The Start of a New Friendship

 

         New student, shy, petite, and fragile, wearing her favorite hair ribbons and tremendously colorful ensemble.

          When she walks into the classroom all the hustle and bustle stops as her new fellow classmates watch her sit down at the first desk she lays her eyes on.

          Her body trembles as mostly words are thrown at her. “Look at those braids”. “My, my ribbons in her hair – how childish!” “What a weakling”.  “Bet you a bone can snap just with a hug”. She freezes in her seat as these comments reach her ears. She wishes she were invisible or at least that the teacher would appear to make them stop.

          To her luck, the one in charge is out sick, so they are waiting for the substitute teacher to arrive. The new girl tries to keep tears from rolling down her cheeks as the awful words turn into animal sounds.

          Suddenly the head of the class – the big bully- gets up and starts walking in the newbie´s direction. Tall, strong, wearing a blue top and blue and white striped pants. Nothing can knock her down until the class bursts out in a roar of laughter.

          The bully´s pants has become the American flag with a gigantic blotch of red.

          Losing her cool is not an option, neither is running. When the new girl sees what is happening, she courageously gets up, stands behind the bully covering her pants and whispers “keep on walking, I´ve got your back,” as they head towards the nearest restroom.

Written: June 1, 2022

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