Short Stories

1

This one was made pretty recently, and it was for a school assignment.

"Come on now, quickly, or you'll all be late!" Mom said, getting me and my brother, John, ready for school. We grabbed our umbrellas and tied our shoes. We hurriedly put on our jackets, said goodbye to Mom, and rushed out the door.

Today was a rainy day. We always walk to school, because it is close, and it would inconvenience Mom if she drove us. But today, it would be inconveniencing us, because it was pouring heavily. We only had one umbrella, but John didn't bother to share it with me. He is 3 years older than me and he isn't the best at caring for me. Up ahead, I could see the silhouette of a 10-year-old girl. She was wearing ripped jeans and a faded rose-pink sweater. Her face was pale, with rosy cheeks. Glasses covered her big, doll-like eyes, and she was looking down. Uh-oh, I thought, but it was too late. John was already sprinting towards her.

"Look who decided to show up here today and damage our eyes by looking at their second-hand clothes? Where is your umbrella? Or are you going to do us all a favour and die of the cold?" John taunted. The girl looked fixedly down at her shoes. It was Dawn Miller. She was our neighbour and also went to our school. But John loved teasing her every day. If he didn't do it in the morning, he would do it at lunch. If he didn't do it at lunch, he would do it coming back from school. I knew better than to get involved, so I kept walking.

School was okay today. It was the same every day. There were classes, classes, lunch, more classes, then home time. On the walk back home, I ran ahead of John, so that I didn't have to witness him torture Dawn. You could say I was a bit of a peacekeeper. I don't like getting into fights, and I don't do anything to try and stop them. It was a lot easier that way, and no one ever got mad at me. Anyway, as I entered the house I saw Mom scolding John. I wasn't bothered since John gets in trouble every other day. When I set my bag by the table though, I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"John, you have got to control yourself! You can't just bully kids on your way to school. Next time I hear about this, you will be grounded for two weeks." Mom reprimanded.

John groaned, and I stifled a giggle. But then realisation hit me. Mom didn't know about John teasing Dawn, until today. So he is going to think I told her! I realised in horror. The moment John went upstairs, he would interrogate me. Just as I thought, John was stomping up the stairs, fury in his eyes.

"What did you tell Mom? I swear, Isabella, when I get my hands on you-" John growled, advancing on me.

"It wasn't me! I promise I would never tell Mom what you do." I said hastily, as John took a step back. I know I should tell Mom, but I can't stand the thought of John finding out.

The next few days, I noticed that Dawn wasn't at school. It was starting to concern me, because no matter what, Dawn always comes to school. I was scared that something happened to her, but I couldn't tell what. Dawn hadn't been my friend, necessarily, but I was still worried about her. John had also changed too. He was becoming more snappy, and prone to outbursts.

When I was walking down the street from school, a horrible sight reached my eyes. A 13-year-old boy, about to land a punch on a 10-year-old girl. It was Dawn and John. I tried to look away, tried to go home with the other route, but every step was painful. No, said a voice in my head. What John is doing isn't right. You have to stop him. I turned around and ran towards them.

"Don't punch her! If you do I'll, um, I'll-" I shouted at him.

"You'll what, stutter at me? Move aside Bella, I'm about to break her nose." John raised his fist, I was running out of time.

"No! Stop!" I begged him. Think of something, my brain said, think of something to stop him! I made a split-second decision and stepped in between John and Dawn. With a sickening crunch, I felt my nose twist, and my head come crashing down into the pavement.

* * *

I opened my eyes and a bright light temporarily blinded me. I think I'm in the hospital, I thought. I squinted, and then I could make out a few figures. I could see my mom, John, Dawn, and her parents. Gingerly, I touched my nose and winced. Blood covered my finger. My head felt really heavy, and it seemed like there were a bunch of bandages on it.

"Wha-, What happened?" I whispered.

"Yeah, John, why don't you explain what happened to your sister?" Mom said in an angry voice.

"Well, er, I tried to punch Dawn, and, um, Bella tried to stop me, and I, uh, didn't listen, so she stepped in front of me, so I, er, punched Bella instead," John muttered, his face pink. I instantly forgave him, knowing that he really didn't mean to punch me.

"It's okay. Better me than Dawn." I assured him. I looked over at Dawn, who was looking at me, with gratefulness beaming in her eyes.

Later that day, I was discharged from the hospital. I lay awake until late last night, thinking about what could've happened if I hadn't turned around to confront John. Dawn would be the one in the hospital bed instead of me. From now on, if I see something wrong, I will not turn around and ignore it, hoping it will go away. I will be a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper.