The new girl stole all my friends. They liked her better than they liked me. She isn't unique; she is just like anyone else — looks like everyone else too. Why did they prefer her countenance over my own? Is there something the matter with me? However, she noticed me and made sure all the other girls included me as they once did before taking all of them away from me. She made sure my demeanor was sacred and protected, but she was wrong for doing that. Though, I appreciated the effort.
Ashley, the smartest yet most naive girl in the class, stopped sitting with me and sat with the new girl. I always had to include myself. One day, the new girl was fed up with it and told Ashley to sit with me, and Ashley did not like that.
"Please, she's your friend," The new girl said.
The new girl was nice and didn't seem interested sitting next to Ashley, who was annoyed at the suggestion and was silent for the rest of the class.
What did I do?
One day after lunch, I exited the cafeteria into the bright, sunny Florida air. Megan, the largest girl in the class, stood with the girl that stole all my friends. The new girl stayed silent as Megan noticed my quiet presence. They stopped talking once I randomly popped up minding my own business, not worried about their close yet secretive alliance.
"Don't follow us," Megan said. I stayed behind, confused at her gesture. "Don't follow us." she repeated and went off with the girl who stole all my friends.
I was going to the playground by myself, but I knew then and there that Megan was hiding something from me. The girl who stole all my friends was a part of the secret that I am not allowed to know. I stayed behind them like a mouse and watched them disappear into the playground with the other screaming kids. I followed them out of my own suspicion, and Megan and Ashley, along with the girl who stole all my friends, were on the monkey bars and decided right away to make a club called "The Monkey Club" because they all loved the monkey bars. Megan didn't want me "following" them because they purposely tried to exclude me.
I did nothing to them. Why would those three exclude me? I was their friend before the new girl, I should be in that club with them.
I walked away and sat on the floor as Ashley reprimanded Megan for what she did. I heard her say my name but ignored it as I began to cry. Why would Ashley care about my feelings, about me crying? She has ignored me ever since the new girl, who stole all my friends, came to this stupid school. I have never felt anything like this before. My heart ached; how I felt the pain that they inflicted on me pinch through my sensitive skin. My skin tore in sadness as I dug my head into my arms and legs and cradled myself through this great desperation to avenge myself and hurt them.
Later, I ended up sitting at the same table as Megan in our science class. Why? I have no idea. I forgot. "Megan, why didn't you put me in the club?" That's the type of kid I was: quiet, sensitive, but highly confrontational when I needed to be. I sometimes think that intimidates others because I am also honest. I don't sugarcoat. There is no need for it.
"There wasn't enough room," she said in annoyance, her plain blue eyes not looking at me in the process.
I KNEW SHE WAS LYING!
She excluded me because she didn't like me. We're no longer friends. I said nothing but let it slide, my vengeance foreshadowing my future. She thinks that she can conceal our once relationship, exclude me, and lie about it? Not even show a smudge of guilt? Oh, we'll see. I took a deep breath as a burning sensation heated my veins, adrenalizing my body. I gave the fakest smile I could from my red, puffy eyes—the first phony smile I have greeted someone with, yet she did not look at me, so my fakery was absent.
She'll pay. They all will.
***
Later, I was in my room. I told no one what happened at school. It is my problem, I will deal with it myself. An adult will not handle it correctly, there will be no justice for me, so I will take matters into my own hands. I sat on my floor and drew Megan and Ashley, and over and over again. I would end up scribbling over them angrily.
Oh, the things I wanted to do to them.
I want them to feel the pain and great desperation that I felt earlier today. And they will feel it soon enough. They are unaware of what I have in store for them. They'll never see any of it coming. They think their fake apologies have me fooled, but they don't. When I am through with them, all will have been taught a lesson, and the new girl, the one that stole all my friends will have them no longer. She will know how it feels to be nice, but to end up being all alone with no one to protect her. No one will embrace their safety to her, she will be exposed to her classmates' oppression, who she thought were her friends. She will end up being a nobody like Megan and Ashley—the kid nobody wanted.
People think I am innocent, but don't let my looks fool you. I can be malicious when I need to be. The Monkey Club won't know what hit them. They made me feel unwanted; horrible names and words filled my mind. They made me feel like I was pushed down the stairs and kicked one thousand times like someone pierced a pencil through my hand. They'll soon feel the pain that I have metaphorically experienced; however, their pain will be literal.
A few days later, I chose my first target; the arguments began. Ashley and I would argue about little kids' frivolous things until we both cried. I would call her mean names and degrade her being; stupid, annoying, fake. She later wrote an apology letter to me, misspelling my name in the process, after finding out why I was angry. Gosh, she's so stupid. With all the books she loses herself into, she should know how to spell a simple, five-letter first name. Though I liked her more than Megan, so arguing with her is the worst I did. I figured she learned her lesson.
One monkey down, two to go.
When lunchtime came around, I ignored the girls, including the one who stole all my friends when she said hello to me this morning in class. I sat by myself in the cafeteria and liked the loneliness that I was left with. My loneliness surrounded me like protection, it satisfied me. I love being alone. I saw Ashley sitting with the other girls in silence as she looked down at her tray of food and ate, her face gloomy from the events that took place earlier. I, on the other hand, am all right.
