𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑! ━ cobra kai

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 : soft spot

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 : 2.9k

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 when the school's sound system made a loud, screeching noise, followed by a dull tapping as someone tested a microphone. Gwen and her friends were sitting at their usual table in the far corner of the cafeteria when Counselor Blatt stepped into view, situating herself at the front of the room.

"Testing, testing... Is this thing on?" The vice principal slash guidance counselor joked into the mic, a big, toothy smile on her face. Nobody laughed; the most she got as a reply was a dry cough from the back of the room. "Okay, well... Today, I have something very important that I wanted to talk to you all about."

Ah, so this was an assembly without the Get Out of Class Free card — got it.

"Cyberbullying is no laughing matter," Counselor Blatt started, "Sending a cruel message to someone online can be just as hurtful as saying it to their face."

Annnd... she lost Gwen's attention almost immediately. Her eyes drifted back down to her phone, preferring to scroll through Instagram than listen to this woman try and solve a phenomenon as old as time. Gwen was fairly certain that, if you really tried, there was some evidence of bullying on prehistoric cave paintings. Probably.

Although, she could agree that only total wimps cyberbullied people. The age of technology allowed kids to just hide behind a screen — the easy way out. If someone actually wanted to talk shit, they would just do it to the other person's face. Because if you're not willing to face the consequences of your own words, then you really shouldn't talk at all.

Simple as that — in Gwen's book, at least.

"I'm not gonna name names, but the other day, a mother called me up because her son was crying after some kids online made fun of his facial deformity," Counselor Blatt went on, garnering a reaction for the first time since turning the mic on. Gwen glanced up, seeing the entire cafeteria erupt into whispers as the student population easily connected the dots about this "anonymous" student's identity.

A boy with a facial deformity?

C'mon. 

There was literally one kid in the entire school who fit that description and it just so happened to be Gwen's biology lab partner, Eli. She easily spotted him through the crowded lunch tables, discreetly eyeing him over her phone screen. She watched as his shoulders hunched and his head hung low, like he was trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. But with the way everyone was staring at him, including Gwen, it would be pretty hard for him to turn invisible again.

"But today, our goal here is to make this school a safe space for all students," Counselor Blatt declared. A proud look formed on her face, completely unaware that she just made Eli's already pathetic life a living hell for the foreseeable future. Gwen scoffed. School? A safe space? What fucking planet did this lady come from?

Gwen's stare dropped away from Eli in order to focus on replying to her Snapchat streaks, instead. "Oh, and one last thing. While we're all looking forward to the Halloween dance, let's make sure our costumes are culturally sensitive. For example, instead of 'sexy nurse', maybe try 'gender neutral hospital employee'," she suggested, the hilariously sheltered idea earning more laughter than her initial failure of a joke.

Then, as if the universe was testing just how much cringe Gwen could handle, Sam's old friend, Aisha scooted her chair up to their table. "Hey! I've got a great idea for our costumes this year," she said, eagerly.