As punishment for how they acted, the next B-Day, Mr. Joseph's class (once again, except for Cree) were instructed to apologize to me, AND write 100 sentences during class, more specifically: "I will not make fun of my class mates." All the while Cree and I hung out in Mrs. Carson's room, since there wasn't much to do. We drew in my sketch pad, did our school/home work and played a few games as well, my favorite being "Connect 4", as it was fun to figure out many ways to line up 4 chips of the same color.
After the bell rang, I walked out into the court yard in front of the school to wait for Dad to come pick me up. I turned to see the 5th graders from the other day, hiding behind the corner and staring me down, which made me super uneasy, but this wasn't the 1st time they behaved this way - during my time in 2nd grade so far, I often caught sight of them either staring or pointing at me and snickering.
I told them to leave me be, but they just laughed at me as I stuttered and fumbled when I spoke. That's where things got messed up.. it was only the 2nd time i actually interacted with them, but something new happened.. they'd drag me to the back of the school, tape my mouth shut, and take turns inflicting physical harm onto me; hitting, kicking, being slammed against the floor and/or the wall. It must've been some sick game they made up, because they said the first one to bruise me, give me a black eye or bloody nose "wins". They would then threaten to hurt me more if I told anyone.. it was like my former dad all over again, but 2x.
They did it atleast 3 times, with my teachers and parents wondering why I had so many bruises. At the 3rd and final time, one of them slammed me into the concrete steps leading into the gymnasium, breaking my arm in the process. Luckily they forgot to tape my mouth shut, and I cried out in pain loud enough for the whole school to hear. Coach Floyd came bursting through the door and shouted at the two. "HEY!! YALL GET OFF OF HER RIGHT NOW!" he pulled them off of me as forcibly as possible as Cree and a few more children ran from around the corner and aggressively restrained them from coming near me again. I took this as an opportunity to run back into the school, holding my damaged limb. I crawled into my locker, and shut the door, crying hysterically from the terrible pain I was in.
"Both of you, to the principal, now." growled Coach Floyd, pointing outwards. "I-It was just a ga-" the kids tried to say before he interrupted them. "I DON'T wanna hear it, principal's office. NOW." he escorted the bullies into the building as Cree went to look for me.
Once she made her way into the hall, she heard me bawling in my home room locker. Upon the door opening, I looked up at her with my tear-filled eyes and whimpered out, "Th-th-the-they broke my arm.. it hurts so b-bad!!" Mrs. Carson walked in and saw all this. "Don't worry, sweetie, I'll call your parents to take you to the hospital," she got her phone out and dialed a number, then began explaining to my dad that I had been injured and that I needed to be taken into the emergency room. Dad instantly rushed into the building and took me into his car, speeding down the road to the nearest hospital. After we got in, I was x-rayed and had my arm wrapped in a sling and cast. My pained sobs had become hiccups and occasional sniffles here and there.
Mama and Daddy let me stay home from school for the first two weeks of my healing process. Daddy took a day off work to go straight to my school and gave 'em what Mama called "the biggest, loudest dressin' down of the principal's entire career."
"What's a dressin' down?" I asked my Mama.
"Oh, that's just a funny way of saying he yelled at 'em for everything they did wrong." She explained.
I felt really safe knowing my Daddy was protecting me like a guard dog, but I felt a little bad for my principal at the same time. The kids pickin' on me weren't his fault. Mama says there's really no such thing as a bad kid, only bad parents. So if anybody was at fault for me gettin' bullied left and right, it would be the bullies' parents for letting them behave the way they did.
I was surprised and even delighted when I got a visit from Cree one weekend! She had a small cardboard box in one arm when she arrived.
"Hello, ma'am," she greeted my Mama, "Is Delilah home?"
"Yes, of course," Mama allowed her inside, "She's been taking some time off from school, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind a visit from a friend."
Cree and I went up to my bedroom where she showed me what was in the box - strangely shaped cookies, delicately wrapped in a clear bag. "My dad made these for us, they're called "Madeleines". It's a French dessert, ya wanna try one?" I nodded before she unwrapped the cookies and handed one to me. I took a bite, and my eyes glistened - it was one of the best things I've ever tasted! The soft dough of the dessert was like heaven on my tongue. "Mmh~!" I gushed while nodding in approval. Cree giggled a bit at my reaction before we ate a few more madeleines, then watched "The Fox and the Hound" on my TV set for a while. What was even better is Cree got to stay the night with me!
Later that night, Cree and I couldn't sleep, so we stayed awake talking in whispers in the bed we shared.
"Have other kids ever treated YOU that way?" I asked her.
"...Once or twice." Cree admitted, "I've had a few run-ins with some rotten kids who think it's funny to pick on a black girl who speaks French."
"So what did'ja do?"
Cree looked both proud and embarrassed, "...I beat 'em up."
My eyes widened as I had to remind myself to whisper, "You did not!" I was grinning.
"Oh, yeah!" She nodded, "Double or nothin' when they ever even looked at my little sister!"
"You have a sister?" I asked in surprise.
"Oh, I didn't tell you about Abby?" She smiled, "She's a couple of years younger than me. Really smart, too! And I mean REALLY smart! She's already trying to read chapter books! Granted, they're little chapter books like "Junie B. Jones" and "The Boxcar Children", but for a toddler, it's really impressive!"
Shortly we both finally curled up under a nice, warm blanket as I turned on my radio and made sure it was quiet enough. Cree even sang me a little lullaby which easily helped me sleep. Best night ever!
--
Time flew by over the next couple of months. The other kids welcomed me back when I went to my classes, and a few of even signed my cast! I was also told that those two 5th graders who beat me up had been suspended for the rest of the year. Turns out they've had a history of bein' aggressive towards others.
The most important thing is that an assembly was held in the auditorium, explaining my condition and conditions similar and/or related to it, just to see to it that nobody was picked on or hurt ever again. Mom even took me to my psychologist at one point to prescribe medication for my speech impediment and social anxiety.
--
Christmas this year was one of the best times of my life. I got a new kitten this time, who we named Shadow since she had all-black fur. She was so adorable! We also had the most delicious ham with sides of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, green bean casserole, croissants, etc.
The next afternoon, I met Cree out in the snow, and apparently she brought two new friends. Their names were Chad and Maurice. I gave a nervous chuckle and waved to them. "This is my friend, Delilah. She's shy around new people, but she's incredibly sweet. Wanna come sledding with us, Lily?" I thought for a moment, then looked up at my mom, who nodded in approval. I nodded to the three kids before quickly getting dressed, grabbing my sled out of the closet and rushing out of the house. We were all driven by Cree's Dad to the sledding hills, and honestly.. this was the most fun I've had since I went to a zoo for the first time. I must've rode down those hills around 15 times before it was time to go back home at around 5 o'clock, which was dinner time! Since there was plenty of food left over from Christmas dinner, I warmed up a couple slices of ham and sweet potatoes.
As I went to bed that night while listening to the radio beside my bed, I thought of all the new friends I've made, and all the time I spent with Cree so far.. my optimism had finally returned, knowing she and many others had my back..
