Chapter 2: Mona got bullied!
Mona came out of her room, hoping the argument from her parents were over. Then, both of the parents were on the couch. Mona sits on the couch between both of her parents. Margaret starts off with, "Mona, listen…you've heard us argue a lot and we've realized that there's a lot of hard decisions to make for all of us because we simply want what's best for you. Yes, that includes the decision to send you preschool…".
Mona then looked quite nervous. Mona asks, "So…a-am I going to preschool?".
Benjamin took a deep breath and replied, "Well…we've talked about and, you're probably NOT going to school Mona. I was thinking that you've learned a lot of things on how you interact with people from day to day life, but your mom has a point where you're lacking in some key areas.".
Mona looked shocked. She admits to herself that she's expecting to go to school despite her nervousness, but her father's answer may have made her question her parent's conclusion on not sending her to preschool.
Mona then questioned, "B-But why?".
Margaret answered, "You may have learned some manners here and there, that's good and all, but you don't know the nuance from social life just yet. For example, the clothing that you've just wearing right now?".
Mona takes a look at herself. She was wearing a ballerina dress…with long pants underneath her. Mona is also still wearing her diapers in case she had an "accident". Mona said, "Yeah?".
Margaret continued, "That's okay at home, but when you're outside of the home, you'll be laughed at thanks to the mismatch of choices that you make. It's not really good for your social status quo Mona. You need to learn how to dress up properly when you're going somewhere outside of your home. You won't be taken seriously by other people at school wearing that.".
Mona replied, "I understand mommy…".
Benjamin added, "Yeah... In addition, you also really need to learn some new manners when you're interacting with new people everyday in your life here and there. Honestly, I want to send you to preschool as soon as possible, but your mom has a point regarding your manners. We'll have to teach you key etiquette when meeting with key people in your life.".
Mona gave her dad a funny look and questioned, "Key etiquette? Key people?".
Benjamin clarified, "Yes, the key people that are going to be important in your life like teachers, principals, bosses, etc. You're gonna have to not only learn how to give respect towards these people, but also how to dress them up properly in your life as a key etiquette. Key etiquette means very important manners Mona.", and Mona nodded in awe.
Margaret said, "Mm-hmm. They're not gonna be like your friends like Jimmy T. His family is such a joke because they're following a trend that appeals to homosexuals and I do NOT want you to be that way. Homosexuals are the people that you need to learn to AVOID as well.".
Mona asks, "...What is 'homosexual' mommy? Are they…bad people?", and she looks confused regarding that because her parents did allow to play with Jimmy T. Mona doesn't think that Jimmy T. is a bad person at all. Mona only thinks of him as a friend.
Margaret and Benjamin wouldn't tell her about homosexuals due to her young age, thus they tried to find a way to dodge an answer regarding that.
Margaret then answered, "Well honey, Jimmy T. himself isn't the problem here. It's his family that I'm kind of worried about. It's one thing to do it at home, but it's another if they tried to do that in public…they don't understand how the public perceives them, thus it's bad news for them having been perceived as homosexuals by other people regarding Jimmy T.'s family. We want to make sure that YOU Mona would be learning a lot more on how to be a good girl for yourself before going out to kindergarten soon, okay?".
Mona stayed silent for a moment due to a lack of answer from her parents regarding the actual meaning of homosexuality other than it's bad. Mona replied, "Okay mommy. I'll learn how to be a good girl then.", and their parents nodded.
Her parents were relieved that they don't have to be pressured by Mona regarding their actual views of homosexuality other than it's bad. Mona then had to skip preschool due to these circumstances regarding her behavior issues by her parents for at least a year.
Mona went to Eldstar Primary School for the first day with her parents dropping her off. Mona asks, "So, I have to follow the teacher to class and that's the teacher I go to?".
Benjamin and Margaret simultaneously answered affirmatively and Margaret added, "She will take care of you and other kids while she teaches you things that couldn't be done at home. You'll see what it's all that about.", and Mona nodded as if she understood.
The bell rang and Mona asked her parents, "What is that noise and what does it mean?".
Benjamin gladly answered, "It means that class is starting Mona. Please get in line so your teacher can count you as being there.", and Mona gets in line where she finds her name on a paper that's taped to a cone.
Mona's assigned teacher came to the students and introduced herself as, "Hi kids, I'm Ms. Sandy and I'm here to take you guys to my classroom. Follow me in line please!", and the kids follow her to her classroom. The teacher is a middle-aged white woman with brunette hair.
