Just right outside Beecher Prep, the school with its immensity brings back memories of fifth grade which almost makes seems like fifth grade ended yesterday. The brick school with all its white windows and the room numbers bolded. The green grass moves as the soft breeze brush the ground. The loudness of the conversations going on outside the stairs of the main entrance of the school just hurts my ear. I take a deep breath before I walk on the grounds. I say bye to my parents and leave to join my friends. All the new fifth graders just stare at me but my friends just tell them to look away or just mind their own business. It felt good just to have friends that support you. There were new 6th graders that joined Beecher Prep, but I don’t mind.

“Hi, Jack!” I say.

“Oh. Hey August! How’s it going?” he replies.

“It’s good. What did you do over the summer?” I asked.

“I went with my family and traveled Europe,” he responded.

“That’s cool!” I replied.

We kept on talking until homeroom had started. When I looked around the class, I didn’t notice Julian, which is amazing, but I did see some new kids who were staring at me, so I turned around. I saw Ms. Dunkin(my homeroom teacher) taking attendance and when she looked at me she stayed there and glared at me for one second and then moved on.

During the class, Ms.Dunkin asked what we did over the summer. When she asked me to say what I had done over the summer, I said how I got another surgery and I had played with my new dog, Bear. Then a new kid named Simon had said what he had done over the summer. Then, he asked, “Was August in a fire or something?”. Jack stood up, but I asked him to sit down. Ms. Dunkin shouted, “That is a very rude thing to say, Simon. Please do think before you say anything!” I just stayed calm since I am used to these types of comments though I do feel like Simon would be Julian 2.0. Anyways, I went on to do my regular first day of school stuff. The next day, Ms. Dunkin had announced that the first project was to make some sort of business idea with a group, and you can choose up to
It was Jack, Summer, and I who started the idea, but I did see Simon and his group with the new kids. I was wondering if Simon was just kidding as Julian was also saying that when I was touring the school, so I went to Simon and asked him, “What is your business idea?”

“I don’t answer to freaks,” he replied as if he were offended.

“Sorry man. I didn’t mean to offend you,” I said.

“Fine then. Just don’t ever talk to me,” he said.

“Ok,” I replied.

I was amazed by the tone of his voice. I had a gut feeling that he will be worse than Julian.

* * *

The next month, after the first period I went back to my locker and when I opened it, I saw something slip out. It was a piece of paper, but I thought that it may have been some notes I had took in my science class, so I shoved it into my locker and ran to my second-period class. Once the second period had ended, I went back took out my stuff and the same piece of paper fell out. I was engulfed by the words written on the paper. It said, “No one likes you. - The ENTIRE SCHOOL!” I stared at as I walked to my third-period class. I showed it to Jack and Amos who were furious.

“I wonder who wrote this”, I asked.

“It was probably that Simon. I feel like he is Julian, but worse!”Jack exclaimed.

*                    * *

As months passed Simon and his group of friends had annoyed bullied me so much that I could not handle it anymore and something had to be done. So, Jack and I did something that we did to Julian when he was annoying me. We put in our own horrendous letters in Simon’s locker, so it was like fire vs fire. When it was around May, he sent back a huge amount of notes that I just wanted to know why he was doing this to me.

“Hey, Simon. Why do you have to this to me?” I asked.

He replied, “Of what? Those notes that I put in your locker. I am just doing for the fun of it.”

When I hear that I just lose it. I pleaded, “What’s the big deal of annoying someone when you don’t get anything out of it? Why do you want to hurt somebody for the fun of it since that guy is weird, acts weird? Do you realize what this has done to others? Do you know how many people suffer from people like you who just want to harm them for no reason?!”

He stared at me for a full five minutes and then randomly pointed out, “You’re ugly.”

“You don’t get it!”, I exclaim. I walk back with my face pointing down at the black and white tiles on the floor and with clouds in my eyes which were just about to pour down my cheeks until Amos, Miles, and Henry see me as I walked really fast with the tears just about to fall down. They asked me why I was crying, and I told them everything. They said that they'll beat up Simon for me, but I told them no otherwise, they’ll get into trouble. I saw Jack, and I asked him to join to hear my masterplan. I told them that I would tell this to Mr.Tushman(the principal).

I went to Mr.Tushman’s office and I told him everything. He told me that the next day, he would talk to Simon. The next day on the announcements, I hear Simon’s name being called on the announcements. I was so happy that I wanted to jump, but it’s school so I couldn’t. Later in the day, I heard that Simon got suspended. It was the happiest day of my life! Towards the end of the school year, Simon went to me and said that he was sorry.

“How am I supposed to forgive what you have done to me?” I replied.

“I know. I can never get back for what I have done to you,” he replied.

“It’s ok. At least you are accepting of what you have done wrong. Just remember, bullying will never solve your problems,” I replied.