What Friends Are For

Chapter Nine

CHAPTER 9

"Strangers are friends you have yet to meet." -Unknown

Monday morning at 7 in the morning, my alarm clock goes off. It's time to get up for school. I get dressed and slug down the stairs, still half asleep, when I get a text from Jacob.

Hi r u awake yet isabella

Oh hey jacob whats up????

Alexis just texted me that her brothers hit her w/ broken glass this morning

Wow really?

Sorry gtg bye jay

Oh ok cyu later have fun @ ur field trip

My field trip! That's right, I had a field trip today to the police centre!

I run to the table and shovel a few spoonfuls of oatmeal into my mouth. I quickly brush my hair and run to the bus stop.

I plop down into my seat next to Yara and Janet and jam in my earbuds. I stared out the window and thought about what Jay texted me.

Her brothers hit her with broken glass? Maybe if she had four older brothers instead of four younger ones I'd believe it. But it didn't seem all that believable.

Still, I wasn't going to take the chances. Last time I thought two people were joking and it was true. That ended up not great.

"Hello? Isabella?" A voice interrupts my thoughts. "Earth to Izzy!"

I turn to face Yara.

"Huh?" I stammer.

Janet giggles.

Yara sighs.

"Have you finished the survey for the police centre?" She repeats.

"OH!" I gasped. "N-no, not yet. But I could do it now!"

I go onto my phone and click the website for the survey on my class homeroom page.

I read the first question.

Do you worry about getting enough to eat, or being safe at home? Yes no

I click no and move on.

What online sites do you use the most?

I answer and press NEXT PAGE.

This is easy, I say with a grin.

Which of the following is a healthy secret to keep?

Your friend is planning to run away but tells you to keep ita secret

A surprise birthday party for your friend

You see a bruise on a friend's arm and they ask you to keep it a secret

I stop. It felt like it was directed to me.

I know it isn't a healthy secret to keep. We know that. But we don't know what else to do.

I click the second one as my stomach tightens. I sigh and continue the survey

Most of them were about online safety and saying no to drugs or gangs, but there were a few other ones that related to my situation.

Lia tells Annie that she feels unsafe at home and tells her to keep it a secret.

Skip.

Do you know how to recognize an unhealthy relationship, and how to help it?
Skip.

Do you know what to do when you see a friend or anyone being bullied?

Skip.

Can a victim of bullying be bullied or hurt at home?

Skip.

Is it best to make decisions on big problems quickly?

Skip.

Do you feel confident you know how to make good choices on decisions that could affect you or your friends?

Skip.

Amy tells Julia and Molly that she wants to commit suicide. What should Julia and Molly do?
I click off my phone and stuff it into my bag. I huff and turn to the window.

"Did you finish the survey?" asks Janet.

"No," I grumble. "And I'm not going to."

"Why not?" Yara says, confused.

"You wouldn't understand," I snap.

Yara and Janet quietly gasp, taken aback.

"Sorry," I mutter. "I'm just having a bad morning."

They nodded and turned away.

I let out a sigh, this time a really big one.

That survey has caused me nothing but stress.

At the end of the field trip, the staff gave us each cards with phone numbers to call if we needed to talk to a trusted adult.

"What a waste of paper," Ed snorts as he crumples it up. "Nobody's gonna use these."

"Yeah, save the trees," chuckles Dev, grabbing Ed's crumpled piece of paper and tossing it into recycling.

"You call THAT a shot?" Ethan laughs. "Watch this." He takes my friend Sarah's paper and tosses it into the recycling.

Ed tries to make a grab for my paper, but I push his hand away. I could use that paper.

It's not like I had a phone number. And I really didn't want to explain to my parents why I was calling one of the numbers with the home phone. But it's worth a shot.

Ethan snatches the paper out of my hands, and he and Dev get into a tug of war with it. I groan as it rips into half and is flung into the recycling bin.

Jerks.

We load the bus to get back to the school.

Emma sits down next to me.

"How's Alexis doing?" I ask her.

"She's doing...ok." She responds.

"Good? Bad?"
"Nothing changed."
"How about Jacob? He seems fine."

"Sure, he's doing better than Alexis."
"But is he doing ok?"

She stops to think.

"I think so. But he still needs help," She tells me.

I make a disappointed face, and Emma notices.

"It will be okay. I think they're doing...somewhat better than before."

I give another sigh.

"I sure hope so."