Mona waved goodbye to her mom and dad. Mona's parents do the same thing. The other teachers do the same thing towards their students outside, and they follow their teachers to their classroom. After Mona got into the school, her parents left the school grounds and drove home.
At school, she observed how the days work inside of a school. It's clear that the teacher is telling a lot of things and Mona sometimes gets bored of having to listen to her being lectured by her teacher. However, the teacher does allow playtime in Kindergarten at least.
Mona had introduced herself to other kids during that time by greeting with, "Hi, I'm Mona. I like to wear nice clothes on myself. Look at what I'm wearing!", and Mona had worn a red front-tied shirt with mini-jean shorts that she's wearing and she gave them a wink.
Mona's also wearing short sleeve socks and dress shoes and has a really feminine makeup that would make her mistaken for a woman. The kids enjoyed having Mona around.
Jimmy T. also introduced himself as, "Hi! I'm Jimmy T. and I like to dance a lot!", and he was able to be shown dancing. Mona already had met Jimmy T., but she allows it for the sake of showing himself to dance. The kids were impressed with Jimmy T.'s dancing.
The other students started introducing themselves to Mona and Jimmy T. One of the kids introduced herself as, "Hi! I'm Hanna Whyte. I like to watch Wheel of Fortune on TV. I wish they sold board games for that though so that I can spin the wheel for fun!".
Another kid introduced himself as, "Hey! I'm Brad Wilson. I like to skateboard for fun. It's cool that I can do tricks when I'm on the rail of any building objects, including benches!".
Both of the kids who introduced themselves were Kinopios (Toads). They all accept each other, forming friendships between them. Mona and Jimmy T. are accepted by their peers due to her standing out as being flamboyant, thinking they're cool.
Ms. Sandy however, had noticed how Mona and Jimmy T. got popular with the students. At first, Ms. Sandy thought they got along with all the students until she realized that they wore outfits that were grabbing the wrong attention.
Ms. Sandy thought about it and she did have concerns on whether the entire school would accept those kinds of fashion inside school. Ms. Sandy decided to talk to both of them after school regarding their choice of clothing and mannerisms.
After school, Ms. Sandy called Mona and Jimmy T. over. Mona and Jimmy T. think they're worried about getting into trouble. They went over and Mona asked, " Ms. Sandy? Are we in trouble?", and she tried to hide her sad look by smiling nervously.
Jimmy T. added, "What did we do wrong this time?", and Jimmy T. rubs his neck while looking downwards to avoid trouble.
Ms. Sandy assured, "No. You two didn't do anything wrong. It's just that I'm concerned that you'll get into trouble with other students and I do have specific reasons why for each of you.".
Ms. Sandy turned to Mona and commented, "Mona, your clothes would bring the wrong attention to students because some of the students might take you the wrong way. Please dress the clothes more appropriately so that you'll end up being safe from bullying. And speaking of bullying, your behavior is way too expressive, to the point that you'll end up attracting lots of bullies who want to bully you for your sick behavior.".
Mona was stunned and questioned, "...Huh?! What do you mean Ms. Sandy?".
Ms. Sandy explained, "...Okay, you don't know what bullying is. It's when kids are hurting other kids for one reason or another. Please take my word as caution for your clothing options and your behavior options. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to talk to Jimmy T. about his dancing skills and how it might attract the wrong ground. Now, shoo.", and Ms. Sandy shooed Mona off.
Mona felt sad and she immediately left the classroom while she saw Jimmy T.'s parents coming into Ms. Sandy's classroom.
Mona walked out of the classroom when she got into a very empty hallway. Then, the three girls came out of nowhere.
The three girls laughed at her. The first girl said to Mona, "Your outfit is trash! It makes you look really gay!".
The second girl laughed at her and added, "Yeah, your outfit sure wouldn't last a day! Especially considering that it makes you look fake!".
The third girl finally added, "Hah! Hah! Hah! I wouldn't want to go out with you with that garbage outfit that you're wearing, you little girl!".
Mona ran away quickly from an empty hallway. Mona is trying to get out quickly because she's worried that she'll get into trouble with other adults thanks to Ms. Sandy's criticism of the outfit that Mona "chooses" to wear in her school. Mona never thought that kids would make fun of her thanks to that kind of outfit.
When Mona's outside, she started sobbing over her wearing an outfit. For the first time, she experienced kids who liked her outfit and kids who didn't like her outfit. Mona had learned about how preferences from people work.
