Chapter 3.2: The Bully

AUGUST

The headmistress slammed the pen on the table before eventually standing up and giving me a half-smile. She entered the door on the left, which I'm guessing to be some sort of a storage room. I immediately caught the feeling that I was going to wait here for another two minutes, so I let my eyes roam around the office. It's a generic office, and there's nothing much to look at except for the fish tank that housed a single fat goldfish. There are a few seemingly rare and colorful succulents displayed on the headmistress's desk. Perhaps she's one of those older people who love the company of a succulent plant. My eyes moved to her nameplate that said Penelope Briar, and I tried memorizing it just so I knew how will I call her later.

Two minutes passed, and she hadn't returned yet. I was already beginning to feel bored. My feet are itching to go home. I carried myself towards the fish tank and thought of observing the lonely goldfish for a while. I watched the goldfish as it swam in circles around this miniature sunken ship.

Does this aquatic creature even know that he's basically trapped in a fish jail that we call an aquarium? Or maybe he's having the best time of his life. He's being fed for free for the rest of his fish life.

"I see you've already met Mr. Nugget." I suddenly heard the headmistress spoke from behind. I quickly straightened my body from being arched to get a better view of the goldfish.

"The fish?" I uttered as I turned around to face her. She was holding a cup of coffee in one hand, and the sets of uniforms were stacked on the other.

"Yes, that's Mr. Nugget. He's been lonely for a while, but I'm working on getting him a beautiful female goldfish, and I'm going to call her Mrs. Nugget."

"That sounds fantastic, Mrs. Briar."

"Nah ah," The headmistress paused and raised her finger at me. "Miss. Call me miss."

"Miss Briar. I'm sorry."

"That's right. Now let's get to what you came here for." Miss Briar took a sip of her coffee and then put the cup down on the low table. "We have two types of uniforms. We have type A," She pulled three sets of garments carefully wrapped in transparent plastic. "You shall wear your type A uniform every Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays."

She handed me the set one by one. There's a button-down white shirt along with a red necktie. There's a navy blue coat that I imagine would only make me look a little bit older. And then there's the pair of black pants that I hope is long enough for my legs, so I don't have to go through the trouble of finding a seamstress to fix it.

"Thank you," I said while pretending to check them before I put them inside my backpack.

"And here's your type B uniform. You shall wear them every Tuesday and Thursday."

This type B uniform is what will probably become my favorite. I saw it on their website, and it looks like it's cool to wear because it's basically less of a garment. It's just a red polo shirt and navy blue shorts.

I put everything inside my backpack, and then there was that deafening dead silence again. The headmistress grabbed and took a sip of her coffee, pretending as if I didn't exist anymore. I'm more than hesitant to be the one to talk first, but I've got to leave this office now, or this awkwardness will drive me crazy.

"Uhm, type A is for MWF, and type B is for TTHS. Got it!" I spat, reiterating what she had told me earlier.

"So, how was your first day here at Mary Heights high?" Miss Briar suddenly asked.

"Uhm, normal. It's just normal." I answered.

"Good. Then you must be really fitting in. Are you interested in some sports, music, perhaps arts?"

I paused and tried to think of some things that I might be interested in. I was once on a football team just because I was forced to socialize with other kids, but other than that, sports just don't really capture my attention. I listen to all types of music, but I don't think I'm good at singing and I'm totally not good at playing any kind of instrument. And I know I'm not an artistic person. I guess I'm talentless.

"Neither,"

"Oh, and why is that? I've seen your academic records, and you're doing very well. I must say you're an intelligent child."

"Yeah, I just like to focus on my studies." I spat. I'm not really that intelligent, but I'm good at finishing tasks and knowing my priorities. Maybe that's my talent.

"Focusing on your studies is great and all, but I believe enjoying your high school life with a bit of extra-curricular will make it even more memorable."

"I…I don't know."

"You should try joining the basketball team."

"The basketball team?" I asked.

"Yeah, or the badminton club or whichever club that might speak to your heart. There's no harm in trying. You know being smart is one thing, but joining groups of people with similar interests will mold you to become a well-rounded person." Miss Briar went off.

"I guess I'll have to try."

"Don't just try. Do it!"

"Okay, I'll do it!" I spat just so she could let me go.

"All right. Now don't forget to wear your type B uniform tomorrow."

***

I wanted to believe Miss Briar's wisdom about immersing myself in these clubs, but I don't think I'm motivated enough to try and find a certain club that speaks to my heart. I just want to wake up in the morning, go to school, listen to the lessons, go home, do my homework and repeat. If my mom was still here, I'd be the same person back when I was in Highmont. In fact, I won't even be here in the first place, but things have drastically changed in just a short period of time. I have to be resilient with the changes, or else I'm going to be left behind crippled and lonely.

I walked away from the headmistress's office and went straight towards the parking rack. I untied my bicycle and started pushing until I was already outside the school gate. I was about to ride my bicycle when I heard someone screaming.

"Help!" The sound of a cracking adolescent voice echoed. I tried looking around, and I think I saw someone behind the dumpster.

I leaned the bicycle against the wall and walked towards the dumpster only to find Ambrose pinning a helpless guy against the wall. I inched my way nearer, and I immediately recognized Jessie, the only openly gay person that Mary talked about. I saw he got his hairband back from the person who took it earlier this morning.

"I'm going to ask you one last time. Where's your damn wallet?!" Ambrose asked with a gritting tone, his left hand was clenching Jessie's collar and the other was balled and ready to punch.

"I don't have any money at all. I promise!" Jessie cried in fear. He was already trembling, but he couldn't do anything.

I suddenly felt some sort of adrenaline rush inside of me. It was probably the feeling of seeing a fellow gay person being bullied and extorted. I suddenly had a quick trip to memory lane back to when I was being bullied and being forced to come out of my closet. I was in middle school, and some boys noticed how much of a softie I was and tried forcing me to admit that I was gay. I didn't admit it at first, but the impact made me act different. I became careful of my actions and eventually managed to control when to become soft for some time. I have unlocked the art of butching it up just for these boys to stop harassing me. I came out anyway, but the boys who were bullying me had all changed school.

Ambrose was about to land his fist on Jessie's face. I was somehow hesitant to act up, but then I found the courage to help Jessie. I jumped right behind Ambrose and grabbed his arm midair. My mind was thinking that I'd regret this and that I should probably retreat, but my body acted the opposite. I pushed Ambrose in the chest with such force that he almost lost his balance.

"What the f***" Ambrose spat, and now his attention is all on me. He shrugged his shoulder and readied his arm to punch me, but I was quick enough to punch him in the stomach.

"Who the f*** are you?" Ambrose asked, and I could hear the anger in his tone, but I didn't speak. I was just focused on trying to predict his next move so I could dodge them. He was about to run towards me, but Jessie tripped him.

"What is going on here?" I heard a female voice from behind, and then out of the blue, Rachel, along with Victoria and Nicole, showed up.

I guess that moment made me realize that I was doomed. I quickly turned away, went to my bicycle, and rode it. My heart pumped faster as I pedaled for my life. I pedaled and pedaled until I was so sure that I got away from everyone. Now that I'm out of sight, I just realized my action could fuck me up really bad.