in the hotel lobby a short while later so our parents could turn in the room keys, and Edward, Alice and I went out to start putting our things in the cars. I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes when Alice handed me several shopping bags full of things she had bought at the mall while we were visiting Mike.
"Really, Alice?" I asked.
"What? Shopping is how I cope with stress," Alice replied.
"Yeah, and everything else in life," Edward said not bothering to hide his eye roll.
"Shut up Edward," Alice said as our parents joined us.
"Don't start, you two," Esme said.
"Sorry," Edward and Alice mumbled.
"Are you guys ready to go?" Charlie asked. We all nodded and Esme, Carlisle and Alice climbed into one car while Edward, Charlie and I got into the other. Once we were on the road I let my head rest on Edward's shoulder and tried to relax. I noticed Edward seemed a little tense and I figure it was due to our visit with Mike. I didn't want to pry, but an hour later he was still pretty tense and I wanted to help if I could.
"Edward, are you okay?" I asked.
"I just can't help but think about what Mike said about being bullied," Edward said.
"What do you mean?" I asked, straightening so I could see his face.
"Don't you think it's horrible that none of the adults in Mike's life really did anything when he asked for help?"
"Yeah," I said quietly, "it's really sad."
"I just wonder if there is anything we can do to make sure that that doesn't happen to anyone else."
"Maybe we can go talk to your principal next week," Charlie said from the front seat.
"You'll come with us?" I asked.
"Of course," Charlie said, "I was pretty disturbed when Mike said no one helped him. Something needs to change."
"Did Eric and Tyler even get punished after the shooting?" Edward asked.
"No, not that I know of," Charlie replied.
"They drove Mike so far that he brought a gun to school, and they didn't have to answer for that at all?" I asked in disbelief.
"Mike answered for his actions, now it's time for them to answer for theirs," Edward said. I settled back against Edward and was relieved that he seemed much more relaxed. We napped for the rest of the ride home. When we dropped him off we told the Cullens our plan, and they agreed and said they would also be there when we talked to the principal. We decided that sooner was better, and that we would plan for Monday after school. The rest of the weekend passed by quietly.
Monday morning was uneventful, and Edward and I had just finished lunch when he asked, "Ready for Biology?" as we dumped our trays.
"Oh sure," I said with a smirk as he grabbed his crutches and we started heading to class. We were almost there when something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. The hallways were mostly empty because Edward and I were still allowed to leave our classes and lunch early, but the hallway off to my right was occupied.
"What the hell?" Edward exclaimed, and I knew he had seen what I was looking at. Tyler and Eric were down the hall, and they had a smaller freshman boy pinned up against a locker. Edward and I wasted no time as we made our way over to where the three boys were.
"Are you kidding me?" I asked loudly when were made it to the boys. Eric and Tyler looked over in shock and the younger boy looked at us with relief.
"What do you want?" Eric asked.
"Seriously?" Edward asked, and I could hear the rage in voice, "After what happened with Mike, you still think this is okay?"
"We were just talking," Tyler said, annoyed.
"Since when does talking include pinning someone to a locker?" I asked.
"Are you okay?" Edward asked the boy who looked like he was shaking.
"Y…yeah," he said. The bell rang at that moment and the freshman escaped down the hall while Eric and Tyler did the same.
"Unbelievable," Edward said as we watched them disappear in the sea of kids.
"How could they not have learned anything after what happened?" I asked.
"I don't know," Edward sighed as we started walking to biology. I spent the rest of the day fuming and one look at Edward told me he felt the same way. By the time we reached the office and saw our parents there, we were more than ready to meet with the principal.
"Hey kids," Esme said.
"Hi," Edward and I both mumbled.
"What's wrong?" Carlisle asked as we walked into the office.
"So much," Edward said as the secretary led us back to the principal's office.
"Hello everyone," Principal Reynolds said from behind his desk, "please take a seat." We all said hello and took our seats in the chairs that had been arranged in front of the principal's desk.
"Thank you for seeing us," Charlie said.
"Of course," he said and then turned toward me and Edward, "how are you two doing?"
"Fine," Edward replied.
"Alright," he said with a nod, "Why don't we get down to business."
"Okay," I said, "We want to know why Mike never got help when he was being bullied."
"It was never brought to my attention that there was a problem," the principal explained, "After the shooting several of the teachers came forward and told me that Mike had come to them for help. They said they talked to the boys who were hurting him and thought they had fixed things. I asked them why they never came to me, again they said they thought handled the problem and there was no need involve me."
"Did anything happen to those teachers?" I asked, "Were they reprimanded?"
"No," the principal replied.
"How about Tyler and Eric?" Edward asked, "Did they get punished?"
"I had a meeting with them and with their parents," the principal said, "I made them aware of what their sons were doing."
"Is that it?" Charlie asked.
"Yes," The principal said.
"Are you kidding?" I asked incredulously.
"Excuse me?" the principal asked in shock at my outburst. It was becoming very obvious to me that even after everything that had happened the principal still didn't understand the seriousness of the situation. I knew I had to do something drastic.
"Will you come with me?" I asked, "Please?"
"What?" the principal asked, "Where?"
"I have to show you something," I said. Principal Reynolds nodded and we all stood up and left the room. Everyone followed me out of the office, and we walked around the school until I came to stop in front of the Biology classroom. I pointed to a spot on the floor, a spot that clearly had brand new carpet.
"Do you see that spot?" I asked, "That is the spot where my best friend was standing when she was shot and killed."
"Bella…," Charlie began as he took a step towards me, but I shook my head and he stepped back.
"Do you see that spot?" I said pointing to a sport just inside the classroom, "That is where my teacher was murdered."
"That spot," Edward, who was picking up on what I was doing, said as he pointed down the hall, "That is the spot where I pulled Bella to the ground because gunfire broke out in the hallway." I wiped a tear from my eye and looked Edward. We shared a glance before nodding making our way down the hallway to the empty classroom.
Edward slowly reached out, opened the door, and turned on the light. Edward and I looked at each other again before hesitantly walking inside. We stood together in the middle of the room.
"This is where we waited to see if we would live or die," I said.
"This was the spot where a gun was pointed at us and we were threatened," Edward said.
"This is the spot where I was shot," I said.
"This is the spot where I was shot," Edward echoed. We were silent as everyone absorbed what we were saying. Charlie and Carlisle looked sad but proud, because they knew what we were doing. Esme had tears in her eyes, and the principal looked like he was in shock.
"Come on," I said, "There is one more place we need to go." We walked out of the room and down the hall. We stopped a few seconds later in a deserted hallway.
"This is the spot where Edward and I saw Tyler and Eric bullying a freshmen boy today," I said, emphatically.
"Today," Edward repeated so it would sink in to Mr. Reynolds.
"What?" the principal asked, finally looking outraged.
"Now do you see?" I asked, "Talking to their parents isn't enough, and letting the teachers get away with not telling you things isn't enough," I said.
"You have to do something," Edward said.
"Things need to change," Esme finished for us, and Charlie and Carlisle nodded in agreement.
AN: Thanks to my beta Jenn! Thanks also to everyone who left a review. I am so sorry I didn't get to respond to your reviews. I felt like it had been a few weeks since I posted a chapter and I didn't want you guys to think I was bailing on you again so I posted this as quickly as I could, which meant no time for answering reviews. Please know that I appreciate each and everyone of your reviews, they mean the world to me. Thank you!
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