Mona had to clear the tears from her eyes, doesn't want to let people know that she's hurt by those mean kids and wants her parents to solve those kinds of problems. Mona walked home lowering her look once in a while to avoid eye contact with anyone else.
When Mona got home, her mother asked her, "So Mona, how's your first day of school?".
Mona sobs a little before saying, "Bad.".
Margaret looked shocked and asked, "Wait, why was your first day of school bad?".
Benjamin then comes into the living room immediately and asks, "Hey, what happened Mona?!".
Mona sits on a couch and explains about her first day of school. Mona added, "Well, Ms. Sandy told me that the clothes that I wear to school had brought me the wrong attention and my expression is too much for the students and teachers. I got bullied after school…".
Margaret and Benjamin gasp at that prospect. Margaret then questioned Mona, "Did the student who bullied you were in the same class as you?". Mona shook her head in disagreement. Margaret stated, "Well…it looks like the idea of a teacher making students gang up on you is not the case…the students are probably in a different class or different grade then.".
Benjamin nodded in agreement and they were relieved that she didn't get bullied during school, but after school. Margaret then tells her, "Well, Ms. Sandy may be right about the behavior. Your social behavior that you've shown at home is a bit much. If you keep yourself quiet about little issues, you wouldn't be having that much problem with the teachers and students around you.".
Benjamin thought about it, turned to Mona, and said, "Well Mona…I don't know for sure if behavior is actually the problem here. To me, you have manners and you've shown some politeness towards people. I don't know if the bullies hate that or what, but I do understand when Ms. Sandy said that you're too expressive, it means you've shown too much emotion. I know that you don't have emotional problems with people. It's just that the bullies are an issue and we all know that it's bad news.".
Margaret commented, "While I do agree that the bullies in school are a problem, there's also the problem regarding your outfit Mona. While I do believe that it's a good outfit, it was inappropriate at school. This does attract jealousy from other girls and you'll likely end up getting bullied for attracting the wrong attention that Mona didn't deserve…that might be the case here. Your father must've not known about that after all…".
Benjamin disagreed and reasoned, "Well, the school didn't have any dress code when I read the school policies and signed up for Mona. I also didn't think that her behavior in the school was an issue either until Mona told us about Ms. Sandy's issues with her.".
Margaret criticized, "Well, your free-for-all approach isn't exactly working out for her, Benjamin. You had to let Mona choose her choice of approach until she finds out it's a bad idea. We can't be that kind of parents!".
Benjamin rejected that assumption, firing back, "This approach helps Mona make her choices on what went right and what went wrong Margaret. Mona should not have any issues if everything goes right. It's only an issue if something went wrong so Mona could learn about it in order to understandably correct the problem.".
Benjamin and Margaret are arguing again about the idea of what Mona should be doing and Mona went into her room again to change her clothes and put away the school supplies.
At dinner, they were all eating and when they're nearly done, Benjamin told Mona, "Okay, so we had an argument and I think that from now on, it looks like we need to make sure that the clothes that you're wearing to school are appropriate Mona. It's going to be a little bit more serious than usual so, you'll see what I mean tomorrow.".
Mona nodded in understanding and Margaret also told her, "Mona, when you get bullied, make sure to ask their name so that they won't mess with you again. If you can't, spy on them to learn their names and try to memorize their names. That way, people can understand the problem a lot more easily, hold them accountable if you got the names from any of the bullies, and resolve problems sooner than later.".
Mona understood her parents. Mona thought, "This makes sense to me…I'll write down their names, even if I got it wrong.", and Mona continues to eat her dinner until it's time to go to bed.
The next day, Mona went to school with "appropriate dress code" and her personality of being flamboyant had been toned down. Mona is wearing a tank top that's inside her white collared T-Shirt, a khaki skirt, a white long dress sock, and the same shoes that she wore yesterday.
Mona doesn't have too much makeup on her this time. When she got to the line, Ms. Sandy was happy that Mona had definitely looked tone down. Ms. Sandy commented to her parents, "Now that's how Mona should wear it at school! Thank you for understanding you two!".
Mona's parents nodded in understanding and they waved goodbye to Mona when she's about to head inside the school.
During playtime, her peers were concerned about Mona's behavior and Jimmy T. asked, "Are you okay Mona? You don't seem to be having too much fun…".
Mona said, "Yeah...but it's just that…", and she explained what happened yesterday on how she got bullied after school.
After Mona explained about the bullying, Brad responded with, "Well I wanted to beat the crap out of bullies who bullied Mona. Mona didn't deserve that!". Mona was happy that Brad had suggested beating the bullies out.
Hanna however didn't like the idea, turned to Mona, and said, "Mona, if you can, try to avoid them entirely by going to different hallways and exit. That way, they don't always get to bully you and they'll eventually get tired of it.". Mona isn't completely sure if they're going to get tired of trying to find her, but nodded at that suggestion.
Jimmy T. then proposed to Mona, "Those two ideas could work, but I do have an idea that could not only make an idea work, but it would be effective enough to stop them: We have to shamed those bullies for the entire school so that they don't get bullied by them.". Mona loved the idea while Brad and Hanna agreed that this idea would work out better.
Hanna then asks, "So…if we want to shame them at school, we have to get their names in order make the plans work. Do you remember their names Mona?".
Mona sighs in sadness before responding, "No…I don't even know their names. I didn't ask them yesterday.", and Mona forgot about it until Hanna reminded her that Mona has to learn and remember the bullies name if they want to successfully get them back.
Mona then added, "You're right Hanna, if we want to successfully shame those bullies, we've got to get their names one way or another. I'll remember to do that.", and her friends were proud of Mona for standing up to fight back.
Then, Ms. Sandy intervenes when she overheard about the school bullies. Ms. Sandy asks Mona, "Hey…I've overheard you and your friends talking about dealing with the bullies. Let me put them into their proper place and I'm not allowing you or your friends to deal with them that way. I don't want you, your friends, or anyone else to get in trouble inside of the school.".
Mona felt hopeful that this will resolve the problems that she had and her peers felt the same too. Mona felt relieved and thought, "Well, I'm glad that my days of getting bullied would be considered over soon. I'm also glad that my friends would end up being safe.".
After the school was over, her bullies did appear again and warned Ms. Sandy about them. Ms. Sandy acknowledged, "Okay, but you'll have to come with me just so that I can properly put them in their place so they don't bully you again. That way, they won't think that I'm talking to another student.", and Ms. Sandy walked over to the bullies with Mona following right behind her.
The bullies were approached by Ms. Sandy and she gave some talking points to them about why bullying wasn't acceptable, how other kids will look at them, and how it'll affect not only the reputation of the students who bully others, but the parents who bully others as well.
Ms. Sandy then forces the bullies to apologize to Mona and the bullies "apologizes" to Mona. The teacher made sure they meant it by asking, "Do you girls mean it this time?".
The bullies "reassures affirmatively", and Ms. Sandy is satisfied, asking them, "Okay, good job apologizing to Mona here. Now let me get all your names please…".
The first girl introduced herself as, "Claire.".
The second girl introduced herself as, "Francine.".
The third girl introduced herself as, "5-Volt.".
The teacher then warns them, "Claire. Francine. 5-Volt. If I see you bully Mona one more time, I will talk to the principal and you three will come with me to see him so that the principal can set you straight over the rules that we have in school. Got it?".
The three girls replied in agreement and Ms. Sandy tells Mona, "See Mona, when I handled it, I've made the kids not into bullies anymore. You can all go home now.", and Mona then gets out of school while her bullies were let off scot-free.
When Mona was away from school a few miles later, her bullies started harassing her. Claire yelled, "You tattletale! You're not supposed to tell the teacher about this, you teacher pet!".
Francine exclaimed, "Yeah! You suck! You're the kind of girl that likes to be bitching about it, talking about us behind our backs!".
5-Volt screamed, "You are the worst, you know that?! You are a total snitch, you stupid girl!", and the bullies had started poking at her, causing Mona to run as fast as she could away from those bullies that poked her.
Mona came home crying again and this time, Margaret and Benjamin are not happy. Margaret asks, "They bullied you again huh? Did you tell the teacher?".
Mona explained everything about her terrible school day and her parents weren't too surprised. Benjamin commented, "Well, it looks like this isn't about Mona's behavior or what she just wears anymore. This is just straight up bullying and I don't like those kinds of people. We're gonna have to do something about this, especially that Ms. Sandy wasn't exactly deterring the bullies from bullying Mona again.".
Margaret nodded and added, "Well, if they're bullying you for no good reasons, then I think at this point, it's time to teach you how to put up a fight with those bullies so that you can really hurt them and put them in their place!".
