I have heard many schoolmates talk about their bad experiences with
school bullies before. I had my own experience with a particularly nasty one in primary four. I had just transferred over
from another school as my father had just been promoted and his company attached him to one of their branch offices.
As it was already in the middle of the year, most of my classmates had
their own friends and I spent most of my time alone during school time. But what I didn't expect was that I will become one
of the targets of the school bully...
"DID YOU GUYS DO THIS?" I shouted at Alan Lum and his gang of the class
next door.
It was dismissal time and like most of my classmates, I cycled to school.
On that very day however, when I went as usual to the bicycle parking lot, I found my bicycle in the middle of a mass of other
bicycles.
"Ha ha ha! If you say so..." said Alan. "Looks like someone will be
walking home today..."
"And you're still the same old lamebrain, Alan!" said a voice.
I turned and saw a girl from my class; Chin Xiaoli. Three other students;
her best friends stood behind her.
"My bike is in the middle of that mess, chum!" said Xiaoli.
"So deal with it!" said Alan. "Let's go, fellas!"
"You've just met Alan and his friends," said Julia Yen, pulling her
bicycle out of the mess.
"I could have done without it..." I muttered, struggling to pull my
bicycle out.
"Here, I'll do it," said Shen Riyang, pulling my bicycle out. "You're
new, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I just transferred here last week," I said, getting on my bicycle.
"I'm Ling Xiaoyan..."
"Anyway..." said Yu Sijie, looking at Ronald Chen. "I would be careful
if I were you. Alan and his gang are well-known bullies."
"B-bullies?"
"Yeah..." said Sijie, getting on her bicycle. "Come on guys, let's go..."
"This beats everything!" I muttered to myself late one morning,
being sent out of class (AVA threatre). "Kicked out of class because I studied too much!"
"These days, answering questions has become a crime! I can't
help it if I raise my hand before the others! This arm just shoots up all by itself! It's got a mind of
its own! Maybe I should see a doctor and..."
I stopped dead in my tracks as I peeped around the wall to see
Alan looking here and there suspiciously around the lockers area. The school supplied lockers for students who asked for it
and I watched as I saw Alan insert a hairpin into the lock on a locker and placed a watch inside it. He then banged
it shut. I crept up to the locker that Alan opened and saw a sticker on it. A word was written across it: "Ronald Chen."
In afternoon assembly that day, the principal, Mrs Tan had a look on
her face which was as black as thunder.
"Something very serious has happened today," said Mrs Tan. "Someone
has truly disappointed me. Someone has stolden a watch from your classmate, Jake. Nothing like this has ever happened before
in this school. I would like to hope that the person responsible for this theft will own up and see to it that the watch is
given back to its rightful owner!"
After dismissal that day, we were told by the primary six prefects to
gather in the lockers area.
"Why?" asked Xiaoli.
"No one owned up to the theft so they're performing a search on the
lockers first..." said Julia and gave a sigh. "I hate to say this, but I got a feeling that this has something to do with
Alan..."
The students owning the lockers opened their lockers one by one and
there's a gasp as Ron opened his locker and a watch fell out.
"That's my watch!" said Jake.
"Ronald!" said Mrs Tan in a dangerous voice.
"W-wait a minute!" said Ron.
"RON!"
"Hold on! I didn't do it!" protested Ron.
"Oh, Ron..." drawled Alan triumpantly.
"Come to my office, Ronald!" said Mrs Tan, turning around and heading
in the direction of her office. "Now!"
There was a moment's silence before the crowd dispersed and I spotted
Xiaoli and her friends standing around.
"And now what do I do?" I thought to myself.
I tossed and turned in bed later that night, unable to get to sleep,
wondering if I should turn Alan in...
The next day, after school dismissal, I went straight to the school's
cafeteria and found Xiaoli and her friends.
"Xiaoli, can I have a minute?" I asked.
Xiaoli and Riyang looked at one another and nodded. Ron was not with
them.
"Take a seat," said Riyang, pointing an empty seat in front of him.
"What's up?"
"I really wanted to tell you everything at school yesterday," I said.
"But... well, I was scared!"
The three of them looked at one another and back at me.
"Ron had nothing to do with the theft yesterday! It was Alan who
stole Jake's watch! I saw him!"
'WHAT?"
'But..." stammered Julia. "Why didn't you say so right away?"
"And put myself up against Alan and his gang?" I said. "No, thank you!
Those guys don't kid around, but I can't let an innocent person take the blame either! What should I do?"
"What do you think?" asked Riyang. 'Tomorrow morning, you go straight
to Mrs Tan and tell her everything!"
"Yeah, right!" I said. "And then, what'll happen to me?"
"What are you talking about?" said Julia. "We'll see to it that nothing
happens to you!"
"If I talk, what I'm going to need is a doctor!" I said, flopping down
on the table. "When Alan and his gang are done with me, my face will look like pepperoni pizza!"
"Don't worry!" said Xiaoli, winking at me. "Trust us!"
"...that's all, Mrs Tan!" I said, sitting in front of her in her office.
"Hmm, I see!" said Mrs Tan. "You're a fine person, Xiaoyan, and I can
imagine how difficult it must have been for you to tell me all of this..."
"I wanted you to hear this as well, Ronald!" said Mrs Tan, turning
to him who was seated on a couch near the window and just for a brief moment, I thought I saw Riyang and Xiaoli's faces at
the window. "I think you've found a new friend!"
