FlashFiction Dumpground

It's a small world (true story)

I sat in a plastic seat and watched pedestrians zip by, glad that I took the bus. I didn't leave the comforts of my small town often and forgot how large the city was.

Most commuters got off at the next stop. As the crowd parted, a young woman stayed behind, holding the metal bar with one hand and a cell phone with the other. I hadn't seen her in over a decade but recognized her immediately. It wasn't a face I would easily forget.

Martha Carrollton.

Or as we, her victims, called her - Carrot-Rot.

My breathing picked up as childhood memories flashed back: the shame, the hurt and humiliation my oversensitive young self had to endure at her hand. She was my nightmare.

The girls in my middle school were separated into two groups: the Rich Girls and everyone else. The ringleader of the Rich Girls was a tall, pretty, and smart Marlena. Martha was her loyal sidekick. Most of the time, they were simply snobby, but Carrot-Rot liked to rub it in. Sporting cheap knockoffs or nameless garb landed you a condescending look or a chuckle of pity, but I was a special case. I wore cheap, nameless knockoff hand-me-downs worn out by two of my older brothers.

My clothes didn't bother me. I accepted the boyish look and insisted that I didn't like dresses anyway, but my "style" bothered the Rich Girls who were offended that I would dare show up to school like that. It got even worse when I had to start wearing glasses and got acne. I was an easy target.

Now, Carrot-Rot stood there, completely unaware of the hatred that pulsed through my veins. I wanted to stand up for the young me, the sensitive girl who just wanted to be accepted the way she was. I imagined marching up to tell her off.

"Do you recognize me? Do you remember how you bullied me? I hope you're ashamed of yourself."

But I didn't get up from my seat.

The thing about small towns is that eventually, all secrets come out. I heard that Martha's parents were abusive drunks that gave her everything she wanted so they wouldn't have to deal with her. I heard that Marlena never liked her and claimed that she hung out with her only because Martha always had pocket money to spend on both of them.

And I wondered, did Martha ever have a real friend? She didn't have good grades. Did she finish high school? I thought of my large group of friends and my loving family. I became a confident, successful woman. In the end, I turned out well. Did she?

Knowing my stop was approaching, I stood next to her on my way to the door. She didn't even glance at me but continued scrolling through Facebook on her phone.

"Hi, Martha. Small world!" I said and stepped out of the bus.

~~~

A/N: Written for Aim to Engage 2019 for LY.

Yes, Martha is real (though her name is modified) and I ran into her on the bus one time. I'm happy that seeing her face did not affect me how it would have back in the school days. Time helps forget. Did I forgive her? I'm not sure if she deserves forgiveness, but I also don't hate or fear her anymore. I mostly feel pity for her.

To everyone that has ever been bullied (or still is) - it does get better. Stay true to yourself and don't let the bully dull your spark.