Faults, Scars, and Guitar Strings

Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"What school is this again?" I asked Lolita.

"Washington Area," she answered.

"What information did she give our principal again?"

"You have the worse memory," David laughed, "They said that the bullies here are mostly the athletic girls. The school has found a way to get through to all but three of the sports teams."

"And the three that are left?" I asked.

"The three that are left are ruthless and insist on bullying everyone else verbally and physically, including the athletes from the other schools."

"We have to find a way to get through to the three teams that are left. If we can get through to them then we should we able to help the school," Maria said.

I nodded, "That sounds about right. What should we say?"

"I wrote a few things down," Lolita handed me a few pieces of paper. "I don't know if it's good or not but at least it's something."

"These are great. I think we should all take turns talking. Lolita and David can start, I'll go next, then Dylan, then Maria, and so on. We each tell a little bit or our stories proving how destructive bullying can be then that school's principal will play the video we give them and the assembly will end with David, Lolita, and I performing a song or two."

"Once the assembly is over, the principal will ask the few students who volunteered to form a Danes Over Bullying group to stay and we will explain how it works," Lolita explained further.

"It sounds like a good plan," Maria said, "and I know the whole group isn't here but there should be enough of us here to get through to them."

"I agree," Dylan said, "There's few of us but those of us that are here should have severe enough stories to get through to at least a few of them."

"Are we here?" I asked my bodyguard, who was driving.

"Yeah, we're here."

"Thank you!"

We all got out of the van and walked into the school where the students were already sitting in the bleachers in the gym. The principal was announcing us as we walked in. It seems we got here just in time. "Here they are," The principal said, "The Danes Over Bullying group."

Lolita took the microphone first like we talked about, "About a year ago I traveled to different schools around the country to promote anti-bullying. We can't stop bullying once and for all; it is an on-going battle which is why all of us are here. The Danes Over Bullying group is about students in schools coming together to stop bullying in their own school, and now we are asking for recruits. That's what this group has done in their school. They're all incredible, strong people who have amazing stories to tell you about their experiences with bullying. I ask each and every one of you to listen closely to what they're saying. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how you would feel if it was happening to you. How would it feel to be bullied?"

Lolita stepped back and it was David's turn to talk, "For a lot of us, our lives are not quite what they seem. From the outside I seem to have a pretty good life, but on the inside it is pretty chaotic. I have a great family, but I get followed wherever I go and I have absolutely no privacy. Every time I log onto a social media website I'm cyberbullied a thousand times every few minutes. Bullying is getting out of control and it's getting easier and easier to bully without realizing it. The simplest joke you know could be bullying. The latest tweet or status you posted could be insulting to someone else. Put yourself in their shoes. How would it feel to be bullied like that? How would it feel to be in my position and not be able to step out of your house alone?"