Mona is ecstatic about that idea while Benjamin is stunned to hear Margaret's suggestion. Benjamin immediately shook his head and looking down, giving an indication that there's a strong disagreement.
Margaret justified with, "Well, if Mona got poked, then this might be an escalation pretty soon. We have to let her beat kids who bully other kids up just so that she won't have problems dealing with bad people anymore. I'd rather have her bully other people in a form of self-defense. Besides, from what I've read in our history books, the Gerudos also do that towards not just themselves, but to other people like Kinopios, Nokonokos, Whites, Negros, you name it! They're making sure that no one's getting out of line with society!".
Benjamin disagreed with this approach, citing, "Listen, I don't like the idea of Mona having to physically fight back against those bullies. That would only prove that Mona is no better than her bullies. Mona will end up being the bully to other kids and that's not a good thing. Listen, there's got to be a better way to deal with bullying than just fighting back at those people alone Margaret! I'll argue about the alternatives until one of us stops talking and starts listening!".
Mona's parents have caused themselves to have a full blown argument on whether or not Mona should really need to physically fight back against those bullies. It's clear that Mona's opinion on whether or not she fights back doesn't matter to her parents that much.
Mona thought to herself, "Well, I don't want to fight. I'm scared of getting into trouble…but do I have a choice if I have to fight those bullies? Yeah, those bullies, Claire, 5-Volt, and…oh no! What was the third girl's name again?", and as a result of that argument, Mona wasn't able to tell them about their names because of her parent's constant argument to the point of forgetting one of their bullies names. Mona then went into her room.
A few moments later, Margaret angrily advocated, "Mona needs self-defense Benjamin! I've grown up at a time where femininity in the Mushroom Kingdom is about being tough towards one another rather than being soft and approachable like in their current times.".
Benjamin then questioned, "But those olds days were not always good Margaret! Those values at the time when the Mushroom Kingdom isn't as sophisticated as the ones that we're living in now! You can't just violently beat people up just because you felt like it, even back then!".
Margaret responded with, "When I was young, I learned that in the history of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Gerudos would have an overwhelming cultural influence on how women should behave in the way that maintains not only their autonomy, but also other influences that could weaken the possibilities of being able to fight. There's a chance that their population could be at a stake someday and I want Mona to be prepared to fight for her life!".
Benjamin however argued, "Look, I'm not disrespecting women who learn about their history on how they operate back then, it's just that Mona got bullied and I don't believe in complete violence. I would prefer if Mona had spread mean rumors about these bullies as that would lessen the likelihood of Mona getting into actual trouble if she doesn't get caught, Margaret. If Mona spread the right kind of words, the adults would intervene and stop the bullies.".
Benjamin explained, "Margaret, I was raised in a time where I worked as a newspaper boy in the form of a part-time job. Any news that addresses controversial issues would be the editors fault, not the newspaper boys who delivered it, thus causing people to spread rumors. I say violence isn't an effective answer as she is spreading rumors to other people in town Margaret. This will get attention that needs to hear something important that could affect them.".
The parents were arguing for a while and Benjamin won that argument. Benjamin argues, "While fighting would be a worthy idea Margaret, it's supposed to be the last resort when everything that Mona tried isn't working. Instead, a very bad rumor about them would make adults be more concerned about them in a good way.".
Margaret sighs at her defeat and comments, "Fine, while I don't expect to have an effect at first, I'm guessing Mona's bullies would start to worry about what other adults might think of them. If that's successful, their parents could also be affected to an extent. It would hurt them in their minds, not their bodies, and no one would know why they are hurting themselves. This isn't a sure fire plan though Benjamin…".
Regardless of Margaret's statement, Benjamin thinks the plan will work out fine. They've guessed that Mona's in her room, understandably feeling kinda scared that they've argued a lot recently. Their marriage is quite shaky at best.
When they enter Mona's room, they approach Mona about the plan. They talked about how spreading rumors would be a good idea as that'll harm not only the reputation of the bullies, but to their parents as well as a bonus.
Mona thought, "Hmm…my friends told me to do that, but I guess I thought Ms. Sandy could stop them. It sure didn't stop the bullies from bullying me. Looks like it's time for me to spread some words…". Mona agrees on what she would do about the bullies. They all went to bed that day.
Will Mona be able to do a payback towards her bullies? How will her friends and her teacher react! Could she get herself out of trouble when the time comes? Find out next time on Mona's Old School Days!
Thanks for reading this chapter!