"Thanks, Xiaoyan!" said Ron.
"Is there anything you'd like to add, Alan?" Mrs Tan turned to Alan
who was standing in a corner.
"It... it was only a joke, Mrs Tan!" said Alan. "It... it was just for
a laugh!"
"Well... I hope that you're enjoyed yourself, because your little prank
is going to cost you five days of suspension!"
"WHAT?"
Mrs Tan escorted us out of her office. "Later on, I'll make an announcement
to explain to everyone what had happened! One last thing, Alan... This whole thing ends here! If anything happens
to Xiaoyan... and you know what I mean... I will be extremely angry!"
"No problem, Mrs Tan!" said Alan. "I promise!"
The minute Mrs Tan shut her door, Alan turned on me. "So get ready
to say bye-bye, because you are definitely s goner! See you outside after school, you worm!"
"Everything okay, Xiaoyan?" asked Ron after he walked out of Mrs Tan's
office.
"Oh, s-sure..." I stammered, my knees knocking together.
"RON!" Riyang, Xiaoli and Julia came into the passageway
which led to Mrs Tan's office just then.
"...things couldn't get any better!"
"I'm so happy the whole thing is over!" said Julia.
"For me, it's all over, yeah. But Xiaoyan's in a heap of trouble!" said
Ron. "Alan must have threatened her!"
"Xiaoyan! Don't worry about that creep..." said Xiaoli.
"Don't worry about it..." I said. "I thought about it for ages
and I'm sure I did the right thing!"
After school that day, I walked out of the school gate with shaking
legs. My bicycle has broken down the day before and I have sent it for repairs.
"See you!"
"Bye!"
"So long, Xiaoyan!"
"See you around, Ida!" I waved.
I practically staggered as I walked through the park home. It was mid-afternoon
then and nobody is around.
"Hello Xiaoyan!" said a voice and I stopped and turned to see Alan leaning
against a tree. "If it's me you're looking for, here I am!"
"A-Alan!"
"I gave you my word, and I'm not one to break my promises! Right, Joseph?"
"Uh-huh!" said Joseph. "You even wrote it down in your planner, Alan.
'From 1:00 to 1:30, beat up Xiaoyan.'"
"Gosh, it's already twenty past!" said Alan. "If you want, we can reschedule
another day!"
"No gentleman ever hits a girl!" I said.
"No?" said Alan. "Then I'll be the first one who do it! After all, I
have lots of free time now that I'm suspended!"
'But it's not my fault! I couldn't pretend that nothing's happened and
let Ron get into trouble!"
"You should have because you're in lots of trouble now!" said
Alan.
Before he could even throw the first punch, something went 'SNAP' in
the air and I jumped away as a whole lot of rocks clattered down on top of Joseph and Kurt.
"Who... who did that?"
I took the opportunity to creep away just as a second lot of rocks rained
down on their heads. I turned around as I heard another yell from Joseph and I saw Riyang hiding behind a tree, pulling
at a string which send another lot of rocks rained down on their heads again.
I panted as I stopped by a tree, having ran for
at least five minutes. "I... puff... I lost them!"
"Guess again!" said a voice and I turned to see Alan behind me.
"I don't know what happened to Joseph and Kurt, but it doesn't matter!"
said Alan as he pushed me to the ground and my backpack flew out of my hands. "I can take care of you all by myself!"
"They're going to miss the show, but no big deal... I'll tell them all
about it later on!"
"Then tell them about this part too!" said a voice and Alan and I turned
to see Ron grabbed Alan's arm and pulled him off me. "Because that's just about far enough, Alan!"
"You showed up just in time, buddy!" said Alan as he swiped my backpack
and took a swipe at Ron who fell to the ground. "There was something I wanted to tell you! You may have forgotten that you
ruined many of my plans, but I haven't forgotten!"
I watched as Alan raised my backpack above his head.
"Excuse me..."
"No one treats my friends like that!" said Riyang as he dealt
Alan a punch across the face.
"Nice shot, Riyang!" said Ron.
"Sorry I didn't get here sooner!" said Ron, pulling me to my feet. "I
started following you the minute you got out of school, but then I lost track of you!"
"Don't apologize!" I said. "You saved me from a beating, friend!"
"By the way..." I turned to Riyang and Xiaoli and Julia who has
just turned up at the moment. "How did you guys do that?"
"It's just a very simple trick..." grinned Julia. "We collected plenty
of rocks and stones and filled three baskets to the brim with it..."
"Yeah, and then we just planted it above a tree," said Xiaoli. "And
stationed Riyang near that tree. We know that Alan would be sure to wait for you there. Whenever we're ready to spring the
trap, Riyang can just pull a string and the basket would fly out of the tree and the rocks will fly straight at Alan
and his gang!"
"I see..." I said.
Riyang looked at Xiaoli and she nodded.
"By the way," said Riyang. "You're welcome to hang out with us if you
like. You helped Ron out when you don't even know us well enough. If you don't mind, you can be our friend..."
"Thanks..."
I didn't expect that helping Ron out in his times of trouble and turning
Alan in would gain me four new friends. Being with Riyang and the gang taught me many things, including that I must never
be afraid to do what I think is right...
Written by: Ling Xiaoyan
Date Written: 10 November 2004
Age: 16
