Triple B

01| Triple B

[Andrea]
Things to know about me: I have a mom, a dad, and a brother. I go to school at Lakeview High and everyday is the same as the last.  Pretty normal, given the fact I don't talk. I call it expressing my thoughts through facial expressions; my doctor calls it mute.
***

[Hannah]
Bullying is awful, but I don't do anything about it. It's worse that my friends bully Andrea more than most.  In the hallways, I try to catch her eye, to tell her everything will be ok. But those are empty words and all I can ever do is smile.
***

[Andrea]
Everyone has something to say. Through years of silence, I notice everyone loves to talk, especially about themselves. Talking is the easy part. But listening? Not so much. When the bell rings signaling the period to an end, a sticky wad of paper and gum find themselves in my hair. The snickers only informed me that it was none other than Alex Zalderi.
***

[Alex]
I had to admit she looked normal, cute even. At my old school, there was no one like this. I didn't always pick on her; probably once or twice a month, so really it was no big deal. I knew bullying her would get me more friends and attention, which I desperately needed since I moved here. Besides, gum can come out of hair. Right?
***

[Zachary]
I acted like Andrea was normal, and honestly, she was. I had grown up all my life with her, so the silence was accepted. I'll never understand why others don't.

"How's my favorite son?" my dad grinned.

"Dad, I'm your only son." 

We took the path down to Lakeview High where Andrea waited. With home a walkable distance, Dad never used the car.

"Walking is for health and leaves you with more wealth," was his catchphrase.

"Seriously, gas prices only know to go one direction; up," he added today while I complained.

Dad greeted Andrea, who smiled in return. He glanced at her sticky hair as we walked.  A skateboarder zoomed past us, almost crashing into Dad, causing the skater to go off in a hurl of nasty words. When the skater had gone, Dad spoke softly.  "And those who do talk, take it for granted."  You didn't need to be a genius to figure out what he meant.
***

[Andrea]
I was tripped by others so many times, I was well acquainted with the floor to the extent that I even knew the type of cleaner the janitor used. I believed people could change, and guilt wouldn't even begin to describe how they'd feel towards me. No matter what, I'll never truly fit in according to society's standards. I can't make people think differently about me, but life isn't awful.  Few ignore me, some help me, and even if Hannah doesn't think so, that smile in the hallway makes all the difference. With the most wonderful family, I couldn't ask for more love and kindness than that.