TWO YEARS LATER...
"ONE MORE TIME!" screamed Willow, our cheer captain, as we performed our final performance. "Come on, boys, let's do it one more time," she continued.
Willow, a senior and the current leader of the cheering squad, was meticulous in her attention to detail. We all know she wants us to win the cheering competition the following week, but I thought we did very well earlier. And I was completely exhausted.
My co-cheerleaders appear to be tired as well. The previous routine was really tough.
"Willow, that's all right," said Miss Amelia, who is our cheerleader team's adviser and coach. She works at Justice High School as a teacher.
"But, Miss."
"No buts," she said before Willow could finish her sentence. Everyone's faces lit up when our coach delivered the following phrases. "You are free to return home and recuperate; I will see you tomorrow."
We rushed off before our captain could say anything. Our captain simply shook her head as we walked off the field.
"Thank goodness Miss Amelia was there," remarked one of my cheering colleagues.
I just smiled. I was going to leave after a brief shower when I spotted someone being tormented at the school's entrance.
Because the three female bullies were my cheerleaders and sophomore classmates, I pretended not to notice them.
"You're back, nerd," said one of the bullies. They formed a circle around the taller geek.
"Are you stalking someone here?" the other asked, nudging the nerd on her shoulder.
The geek has swiftly pushed aside due to her frailty. While the bullies attacked her, the nerd was simply looking down.
"Why aren't you responding? Aren't you asking to be beaten?" asked the smaller bully.
I just passed by, but the other bully motioned for me to join them. I simply explained that I was exhausted and that they should rest at home. They merely answered that they were going to lose steam on the geek. I just walked away, shrugging.
I returned my gaze to the geek, but she was looking down, allowing the bullies to harass her. I continued walking back to my house, taking detours so that no one would know where I lived.
As usual, no one was at home when I arrived. Both Uncle Gary and Mom were on business trips. I walked straight to my room, changed, and started cooking dinner.
I've been home for more than ten minutes, and I'm starting to get worried. I keep checking my phone, but I'm undecided about making a call.
After twenty minutes, the person I was waiting for still had not arrived. I was going to call her when the front door opened. I was in the living room, pretending to be watching TV so I could immediately see the front door. I raced over to meet her and gave her a bear embrace when I recognized it was her after she had locked the door behind her.
"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" I inquired, breaking our embrace to examine her face and arms.
"No, I'm good," Gianna answered, reassuringly. "You know the bullies can't hurt me. But, sure, thanks to Willow. She saved me again," she said sheepishly, stroking the back of her neck as she did so.
Hearing that made me feel bad. Again.
I looked down and muttered, "I'm sorry, Gianna; I'm a coward." I'm too embarrassed to stand in front of her because of what I did to her. I abandoned her. Again. "Please don't wait for me any longer; go home immediately after class so that the bullies can't pick on you."
"Hey," Gianna said. I riveted my attention on her brown eyes as she whispered, "Look at me, Belle." I was the same height as Gianna two years ago, but she has gotten taller since then. Me? Let's not go there. "I told Dad and Mom that no matter what happened, I would protect you, especially when they weren't around, so don't worry, I can handle myself."
They regarded me as a tough girl in school, but they had no idea I was a crybaby at home.
"I'm sorry for being selfish. I'm sorry I can't protect you from them. I'm sorry I'm a coward. I'm sorry." I know I say it all the time, but it's true.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain. It was the episode with the bullies and the nerd earlier. I just let those girls pick on Gianna because she was the nerd. Why? Because I'm a pompous, fame-hungry knucklehead. My school's reputation is more important than my relationship with Gianna.
Being bullied is never easy. That is something I remember from my old school. It was a traumatic experience for me when I was in primary school, and I vowed that I would never live like that again.
However, I realized on the first day of my freshman year at Justice High that Gianna had become the bully's prey. It was too much for me to bear because my elementary school experiences had also left me devastated. My mother was completely ignorant that I had been bullied since I was so excellent at concealing it.
I kept it a secret from her because I didn't want her to be worried about me.
I was angry to see Gianna being bullied, but I was afraid to intervene. Being the sweetheart that she is, Gianna chose to understand me rather than be remorseful. She had earlier suggested that I might have a justification for my actions. I gradually confessed why I was so terrified of upsetting her bullies. Gianna decided to reconsider my circumstances. Gianna was truly exceptional.
Despite her age, I believe Gianna possesses mature thinking and a deeper awareness of the world around her. I thought I was a tough girl, but Gianna made me look weak.
"Don't worry about it," Gianna replied, jolting me out of my stupor. "Nothing happened to me. I came back whole." Gianna can grin even though everyone around her is cruel.
"I hope you can wait for me till the day I can stand up for you; I hope you never weary of understanding; I hope you never change," I said as I hugged her once more.
"I'm here, Belle, and I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, kissing my forehead.
Gianna was not only my step-sister but also one of my closest friends. Probably.