Overcast | ✓

The Trials and Tribulations of Surviving as a Ferret

Students have begun to refer to the fight with Marcos Smith as "the incident", which I think is rather ominous in the stupidest way. It wasn't an incident, after all. Someone planned this. Someone had the intention of harming Marcos. We all assumed that, after the fight, the blog would return to its regular broadcasting of embarrassing photos and cheap gossip. It did, for a while, but today- approximately 9 days after the incident -there is a new post.

Hello, Summerfield High!

I would like to report that the event on February 3rd took off with great success! Marcos Smith has truly learned his lesson.

Maeve is reading with me in our Spanish classroom and I can practically feel her eyes shift between me and the laptop screen.

Regardless, the administrative team here at Summerfield has refused to acknowledge our protest. While violence on campus may be prohibited, they spoke close to nothing concerning Marcos's constant bullying. An expulsion is simply not enough to discontinue this pattern, thus our plan to make him suffer publicly endured.

Take this as a warning, faculty and staff; We are persistent in our need to destroy the scourge that malice has provided to this school. Today, February 12, marks the second event of this protest. Throughout the day, you may find yourself confronted with a series of spectacles that will be distractions to learning. These obstacles will continue until our principal, Mr. Adair, confronts the impending threat that is hostility to Summerfield. Students: I hope you take joy in this event. Sit back and enjoy.

Malice eventually decimates.

I glance at Maeve, who has already been staring at me for a while now.

"What 'spectacles' are they talking about," she asks, and as if on cue, the speakers begin to blare Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. The entire class erupts into laughter, a few kids singing along or pulling out their phones to record. Even Maeve is laughing.

I cannot help but wonder why. Why is this happening now? Why have they gone from beating a kid up to playing memes over the loudspeakers? Why is nobody else confused?

"Oh my god, Sunny! This is ridiculous. Just ridiculous!" Maeve is smiling and waving her arms about to the music and I am beginning to feel sick. How can she be so enamored with something planned by the same person who started that fight?

The music is playing at full volume and I can barely hear anything else. From behind her desk, our Spanish teacher is yelling at us all to sit down, but we can't even make out the words. A few of the boys are standing on desks now and hitting the walls to the beat of the music. I haven't moved since it began. Beside me, my phone buzzes.

(9:02 AM) Elio: sunny wtf is happening??

(9:02 AM) Me: IDK but everyone is acting like this is fun

(9:02 AM) Elio: it would be... if this wasn't the same person behind the incident

(9:02 AM) Me: right

(9:03 AM) Elio: omg look at the hallway

I set my phone down and stand, leaving Maeve to yell after me something close to, "Sunny! Where are you going?". I open the classroom door to face posters lining the rows of lockers. Each has the same thick, block letters, reading "MALICE EVENTUALLY DECIMATES". Some are scattered across the floor like confetti. The music is blaring even louder in the hall. Behind me, Maeve and a few students gather around to see.

"Malice eventually decimates?" one girl says as she peers over my shoulder. "What does that even mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Bullying's gonna bite you in the ass," her friend replies matter-of-factly. "It's payback."