'Crash!' The sound rang through Devyns ears as he was slammed into the lockers, Aaron holding him by the collar of his shirt, his feet weren't on the ground anymore but were trying to kick Aaron to get free, eventually he was able to kick him in the shin, Aaron loosening his grip and with in a second Devyn was running as fast as he could to get away from Aaron. Aaron recovered quickly and was hot on his trail, Devyn took as many turns as he could in the school halls trying to lose Aaron he then soon found a staircase nobody used anymore because it wasn't safe, he quickly went behind the staircase and the second he sat down Aaron ran past him, Devyn let out a deep breathe he didn't
even realize he was holding, catching his breathe he looked around where he was sitting he had never been over there before. Scanning the back of the staircase he noticed something through the broken pieces of wall, he curiously stuck his hand in grabbing the object pulling it out and observing it closely, he then decided to blow on what looked like a book a bunch of dust and drywall admitted from it causing Devyn to cough aggressively, waving his hand around in attempt to get rid of the dust and drywall floating around. He read the front of the book 'Journal' it said in big gold lettering, he opened it to the first page and started reading.
'January 9th 1997
So I decided to start writing in a journal, technically I didn't decide to start writing one my therapist suggested that I started but I took his suggestion. So I guess I will write about my life, I was born May 9th 1980 it was only me and my dad because my mom died while having me, my dad mentally and emotionally abused me about it he always told me it was my fault, which I guess it was. I've been bullied since first grade I was never sure why, or I wasn't sure why when I was younger now it was because I was shorter, smaller, and smarter than the other guys at my school. It was fine, I was always just fine but in reality I never had any emotions I was numb, I didn't feel anything which good I guess but recently it wasn't just verbal abuse from my peers it was physical. It got so bad that about four months ago I started cutting, I didn't want to die I just wanted to feel something, anything even if was a split second of pain. I got to go write to you later.
Signed,
Alister'
Devyns eyes scanned through the lines, his heart felt heavy in sadness that someone went through that, sure Devyn was bullied but his parents have always been there for him.
"BING, BING, BING"
The bell rang loudly echoing throughout the small staircase space he was sitting in, he quickly got up Alister's journal in his hand and rushed to his locker, grabbing his things and ran out the school doors trying to get home as fast he could. He reached his house 5 minutes later, fiddling with the keys he opened his door before running up the stairs, going into his room and jumping and his bed as he continued to read through the pages. His parents usually got really late but he never minded because he knew how to cook himself supper.
It was now 4 am and Devyn was on the last entry of Alister's journal, and so far Devyn has cried during 90% of the entry's. Devyn was never about the last entry because at the top of the page it read;
'May 1st 1997
This is journal entry 111, it is also going to be the last.'
Although Devyn was nervous he continued reading.
'You're probably wondering 'what do you mean last entry' I mean I can't take it anymore, this is it I'm going to kill myself. I'm done, I'm not strong, I'm weak and can't handle being everyone's punching bag. I have no real family, no friends, no reason to be alive nothing, and like I said 5 months ago I feel nothing. So this is goodbye, goodbye to pain, goodbye to bullies, goodbye to unloving father, goodbye to the zero friends I have, goodbye to the teachers that watched me suffer but never helped me, goodbye to the principal who never ever tried to save me even though I tried to get help from him. Goodbye.
Signed for the final time,
Alister'
Devyn read the entry over and over again thinking maybe the words would change, hoping that what he had just read was just a hallucination, but it wasn't. Tears ran down his face quickly as he let out a silent sob, why didn't anyone help him?! He screamed internally, why did people just watch Alister as he suffered? Devyn had a thousand thoughts rushing through his head, he didn't understand how people could just watch and not do anything, but the same went for Devyn at school nobody ever said anything when peers said hurtful things, or hit him. He had friends but no one he trusted, but he had come to terms with it at a young age. As the thoughts about Alister's journal went through Devyns head, he fell asleep.
The next morning Devyn had intense bags under his eyes but he didn't care, he was looking for answers today starting with the principal who had been the principal at his school for almost 30 years. He bust in Principal Donovan's office and slammed his hand the desk after placing the journal between them both. "Explain this." Devyn demanded trying to intimidate his principal, Donovan looked down at the journal, before scanning through the pages "I don't know what this is" was Donovan's simple response but Devyn wasn't having it, "this was a journal from a kid named Alister that went here 20 years ago, who ended up killing himself. You were principal here 20 years ago, or am I wrong? Teachers watched as the kids here treated him like trash, you watched him get insulted, chased, and beat up yet you didn't do anything, and now he's dead because no one decided to try and save him. Even now teachers watch me get bullied and harassed by the kids here but nobody does anything." Devyn got everything off his chest and had a few tears roll down his cheek. He look at Donovan who just kept his head down in sadness and shame for what he had done, or hadn't done.
2027 and Devyn was now a school counselor at the high school. After Devyns talk with Principal Donovan everything had changed at school for him the bullies were expelled and he made a few close friends, he also learned that he wanted to help teens that are going through what Alister and himself had went through so no one ended up like Alister and knew that someone was there for them no matter what. Devyn truly believed that if he hadn't found Alister's journal he might have had the same fate as Alister, but he didn't he kept strong and is now making kids lives better one day at a time.
