45 Days to Save the Bad Boy

Eleven

The funny thing is though, that no one seems to care about Dallas’ secret except Dallas.  He’s been hiding in the backs of classrooms all day, not looking anyone in the eye.  Sure, there are rumors, but no one is being mean to him.  In fact, some of the girls are being nicer to him, and a couple of guys have given him those fist-bump-head-nod-things that guys do.

I took a bite of my sandwich, then spit it out.  “Eww,” I exclaimed, pulling off the top slice of bread.  Inside was a thin layer of sand and a note.

You are a horrible person.  That was Dallas’ secret.  I hate you so much, freak.

I didn’t recognize the handwriting, and I knew it wasn’t one of my old bullies.  Basically everyone except Harry was ignoring me anyway.  But Harry wasn’t subtle violence, with words and actions that could almost be mistaken as a joke.  His methods were right to the point. I think he was suspended anyway, for fighting some kid behind the gym building.  Looking around the cafeteria, I tried to think of someone who would’ve been able to put sand in my lunch without me noticing.  

Briefly, my eyes flitted across my table of almost-friends.  Everyone’s backs were turned away from me.  As I turned me eyes away, I noticed Hayley looking at me with a sad sort of smile on her face.  Just as the bell rang, I noticed a group of girls hanging around not far from my table, staring at me.  I offered them a weak smile, and they glared at me.  My smile dropped.  Thankfully, Mr. Toms was my next class.  He always made me feel better.

Unfortunately, after Mr. Toms class, I got a note telling me I was expected in the principal’s office.  After denying that I had vandalized the back wall of the cafeteria, the ceiling of one of the men’s bathrooms, and the back staircase all in the time I was sitting in Mr. Toms class, I stopped at my locker.  The janitor had informed me that the lock was fixed.  

Excitedly I spun the code and yanked open the door, glad that something was going right today.  My good mood plummeted as hundreds of notes fell out.  I picked up a handful and read them.

You’re ugly.  LOSER!  I h8 U Jeanie.  Why would Dallas ever be friends with someone like you?   Your a loser, ugly face.  

The grammar was bad and several of them had the wrong name, but the message was received.  Everyone in the school thinks I’m an ugly loser with no friends.  Maybe they’re right.  I’m not pretty, I don’t have friends.  I screwed up big time.  I’m a jerk to everyone around me.  I ruin everything I touch.  Heck, I can’t even make cookies.  

George 2, I’m pathetic.  This whole time, my whole high-school experience, I’ve been practically invisible.  Ignored.  I hated it.  Loathed them.  I stood in front of them and they walked right past me.  Did you know, every day for a year, I stood in front of the school and smiled at all of them as they walked through the doors.  This was my freshman year of high school, I was trying to make friends.  I wasn’t even bullied then.  But you know what?  No one smiled back.  Not once.  In fact, no one in my high school experience has ever returned one of my smiles except Mr. Toms.  Not even Dallas, but then again, he always smiled first.  That was a nice change.  When someone smiles at you, your heart warms up and it’s like everything inside you is smiling.  But I went three years at this school without feeling that.  

I’m seventeen years old George 2.  For 13 years, everything was good.  Sometimes I was teased because I didn’t have a dad, but I had friends.  Then high school came along.  Somehow, in that summer between 8th and 9th grade, my friends stopped talking to me.  Everyone stopped talking to me, and I became invisible.  I tried you know.  To keep up with my old friends.  But what are you supposed to do when you try to join a conversation and they stop talking and walk away without sparing you a glance?

In my freshman year, I tried smiles and joining conversations.  Sophomore year I went with cookies, bringing some with me to lunch every day.  Especially the first day when I was going to share them with my friends at lunch.  They took the cookies, but I got pushed away to the table by the trashcans.  My table.  Junior year I ignored everyone except Mr. Toms and my bullies.  I created Georgie that year.  Georgia cried herself to sleep when people at school ignored her.  Georgie was happy-go-lucky and didn’t care what other people thought.  And this year, my last year.  This is supposed to be your best year, the year you make memories that last forever.  But the last two weeks haven’t given me anything to hope for in the coming months.  

Just one smile.  That’s all I wanted.  Just one.  A smile can make a huge difference.

“Say what you wanna say, and let the words fall out.  Honestly, I wanna see you be brave,” I sang weakly as I walked home from school.  Today had been brutal.  Not to mention I still wasn’t exactly sure why Breton was avoiding me.  I hadn’t seen him at all today, but his group was studiously not looking in my direction whenever we crossed paths.

“Georgie, wait up!” someone called from behind me.  My dreary steps slowed as I tried to identify the voice.  “Hey watch out!” they called.  Something hard hit my face, then egg yolk slid down my cheek.  I watched through blurry eyes as a car full of laughing cheerleaders drove off.

“That was for Dallas!” one yelled as they turned the corner and vanished from sight.

“Georgie are you okay?” the man behind me said.  Ignoring them, I started walking again.

“I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry,” I chanted softly with every step.  It had been years since I cried because of bullies.  I was used to this sort of thing.  “I will not cry.”  Someone put their hand on my shoulder and turned me around.  I couldn’t see anything anymore, my vision a blur of tears begging to be shed.  “I will not cry,” I said a little louder, to the area in general.

“It’s okay to cry Georgie.  It’s okay.”  They began stroking my back softly, and I gave up.

“I will not cry,” I sobbed into the hard chest in front of me.  “I won’t.  They don’t deserve my tears.”  I clenched their soft shirt in my hands and cried and cried.  I cried my heart out on the sidewalk, clutching his shirt and burying my face in the soft fabric, and Peter Joel stood and let me.

A smile is the curve that sets the world straight  ~ Unknown

~Please read the author's note~

Well this chapter has kind of a different mood than I'm used to writing.  But the whole point of Georgie's bullies was to show that thing like that actually do happen.  People get bullied in real life.  But I didn't make Georgie's bullies too mean.  Until this chapter.  But that's the thing.  They're bad in this chapter, but she had other bullies before.  She was being bullied in earlier chapters and the only comment I got on that was "Georgie's bullies are weird."  

Her bullies, the earlier ones, they weren't weird.  Maybe that wasn't typical movie/book bully behavior, but it could still happen, and it's still bullying.  Even the littlest things can slowly damage someone's soul.  Georgie waited a year for a smile she didn't get, and then for the next two years she was bullied.  And this whole time she held it in, didn't complain.  But then you look back up at the end of the chapter.  And she's still upset over the smiles.

Sometimes, a smile can literally make someone's day.  I guess, while trying to tackle the issue of bullying, this is the smaller point I'm making.  Spread a little happiness, smile at a stranger.  It never hurts to smile at someone.

Maybe you know someone who is bullied, maybe you don't.  Maybe you are bullied.  Remember there are people who care about you.  And it's okay to tell them what's happening.  Everyone needs a little help, or a shoulder to cry on.  I love you all.

~Kayla