Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 108. Tragedies

Sitting curled up on the couch, Misha stared intently at the television, waiting for the evening news to start. Today, they would talk about Eric Anderson, the man who had taken so many young lives a few days ago, shocking the whole country.

The reporters had been digging up his past in a frantic manner, trying to understand why this tragic event happened. They wanted to know how a respectable man such as Eric Anderson could do such a terrible thing. But what the reporters discovered left them with a bitter taste in their mouths, making them wish they hadn't known.

With a grim expression on her face, the well-dressed woman on the television started the broadcast, and as she told the man's story, many felt conflicted, not knowing what to think.

Eric was a strict teacher who never favored anyone; if a student did wrong, they did wrong, and no excuses would be accepted. Everyone had to pay the consequences of their actions, regardless of what they did. With this in mind, when Eric surprised a few male students smoking and ditching school, he reported it without a second thought, ignoring their pleas. Unsurprisingly, the parents of said students weren't delighted with their children's behavior, and the teenagers were scolded and grounded. That resulted in the students being resentful.

One way or another, they wanted to retaliate against the teacher who dared to tattle to their parents. However, Eric was a figure of authority at school, and the students couldn't directly take revenge on him unless they wished to be expelled. Thus, they decided to vent their frustration on Eric's daughter instead.

Florence was a quiet girl who shared their classes; she was the kind who preferred to be alone. You could often see her sitting by herself in the library, reading books or drawing. She had very few friends and rarely spoke. Moreover, her friends were just like her, withdrawn and timid.

In other words, she was the perfect victim.

The bullying started smoothly and progressively became worse. At this point, the person on the television changed, the scenery too. Then, one of Florence's friends appeared on the screen and came forward to testify. Her trembling voice was small, barely audible. Although her face was blurred for privacy purposes, everyone could tell it took enormous courage for this shy girl to stand up and talk.

With her testimony, people learned that, for months, Florence silently endured the insults, then the vandalism done to her personal effects. She didn't talk to her father about it, not wanting to worry him for nothing. It was only a bit of bullying, and Florence thought that if she ignored the troublemakers, they would get bored soon enough and leave her alone, forgetting she even existed. Little did she know that she was wrong, oh so wrong.

Gradually, the bullying shifted and became closer to sexual harassment. Florence wasn't the most beautiful girl on earth, but she wasn't ugly either. She had a decent appearance, and the boys started to bother her about it, mainly because her breasts were well-developed. It made her feel uncomfortable, and after discussing it with her best friend, who attended another school, she finally decided to muster her courage and talk to her teacher about it.

But things didn't go the way she had hoped. The teacher said that she was imagining things and shouldn't spread false rumors. Self-centered girls like her were the worst, and she needed to realize that not every boy would flutter around her just because she was a bit pretty. If she wanted to get attention, she should do it in another way.

After being admonished by her teacher, Florence couldn't talk anymore, and she closed herself, feeling more numb with each passing day. In contrast, the boys became bolder, and one day, they cornered and dragged her into a bathroom seldom used. The girl on the television didn't elaborate on what happened there, but truthfully, it wasn't necessary. Anyone listening to her breaking voice could guess the horrors the teenager went through.