Looking up at her mother Sally cried “Mom, the entire class wants to boycott me from entering school. They have been saying such awful things about me throughout the year. I have just received mails in my account from every single student in class saying the worst possible things possible. Why are they doing this to me Ma? I stay out of their way but still…. Am I so ugly that nobody wants to be my friend?”
Hugging her daughter Trish kept consoling her. But Sally was a mess. She was shaking and the tears just kept rolling down. Holding on tightly to her mother she kept repeating “Why mom?”
“Sally, sweetheart there is nothing wrong with you at all. But in life we come across people who enjoy picking on someone. They bully people because of a chip on their shoulders. I will come over to school tomorrow …”
“No Mom. Please no. They will make my life even worse than it is. Please don’t. Promise me you won’t.”
“Hush honey. Come let us go down for dinner and catch a good night’s rest. We can decide what to do tomorrow. Ok kiddo?”
Dinner was pizza and coke. Something that Trish called for and stashed away the meal she made in the fridge. She wanted to get her daughter out of the doldrums and open out to her. They discussed the wily ways of the girls and their attitude. After a nice meal they turned in only to be woken up to the phone ringing at three in the morning with a gruff voice ordering them to open the door.
“Who is this?”
“Just do it. Now!”
Scared, both mother and daughter crept downstairs towards the front door. They grabbed anything they could lay their hands on, a brush and a kitchen knife. The person was hammering like crazy. Looking through the peephole, Sally opened the door to her father who was laughing and a tad tipsy.
“Honey I missed you both so much. Couldn’t wait any longer and caught the last flight out. Look who tagged along.”
“Colin! Stevie! Why you scared us! You rascals!” exclaimed Trisha happily hugging and kissing her husband and son. They hadn’t seen each other for nearly a year because of their work schedule. They enjoyed the family time together after such a long time. When Trish called out for them to go to sleep both Sally and Steven kissed their parents goodnight and went off to their respective rooms.
Trish filled Colin in on the happenings at Sally’s school but warned him not to ask her too many questions.
“She’s being brave honey. She wants to deal with it in her own way. But if it gets too much to handle we are going over to the Principal’s office.”
They woke up the next morning really late into the day. Trish got some time off from work and Sally school. They had the pot roast that Trish made the previous evening and friends over the next day. None of them wanted the week to end but it did and flew by so fast. Before they knew it they had to get back to school and work. Sally dreaded going back to her hellhole. When she walked into school she was greeted to a round of boos along the way. But instead of retorting or feeling beaten she ignored them. At the end of the day she stood in front of the classroom and said
“You can boo me all you want, I don’t care. You may think that you are better than me. But no one is better than another. I read the nasty mails you sent too. Do not for a moment think that I did not come to school because I was chicken. I didn’t come because my brother and dad are home after such a long hiatus. And uh...by the way, I suppose you know my brother the popular soap and rock star – Steven…”
Before she could go on, the entire class was all over her.
“You mean Steven the star of…”
“Steven’s Sally’s brother? O Sally why didn’t you say anything?”
“O Sally why didn’t you tell us. We would have ….”
“So that got to you eh?” she asked. “You love me now don’t you?” she thundered.
“Sal we are so sorry for all the crap we have been doling out,” chorused the entire
classroom.
“Please introduce us to him. He is sooo cute.”
But Sally walked away. She turned back and said sadly
“I was the same girl yesterday too you know. Just because Steve’s my brother doesn’t make me different!”
The entire class debated the issue over and over again but no one took responsibility for their actions. It never dawned on them that we were being shallow. All they felt was remorse for not checking out Sally’s family history. If only they knew her brother was Steven Perr. If only.
Sally ran across to her new bike her heart beating profusely and rode on home. She was free and it was all thanks to her big brother. He gave her the idea over the weekend and she was glad she followed his advice. She was fine on her lonesome at school - the people in her class were not friends anyway. They were just classmates - people she studied with. She had friends in her neighborhood, anyway and her best buddy of all - her big brother Steven.
Hugging her daughter Trish kept consoling her. But Sally was a mess. She was shaking and the tears just kept rolling down. Holding on tightly to her mother she kept repeating “Why mom?”
“Sally, sweetheart there is nothing wrong with you at all. But in life we come across people who enjoy picking on someone. They bully people because of a chip on their shoulders. I will come over to school tomorrow …”
“No Mom. Please no. They will make my life even worse than it is. Please don’t. Promise me you won’t.”
“Hush honey. Come let us go down for dinner and catch a good night’s rest. We can decide what to do tomorrow. Ok kiddo?”
Dinner was pizza and coke. Something that Trish called for and stashed away the meal she made in the fridge. She wanted to get her daughter out of the doldrums and open out to her. They discussed the wily ways of the girls and their attitude. After a nice meal they turned in only to be woken up to the phone ringing at three in the morning with a gruff voice ordering them to open the door.
“Who is this?”
“Just do it. Now!”
Scared, both mother and daughter crept downstairs towards the front door. They grabbed anything they could lay their hands on, a brush and a kitchen knife. The person was hammering like crazy. Looking through the peephole, Sally opened the door to her father who was laughing and a tad tipsy.
“Honey I missed you both so much. Couldn’t wait any longer and caught the last flight out. Look who tagged along.”
“Colin! Stevie! Why you scared us! You rascals!” exclaimed Trisha happily hugging and kissing her husband and son. They hadn’t seen each other for nearly a year because of their work schedule. They enjoyed the family time together after such a long time. When Trish called out for them to go to sleep both Sally and Steven kissed their parents goodnight and went off to their respective rooms.
Trish filled Colin in on the happenings at Sally’s school but warned him not to ask her too many questions.
“She’s being brave honey. She wants to deal with it in her own way. But if it gets too much to handle we are going over to the Principal’s office.”
They woke up the next morning really late into the day. Trish got some time off from work and Sally school. They had the pot roast that Trish made the previous evening and friends over the next day. None of them wanted the week to end but it did and flew by so fast. Before they knew it they had to get back to school and work. Sally dreaded going back to her hellhole. When she walked into school she was greeted to a round of boos along the way. But instead of retorting or feeling beaten she ignored them. At the end of the day she stood in front of the classroom and said
“You can boo me all you want, I don’t care. You may think that you are better than me. But no one is better than another. I read the nasty mails you sent too. Do not for a moment think that I did not come to school because I was chicken. I didn’t come because my brother and dad are home after such a long hiatus. And uh...by the way, I suppose you know my brother the popular soap and rock star – Steven…”
Before she could go on, the entire class was all over her.
“You mean Steven the star of…”
“Steven’s Sally’s brother? O Sally why didn’t you say anything?”
“O Sally why didn’t you tell us. We would have ….”
“So that got to you eh?” she asked. “You love me now don’t you?” she thundered.
“Sal we are so sorry for all the crap we have been doling out,” chorused the entire
classroom.
“Please introduce us to him. He is sooo cute.”
But Sally walked away. She turned back and said sadly
“I was the same girl yesterday too you know. Just because Steve’s my brother doesn’t make me different!”
The entire class debated the issue over and over again but no one took responsibility for their actions. It never dawned on them that we were being shallow. All they felt was remorse for not checking out Sally’s family history. If only they knew her brother was Steven Perr. If only.
Sally ran across to her new bike her heart beating profusely and rode on home. She was free and it was all thanks to her big brother. He gave her the idea over the weekend and she was glad she followed his advice. She was fine on her lonesome at school - the people in her class were not friends anyway. They were just classmates - people she studied with. She had friends in her neighborhood, anyway and her best buddy of all - her big brother Steven.
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