handy.
“Laura, tell me,” he prodded when she looked everywhere except at him. “Did somebody say something to you?”
“Not to me,” she said. She described the incident between Annabelle and Misty. “I think this rivalry or whatever it is has been going on for a while now. I had no idea that Annabelle was capable of being so vile and mean. It wasn’t just the words, though those were horrible enough, it was the way she said it. She meant it to be cruel and she meant to be overheard. She wanted to hurt and embarrass Misty.”
“And none of the other girls stepped up to stop her?”
“Only Katie Townsend. She was here with Misty and she tried to warn Annabelle off, but Annabelle just brushed her off like she was invisible. The other girls were laughing until one of them spotted me.”
“I had a bad feeling it was something like this,” J.C. said wearily. “All the signs of bullying were there.”
Laura regarded him with surprise. “Seriously? I mean I’ve seen kids pushing and shoving on the playground and getting physical in the halls, but this kind of verbal attack is new to me.” Her expression faltered and she sighed heavily. “No, it’s not. I guess I’ve just tried to block it from my mind, but that whole incident reminded me of just how deliberately cruel teens can be.”
J.C. seized on her slip. “What did you block? Were you bullied?”
She shook off the question. “That’s not important. We need to stay focused on Misty.”
He knew it was important, though. He debated forcing the issue, but decided she was right about one thing: Misty had to be their immediate concern.
“Bullying happens way too often,” he said, his anger kicking in. “Kids pick a target, somebody they think is weaker, and use every weapon at their disposal to make them miserable. Words are often as effective as physical assaults, especially if they can draw in a bunch of other kids to back them up. Sounds as if this is what Annabelle is doing.”
She met his gaze. “What do I do now? It didn’t happen during school or at a school event. I’ve not seen or heard anything in school. Do I warn the principal? Talk to Mariah Litchfield? Talk to Misty? Or Misty’s parents?” Her indignation was almost palpable. “I wish to heaven I’d heard what was said in my classroom the other day when I first got an inkling about this. I’d have known exactly what to do.”
J.C. frowned. “Something happened in class?”
She nodded. She described the whispering that had gone on when Misty had shown up on Monday morning. “I couldn’t hear what was said, though. After today, I have some idea, but that doesn’t help.”
J.C. thought of how critical it was for adults to intervene in situations like this before it was too late. Too often, they looked the other way. At least Laura wasn’t likely to do that, not after what she’d heard today. Perhaps even more so, because she’d once gone through something similar himself. Just thinking of that made him want to slam his fist into something.
“Want my advice?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Quietly mention this to a few teachers you trust, ones who’d be in a position to keep their ears open. Gather a little more solid evidence and then the second you all think you have enough, take it to the principal. I assume there’s no tolerance for bullying.”
“None,” she said emphatically. She regarded him with a worried frown. “What about Misty? Should I speak to her about this? Tell her I get it now?”
“It might help if she knows she has your support,” J.C. said, wishing he could offer her his, as well. He knew, though, that if she’d been silent so far, she’d only be humiliated if she thought he knew what was behind her desire to get out of school. Not that a little humiliation mattered if it meant helping her, but for now maybe it could be avoided as long as Laura was on top of this.
“Thank you,” Laura said. “I did need someone to talk to about
“Laura, tell me,” he prodded when she looked everywhere except at him. “Did somebody say something to you?”
“Not to me,” she said. She described the incident between Annabelle and Misty. “I think this rivalry or whatever it is has been going on for a while now. I had no idea that Annabelle was capable of being so vile and mean. It wasn’t just the words, though those were horrible enough, it was the way she said it. She meant it to be cruel and she meant to be overheard. She wanted to hurt and embarrass Misty.”
“And none of the other girls stepped up to stop her?”
“Only Katie Townsend. She was here with Misty and she tried to warn Annabelle off, but Annabelle just brushed her off like she was invisible. The other girls were laughing until one of them spotted me.”
“I had a bad feeling it was something like this,” J.C. said wearily. “All the signs of bullying were there.”
Laura regarded him with surprise. “Seriously? I mean I’ve seen kids pushing and shoving on the playground and getting physical in the halls, but this kind of verbal attack is new to me.” Her expression faltered and she sighed heavily. “No, it’s not. I guess I’ve just tried to block it from my mind, but that whole incident reminded me of just how deliberately cruel teens can be.”
J.C. seized on her slip. “What did you block? Were you bullied?”
She shook off the question. “That’s not important. We need to stay focused on Misty.”
He knew it was important, though. He debated forcing the issue, but decided she was right about one thing: Misty had to be their immediate concern.
“Bullying happens way too often,” he said, his anger kicking in. “Kids pick a target, somebody they think is weaker, and use every weapon at their disposal to make them miserable. Words are often as effective as physical assaults, especially if they can draw in a bunch of other kids to back them up. Sounds as if this is what Annabelle is doing.”
She met his gaze. “What do I do now? It didn’t happen during school or at a school event. I’ve not seen or heard anything in school. Do I warn the principal? Talk to Mariah Litchfield? Talk to Misty? Or Misty’s parents?” Her indignation was almost palpable. “I wish to heaven I’d heard what was said in my classroom the other day when I first got an inkling about this. I’d have known exactly what to do.”
J.C. frowned. “Something happened in class?”
She nodded. She described the whispering that had gone on when Misty had shown up on Monday morning. “I couldn’t hear what was said, though. After today, I have some idea, but that doesn’t help.”
J.C. thought of how critical it was for adults to intervene in situations like this before it was too late. Too often, they looked the other way. At least Laura wasn’t likely to do that, not after what she’d heard today. Perhaps even more so, because she’d once gone through something similar himself. Just thinking of that made him want to slam his fist into something.
“Want my advice?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Quietly mention this to a few teachers you trust, ones who’d be in a position to keep their ears open. Gather a little more solid evidence and then the second you all think you have enough, take it to the principal. I assume there’s no tolerance for bullying.”
“None,” she said emphatically. She regarded him with a worried frown. “What about Misty? Should I speak to her about this? Tell her I get it now?”
“It might help if she knows she has your support,” J.C. said, wishing he could offer her his, as well. He knew, though, that if she’d been silent so far, she’d only be humiliated if she thought he knew what was behind her desire to get out of school. Not that a little humiliation mattered if it meant helping her, but for now maybe it could be avoided as long as Laura was on top of this.
“Thank you,” Laura said. “I did need someone to talk to about
Similar Books
