Yuna suppressed a groan seeing the trio of girls approaching as she stood at her locker between classes. Led by Tina, the school's resident mean girl, they had made tormenting Yuna their new favorite hobby over the past weeks.
It started with "accidental" elbow jabs and shoulders knocking her books from her hands as they walked by in the crowded hallway. When Yuna didn't react to the physical bullying, they moved on to whispering and laughing loudly as they imitated her shy, reserved mannerisms when teachers weren't looking.
No matter how hard Yuna tried to ignore them, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead, their cruel antics and malicious energy was relentless. She could feel their glares on her back, hear their snickering at her expense day after day.
"Oh no, is the freak going to go cry in the bathroom again?" Tina taunted loudly as they surrounded Yuna by the lockers. Heat rose in Yuna's cheeks, but she remained silent, willing them to just move on to their next class and leave her in peace for once.
But when Yuna didn't take their bait by reacting, Tina knocked the heavy textbooks and notebooks she was holding right out of her arms, sending them scattering haphazardly across the hallway floor. The girls cackled with glee as Yuna's face burned with humiliation. She crouched slowly to gather her belongings back up as students streamed around her, too intimidated to meet anyone's eyes.
This cruel game went on week after agonizing week, with Tina and her two devoted followers finding new ways to make Yuna's life at school miserable each day. They slipped demeaning notes and name-calling into her locker slots and loudly made fun of her faded, secondhand clothes when standing near her.
Each nasty, unjust act gradually chipped away at the self-confidence and sense of inner peace Yuna had slowly started rebuilding after all the trauma she had endured over the past year.
Yuna hid the full extent of the targeted bullying from Nick, not wanting to worry or burden her best friend who had already sacrificed so much to support her recovery. But the hopeful light that had finally started returning to her eyes after moving in with Nick's warm, loving family dimmed again bit by bit under this relentless torment.
Nick soon noticed the changes in Yuna's demeanor as she became more withdrawn and anxious, a ghost of the vibrant girl who had emerged after her facial surgery. His concern for his dear friend's welfare finally outweighed Yuna's pleading requests to just let the bullying go and ignore it.
Stepping in, Nick planted himself firmly by Yuna's side in the crowded school hallway between each class, sending a clear, intimidating message for the mean girls to keep their distance from his friend. When Tina attempted to still approach Yuna and mock her stuttering speech one day, Nick yelled loudly at her to back the hell off, causing a scene that echoed through the stunned hallway.
After that heated confrontation, Tina and her friends finally stopped the overt public harassment of Yuna, though they continued glaring at her resentfully from across classrooms and the cafeteria. Heart swelling with immense gratitude for Nick's constant support and protection, Yuna hugged him tightly. Together, she knew without a doubt they could withstand anything.
Nick made a point to walk Yuna directly to and from each class now, keeping a close, watchful eye out for any signs of potential threats or bullying directed her way. Teachers noticed the positive change in Yuna's overall demeanor as the constant stress of being tormented at school finally lifted from her shoulders. She slowly began blossoming again emotionally now that her loyal friend Nick kept her safe.
Of course the sting of Tina's cruelty and manipulation still ached inside Yuna's tender heart, dragging her back to those awful helpless childhood moments of being friendless and vulnerable. But Nick's stalwart, non-judgemental support kept her from crumbling under the pain, reminding her of how much inner strength she had slowly gained since those dark times.
Though shadows from her traumatic past continued lurking, waiting to pull her back, the small hopeful light inside Yuna prevailed and grew stronger with her protective best friend Nick constantly by her side. His friendship was the lifeline pulling her forward each day, further and further away from the clawing grip of painful memories and toward the bright promise of happiness that awaited ahead.