9-1-1 ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ sʜᴏᴛs

Bullied - Eddie Diaz

Sofia Diaz - 8

Eddie Diaz sat in his car outside his daughter Sofia's school, waiting for the final bell to ring. The sun was just beginning to set, casting long shadows across the schoolyard. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, thinking about the shifts he had at the fire station. His twelve-year-old son, Christopher, had been picked up by his grandmother earlier, and now he was here to get Sofia.

Sofia, Eddie's eight-year-old daughter, was a bright and energetic child. She loved school, especially her art class, and she often came home with new drawings to show him. Lately, though, Eddie had noticed a change. Sofia had become quieter, more withdrawn. He had tried to talk to her about it, but she always brushed it off, saying everything was fine.

The school bell rang, and children began pouring out of the building. Eddie scanned the crowd for Sofia, but she was nowhere to be seen. His heart rate quickened. Just as he was about to get out of the car and go look for her, he saw her walking slowly toward him. Her head was down, and she was holding her backpack in front of her like a shield.

Eddie's protective instincts kicked in. He got out of the car and walked toward her. "Hey, princess. How was school today?"

Sofia didn't answer. She kept her eyes down, her shoulders slumped. Eddie knelt down to her level, trying to see her face. That's when he saw the blood.

"Sofia, what happened?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "I... I fell," she stammered.

Eddie's heart sank. He knew a lie when he heard one. "Did someone hurt you?" he asked gently.

She nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. "They... they called me names and... and then they pushed me."

Eddie's blood boiled. "Who did this?"

Sofia shook her head, unable to speak through her sobs. Eddie pulled her into a hug, his mind racing. He needed to get her home and clean her up, but he also needed to find out who had hurt his little girl.

"Let's get you home, okay?" he said softly. "We'll talk about it there."

---

Back at home, Eddie cleaned Sofia's face, carefully tending to her broken nose. He sat her down at the kitchen table with an ice pack, and then he called the school to report the incident. The principal assured him they would look into it, but Eddie knew he couldn't just leave it at that.

Christopher, who had been doing his homework in the living room, came over to see what was going on. "Sofia, are you okay?" he asked, his eyes wide with concern.

Sofia nodded, but tears still streamed down her face. "I'll be okay," she said, her voice trembling.

Eddie put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're strong, Sofia. We're going to figure this out."

Later that evening, after dinner, Eddie sat down with Sofia in her room. He needed to know more about what had happened, but he didn't want to push her too hard.

"Sofia, can you tell me who did this to you?" he asked gently.

She hesitated, then finally whispered, "It was some kids in my class. They said I was weird because I don't have a mom."

Eddie's heart broke. Sofia's mother had left them when she was just a baby, and Eddie had done his best to be both parents to her. But he knew it wasn't the same.

"They're wrong, kiddo. You're not weird. You're amazing," Eddie said, his voice filled with emotion. "And I'm going to make sure this doesn't happen again. I promise."