Crushing On You

Chapter 8

"Yes Jes-Jes we understand that you stood up for your friend and we're happy that you did but what made you believe that acting violently was the way to go?" Asked Mrs. Thirlwall after dinner. She and her husband were seated at the table in front of Jesy. Jade had been sent to her room so they could discuss this.

Jesy had started crying earlier so now her face was wet with tears and some mucus from her nose. She did not like disappointing her parents at all. "I don't know Mummy. It just happened. I didn't think and then I got really mean." She said while hiccupping and wiping her face.

Mr. Thirlwall looked sadly upon her. This was especially concerning to him and his wife because Jesy had literally never laid a hand on another person in a rough way before. She was the type of child who liked to play games with people and to make jokes. If people got mean she usually got sad not angry. They knew their little girl well. He and his wife just could not wrap their heads around this sort of behaviour. The violence was concerning. "Did you think of what we said to do if you ever got angry at another person?"

Jesy sniffed. "I didn't think at all."

"We always teach you to think first Jesy." Mr. Thirlwall told sounding sad for her. "Tell us exactly what went through your mind."

"Yes dear, please do so." The mother was also becoming sad for their child. It hurts to have to speak so seriously to her. They could never shout at their kids. Both girls were sensitive but Jesy took it to a whole other level. Plus, neither of them require shouts. It was just sad that even when they talked gently, it still made Jesy cry. Some children are more sensitive than others. Jade never cried over their chats.

Jesy sniffed and sobbed, her shoulders jerking. By now one of her parents would have come to hug her. It concerned her that neither of them were doing that. I was bad. "I was thinking that I wanted Leigh-Anne to enjoy how nice her hair was with me so I could have a picture and so she could smile and that those children were ruining everything but especially that girl. It hurt my chest and I just needed to release everything and to just have what I wanted. The only thing that made sense was to hit her for hurting my friend and for ruining Leigh's day. I don't know."

The mother and father glanced at each other.

Jesy kept whimpering. "You-you can ground me. I deserve it. I don't know. People have been mean in the past but today I got more mad than sad. Maybe because it was my friend and not me?" Before they moved here she had been bullied. Both she and Jade had experienced it and it had made them slightly more reserved. Bullying was part of the reason they moved here . . .

"Jesy come here." Her father pushed his chair back and opened his arms.

Jesy got up and ran to him. She hugged him tight and cried. "I won't do it ever again. I just won't. I won't okay? I just lost myself today." She was rambling now.

Mr. Thirlwall pulled her onto his lap and hugged her there. "We're sure that you won't." He kissed her on the cheek.

Her mum was now moving some of Jesy's hair out of the girl's face. "Yes we know that you're a good girl. People make mistakes all the time. Just know to apologize to that girl and to your class when you get to school tomorrow alright?"

Jesy's heart ached at the thought of apologizing. It was like fire erupted around it and made her mad. "But Mum that girl was bad."

"Well you were being bad too Jesy." Mrs. Thirlwall said. "You did her wrong."

The father agreed. "Apologizing to her might make her feel better and maybe she might apologize to your little friend. Who knows? She might have been mean to Leigh-Anne because she was having a bad day." He suggested.