The morning sun filtered through the trees outside Oakleaf High. Aurelia prepared her backpack straps and took a deep breath, bracing herself for her very first day. Students were laughing, making Aurelia nervous. The bell rang, and she went to her first class.
The teacher introduced herself and then took attendance.
“Do we have Aurelia? ” the teacher said.
The whole class went silent.
Aurelia went to the front and said, “Hi, my name is Aurelia. I’m 13 years old, and it’s my first day here.”
She went back to her seat.
A girl, who was her seatmate, said, “Nice to meet you, Aurelia! You have a unique name! I’m Ana! ”
“Uh, thank you, Ana… Nice to meet you, too,” Aurelia said shyly.
Lunch started, but Aurelia had little food to eat.
Ana came up to her, saying, “Here, some cookies! I know some people like cookies, so here! ”
Aurelia shyly said, “Thank you.”
A few classes went by, and Aurelia became closer to Ana.
“See you tomorrow, Aurelia! ” Ana said loudly.
“You too…” Aurelia said.
Aurelia’s dad said, “Wow, you already have a friend! People are friendly here at Oakleaf High! ”
The next day, Aurelia saw Ana waving and waiting patiently for her.
Aurelia approached her, and Ana quickly took her hand, saying, “Hurry up! We’re going to be late! ”
Aurelia smiled, not knowing Ana would wait for her.
After class ended, Ana waved goodbye, and Aurelia waved back, too.
While Aurelia and her family were eating dinner, they asked her, “How’s school? ”
“Good, I finished my assignments and played a bit with my friend.”
Her mom said, “I knew it; that school is perfect for you.”
Aurelia went to sleep peacefully, hoping to see Ana tomorrow.
In the early morning, Ana spotted Aurelia patiently waiting and hugged her. During breaks and lunch, Ana and Aurelia loved talking about their past. Aurelia wasn’t shy anymore because of Ana. Every time they saw each other, they ran towards each other and embraced.
Everything was going well until Aurelia met the person who was about to change her life in a bad way.
When Aurelia was getting stuff from her locker, a boy went up to her, slammed her locker, and said, “Are you new here, little girl? ”
Since Aurelia didn’t like talking much to boys, she said quietly, “Yes…”
The boy said, “The name is Xavier. I am the most popular person here. Everyone knows me.”
“Okay? Nice to meet you,” Aurelia said shyly.
Xavier said, “You know, everyone is afraid of me,” and he laughed.
“I am not that person,” Aurelia said.
Xavier said, “Everyone’s afraid of me, little girl… unless you want to fight? ”
When Aurelia was supposed to say no, Xavier punched her in the eye, leaving a bruise.
“If you tell this to your parents, you’re dead meat. Don’t even think about telling,” Xavier said.
Aurelia was hurt, so she walked slowly to Ana.
“Oh no! Are you okay? ” Ana said in a panic.
She helped her walk to her parents’ car.
Aurelia’s father said worriedly, “What happened, sweetheart? Did someone hurt you? ”
Aurelia remembered Xavier’s warning not to tell, so she lied, saying, “I just fell in the hallway because it was slippery.”
Aurelia’s mom said, “It’s okay, darling; next time, be careful! ”
Aurelia was worried that the bully would continue; she hoped he wouldn’t hurt her tomorrow, especially since she had done what Xavier asked and hadn’t told her parents.
This time, Aurelia was late by a few minutes, but her teacher let it slide for now.
Then Ana whispered, “Why are you late? Was the assignment that hard? ”
“I couldn’t sleep because of my eye,” Aurelia said calmly.
Ana gave her an ice pack and stayed with her in case Xavier came. During break time,
Aurelia asked Ana, “Who’s Xavier? ”
Ana said, “Xavier is the popular guy that everyone is afraid of. If you talk back to him, you’ll end up like this.”
“Can’t he be expelled or suspended? ” Aurelia asked.
Ana sighed, saying, “Unfortunately, no.”
Aurelia said, “Why? ”
Ana said, “Xavier’s mom is the principal, and his father is one of the teachers.”
Aurelia said, “So we could get expelled because of Xavier’s mom? ”
Ana said, “Well, yes, but an administrator is higher than a principal. So they can permanently ban Xavier from Oakleaf High.”
“Who’s the administrator of this school? Maybe, if we know the administrator, we could tell them about Xavier,” Aurelia asked.
Ana said, panicking, “U-uh, I think it’s…”
As soon as Ana tried to say someone else, Xavier walked in.
Xavier said, “Hello, little girls. I heard you’re talking about me. I can tell my mom to expel you for talking badly about me if I want, because my mom is the principal of this school! ”
“We weren’t talking badly about you. We were just eating lunch and talking about our past,” Ana said.
When school was over, Ana walked with Aurelia to keep her safe. They both waved goodbye.
A few weeks passed by, and Aurelia was still being bullied. Ana wanted Xavier to stop bullying Aurelia, so she planned to do the unexpected. No, not with force, but with something more powerful.
At dinner, Ana said, “Dad, you need to help me.”
“Yes? What is the problem? ” her dad asked.
Ana said, “My best friend is being bullied by Xavier.”
Ana’s father said, “We will help her. Don’t worry.”
The next day, during breaktime, Ana saw Xavier and his friends bully Aurelia. She took photos and videos of what happened.
After school, Ana’s dad called Xavier and Aurelia, along with their parents, to the administrator’s office. He showed them the evidence, and as a result, Xavier was banned from Oakleaf High.
Aurelia’s parents were worried and said, “Sweetie, next time, tell us. We can handle it. Okay? ”
Aurelia replied, “Yes, Mom and Dad. I will next time.”
She hugged Ana with joy and said, “Thanks for telling your dad, the administrator.”
Ana responded, “I had no other choice but to help you stop Xavier.”
From that point on, no one wanted to break their friendship.
The End
Ma. Venice Andreia M. Ubaldo is a Grade 5 homeschooler under Homeschool Global. She began her learning journey at Bubots Writing and Tutorial Services in the Basic Level, where she initially faced challenges with punctuation and grammar. After more than a year of dedication and guided practice, she has advanced to the pre-advanced level. Today, Venice writes stories with confidence and continues to flourish as a young, passionate writer. In her free time, she enjoys playing games with her friends.
