Page 6 of Perfect Tragedy
“You’re not so tough when your brother and Blake aren’t here, are you?” Justin Sanchez, the class bully, says with a cruel laugh. It only gets louder when I look the other way in an effort to ignore him. “Go on, say it. I dare you. Tell me again what you said to me yesterday when I told you that your hair is so gross that you were getting flakes of dandruff all over my desk.”
I wish he’d go away and leave me alone. They always say to ignore bullies, that not giving them the attention they want will make them lose interest.
They’re wrong. It gets worse.
Justin sits behind me in history class. The whole hour yesterday he kept flicking my ponytail with his finger or pencil. I knew he was just trying to get a reaction, so I tried my best not to give him one. My focus remained on my teacher and I copied notes from Mr. Callahan’s teachings from the board into my notebook, but he became incredibly distracting. Algebra isn’t my best subject either, so I require all the concentrating and notes possible to help me keep the B I have in that subject.
When Justin wasn’t getting a reaction from me by flicking my hair, he started pulling it instead. When that went ignored, he began pinching and poking my exposed neck. Finally, having taken enough abuse, I turned around, gave him a stern look and said, “Leave me alone.”
That went over about as well as expected. I actually flinched when he laughed. He continued to torment me adding that he was only doing it because my hair was “gross and flakey and snowing all over his desk.”
He was lying just to be jerky. Besides, I havegreathair.
After a particularly hard pull where I could feel hair snap out of my scalp, I loudly told him, “Stop it, now! That hurt!”
Drawing our teacher’s attention, he scolded both of us initially. It continued to happen and we called each other names under our breath, until he pulled hard enough to make me yelp. There was more than a few strands of hair that time. Mr. Callahan busted him, gave him detention, and kicked him out for the rest of class. I was relieved.
But, today is a new day.
Turning to him, I glare, “What’s got you acting like a spoiled child again today, Justin? The fact you got detention yesterday, or are mommy and daddy fighting because daddy’s drinking too much again? Either way, get over it.”
I shouldn’t have said it. I knew I shouldn’t have. It’s not nice to comment on the rumors that run through our small town. My mom would be so disappointed in me, but I can’t take it back now. The rumors about Justin’s family are infamous.
Seeing his eyes widen in disbelief, I turn back around and do my best to ignore him the rest of class. A feeling of guilt settles in my chest and I know what my mom says is right, kindness goes further than cruelty, but I had trouble finding that kindness within me today. Besides, that great advice from my mom usually comes after Jack and I get into a fight, so does it even really count with someone like Justin?
I decide, no.
It’s no surprise that Justin doesn’t get over it - not at all. Instead, he continues to harass me all day. It seems wherever I turn, he’s there. At lunch, he makes a point of walking by me and sniffing loudly, yelling out, “Eww, why do you smell so bad, Sienna?”
This draws nervous laughs from the super mature classmates around me which only spurs him on further.
As if that’s not enough, my ultimate nemesis, Hailey Spellman laughs at Justin’s antics like he’s the funniest and smartest boy in the whole school. I see right through her and narrow my eyes. Well, at least I see through her now. At one time she had me completely fooled thinking she was actually my friend. We hung out and she even came over to my house a few times. I was a little annoyed when she came over because she wanted to hang out with me, Jack and Blake and not just me. The reason not dawning on me initially.
Until, one day I was in the bathroom stall at school when Hailey walked in with her friends Stephanie and Rebecca. None of them checked to make sure they were alone before Hailey began speaking about how she’s excited to hang out at my house that weekend. Stupidly, I smile to myself, also looking forward to hanging out with her and feeling kind of cool because she was talking about it with her friends. The plan was for her to stay the night too - not just come over for a few hours, and I was really excited. I’d never tell her, but it was going to be my first slumber party. I had a whole agenda planned out that included movies, popcorn, pizza, and manicures. I even had our movie selection picked out and planned on asking her which one she wanted to watch beforehand. Thinking I’d walk out and do just that, Stephanie’s words stopped me.
“How are you going to stand it?
My brow furrowed in confusion, my fingers paused from turning the lock on the door to step out.
“Like I do every time, duh,” Hailey responded. “I smile at her, and toss some attention her way like she’s a good little puppy craving attention. It’s called acting, Stephanie. I should get an Academy Award.”
Stephanie and Rebecca laughed.
“It works every time,” Hailey continued to brag.
“You’re so evil,” Rebecca said.
“Whatever. I’ll do anything I have to do. Blake will be my boyfriend. You wait and see.”
Clarity removed the rose-colored glasses I was wearing. My excitement for our slumber party scattered like ashes in the wind. It’s hard for me to understand how someone could be so cruel. Unshed tears burned my eyes and clogged my throat, but I did my best to swallow them down. Pushing my shoulders back, I flushed the toilet again even though I already had before they walked in. The sound was like thunder clapping in the bathroom, the lock sounded loudly as it turned and I walked out of the stall glaring at all of them on my way to the sink. While I washed my hands, I took great satisfaction in the shocked look on her face. I didn’t say a word, there was no reason to.
Needless to say, she never came over that weekend, or any other. Ever since, there’s been a seething hatred between us - not that she has any reason to feel that way toward me. I never even told Jack or Blake about it. What was the point? They don’t give her the time of day anyway.
Now, Justin and Hailey have appeared to bond in their mutual dislike for me. I do my best to ignore them, gather my lunch and leave. Tears fill my eyes and I hate it. I’m ashamed I’ve let them bother me. I’m tired of the moments I’ve spent wiping away a stray tear in secret because of them individually - them picking on me together is bound to be worse.
I don’t expect them to get up and follow me out of the lunch room. They walk behind me as I head toward our next class, and poke fun at me.
“Could she act any more like a boy? Hanging out with Jack and Blake - it’s like she thinks she is one,” Hailey says with a laugh.