Ashley didn't talk to the other girls who were all initiated in some stupid conversation, not acknowledging Ashley's presence. She is also alone, just like me. I began to draw horrendous drawings on paper, not about the girls, just random images with no particular meaning. I had no idea where these images flooded from or the underlying message, all I knew is that I was drawing them and felt gratified to — I felt that nothing was wrong.
The girl who stole all my friends eventually stopped talking and glanced at Ashley, copying the blonde's demeanor. Soon, the two were forgotten about as they ate in torturing silence. I smirked to myself. Two girls already alienated by me. Oh, what vengeance. How smart I am for a silly third grader. I went out to the playground and went on the swings. I've always loved swings. I could sit on one for hours, like when I was a toddler. My grandparents had to carry me screaming, crying, and struggling to get away from their grasp when they were ready to leave the park. I never wanted to go. I feel so free being on the swing, everyone is under me like dirt, yet crispy food.
Ashley was sitting by the fence reading a book, causing me to roll my eyes at her when she looked up at me. Gosh, what a nerd. She thinks she's smarter than me by abandoning me. Oh, how I have fooled her.
The girl who stole all my friends was with Megan, the two secluded and reserved like brown recluses. Megan walked away randomly, and I smirked to myself. I stared at her like a black widow, spider vs. spider; one is ready to attack. She walked up two steps to the first floor since the school has a deck for a level, and there are six trailers, each holding two rooms. She made her way to the staircase across from her, and I followed her and disappeared.
My feet touched the ground, and I began walking away when Ashley came up to me. "Why?" she began to cry, "why did you say all of those hurtful things?"
"Figure it out. Don't act like you don't know what you did to me."
"You're my friend. Why would I hurt you?"
"No. We're no longer friends." I walked away, smirking to myself.
One monkey down, one monkey to go — the ring leader.
Megan excluded me like I was a predator, and was she right. I am the Slow Loris getting ready to attack the Queen. She better be careful, I cannot be tamed. There is no way to domesticate me, I am full of poison, the venom hidden in my mouth.
Everything was going great until Ashley snitched when class began. I felt anger boil inside me but kept my composure as I took a deep breath and calmly entered the Principal's office.
He looked at me, "Ashley said that you've been saying hurtful things to her."
"What do you mean?"
"She told me that you're no longer her friend."
I blinked. "What? I didn't do anything to her." I lied. "We're friends, or so I thought. She has been ignoring me for no reason. Friends don't do that to one another."
The Principal leaned back and crossed his arms. "I figured that you didn't. You're a great student. You can go back to class."
I sent Ashley a sneaky smirk as she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. Dumb girl. What did she think she was gaining out of being a snitch? The faculty has said that I'm one of the prettier girls here, beautiful girls can get away with anything. I just have to use my cute little girl charm and bright eyes; batting my eyelashes will do the trick.
I went back to Social Studies as Emily got a phone call home and listened to my teacher lecture about some boring topics that most third graders, all but Ashley, of course, don't care about. The teacher handed out worksheets for us to complete independently, and I was quietly doing my work, looking off the person next to me and filling in a few questions incorrectly to make it look like I wasn't cheating when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned to see Mean sitting next to me, staring at me.
When did she move next to me? What does she want? Why can't she just go back to the new girl who stole all my friends?
"May I borrow a pencil?" she asked.
"No," I looked away and continued working.
"Why? I need a pencil."
"Go and ask the new girl. We aren't friends anymore," I thundered.
Everyone stopped working and looked up at the two of us. The teacher looked up from his desk, wondering what is going on. Emily was still gone, nowhere to be found. She learned her lesson as well; it's time that Megan knows who she is dealing with.
"Yes, we are. We've always been friends."
"You purposely left me out of the club. You leave me out, you get nothing from me."
"I already told you that there wasn't enough room. It's a stupid club."
"Right, but there's enough room for the new girl? You purposely excluded me, so you get nothing from me. You can fail the class for all I care."
"Look, I need a pencil. Can't you just give me one?"
I looked at her impatiently. I scanned the room, everyone looked at us with blank faces as Ashley looked at her paper, not writing anything. It was clear that she was listening but didn't have the guts to look up. The new girl was next to Ashley and looked at me with sympathy. The boys' either looked puzzled, amused or didn't show much of anything. I slowly reached into my pink bag and took out a sharp pencil. I quietly glanced at her chubby, big hand, it gently rested on top of the desk.
I turned my body to her and stared at her challengingly, tightly gripping the pencil in my left hand. I didn't hand it to her, I pierced it through her hand as she screamed savagely. Megan's blood seeped the floor carpet as the class either jumped out of their seats and ran to one of the walls as the teacher called for help on the phone. The girls ran to the other side of the room, as horror had struck their faces. I leered at Megan as someone pulled me out of the room and led me to the Principal's office.
I sat across from the Principal for the second time today.
The older man looked at me, "Did you pierce Megan's hand with your pencil?"
"No, why would I do that? We're friends, or at least I thought. Friends don't do that to one another." I said, smiling innocently.
Now, the Monkey Club had fallen, and no longer did Megan and Ashley exclude anyone.