The school bus reached school and as the bus packed for the students to come out of it, Manny's fear intensified.
He was happy to resume school. Yes, he would meet up with his friends and do everything they had planned to do and meet up with the ones they did not do earlier.
But the bullies that would not let him rest broke his heart when he thought of them. They would come to disturb and mock him again. If only he could pull them from his back. He would be very grateful.
He alighted from the bus and his brother, Otis, joined his friends while he came down slowly and grudgingly.
Otis was a very happy child. Unlike Manny, he was kind to animals and caring. He was six years old. He also had blonde hair and blue eyes, and he smiled a lot.
"Bye Manny!" Otis greeted Manny as he hugged him and went into the school building.
Manny did not reply to him but still continued with his grudging attitude.
Manny's friends came to the parking lot and they hugged each other. Immediately he saw his friends, his spirits lifted, and he hugged them with so much happiness in him.
The sight of his friends, the trio he had known since kindergarten, lifted his spirits. His laughter echoed through the morning air.
"Hey guys!" He exclaimed as he pulled them into a hug. The three boys were each distinct in their physical appearance, and they returned his embrace with happiness.
They were equally bullies like him. There was Tommy, the cheerful one with a round face. He was plump and giddy. His weight never seemed to slow him down, and he was always the life of the party.
Then there was Ethan. Ethan was the lanky friend with a sharp mouth and had a love for books. He was the Einstein and the wise one of his friend's group. His frame was slender as a stick, but his mind was sharp as a sword.
And finally there was Ben. He was faint with a gentle heart. His height often intimidated others, but his friends knew him to be a kind and gentle soul.
As they caught up on the latest news, they couldn't help but compliment each other and also keep up with each other's achievements for the holiday.
"Tommy you're looking fat these days," Ethan remarked as he eyed his friend's figure. He did not really compliment him. He was mocking him.
Tommy grinned. "Thanks, my friends, I've been hitting the gym a bit."
The whole group burst into laughter.
Ben chuckled, "and you, Ethan, you're a walking dictionary. Your brain is literally bigger than your body."
The group erupted in laughter again.
"Thanks everyone. I've got to have something going on for me at least.
Manny joined in the banter, "And you, Ben, you're like a skyscraper. I bet you can see the whole city from there."
Ben laughed, his deep voice booming through the courtyard. "Maybe someday, I'll try."
Their laughter was cut short as a group of bullies approached. The bullies were led by a menacing boy named Jake. And they screamed at the group of four boys.
Just as Manny was cruel to animals and insects, Jake was a menace to Manny and his friends. Manny dreaded going to school because of him. He had been tormenting Manny and his friends since he was younger.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the four musketeers. What a pathetic sight," Jake sneered.
His allies, a group of equally unpleasant individuals, joined in the mockery.
One of them pointed at Tommy, "hey fatty, it seems you've gained weight again."
Tommy's face flushed with embarrassment. "Leave me alone," he muttered.
Ethan stepped forward, "that's not very nice. We are just trying to have fun."
Jake's eyes narrowed. "Fun? You call this fun? Let's play a game. Do you miss me bullying you?"
Manny stood at the side, watching all of this foolishness unfold. He wanted to join in and say something, but he knew he was the weakest in the group.
Before Manny could intervene, Jake lunged at Ethan and knocked him to the ground. The other bullies joined to kick in and punch at the helpless boy.
Ethan was just tall and lanky for nothing.
Manny's heart shook in his chest. He knew he had to do something, but he was afraid of what Jake and his gang would do to him.
As he hesitated, he saw a flash of anger in Tommy's eyes. The huge boy has had enough.
With a roar, Tommy charged at Jake, his fists were flying wildly. The bully was taken aback by the sudden charge and stumbled backwards. Tommy continued to punch him, his anger fueling his strength.
The other bullies, seeing that their leader was in trouble, rushed to his aid. But Tommy was relentless. He fought with a strength that surprised everybody.
As the fight continued, Manny and Ben stood by, watching in horror. They wanted to help, but they were too afraid to get involved.
Mrs Jane the bee and Perrie watched the fight from the big screen monitor in the beehive. "So he only has strength when it comes to tormenting animals and not to defend himself and his friends. What a loser!"
Finally, a teacher arrived on the scene and broke up the fight. She sent the bullies off.
"You know what?! I'll be nice to you because today is the first day of school, and I'm sending all of you home. Go home!"
"But, ma'am, the bullies came and started to attack us. They are the ones that deserve to go home and not us!" Ethan shot back.
He was a nerd and he loved school. He could not afford to miss even one day of school for anything.
The teacher's face looked stern and strict. She refused to listen to their plea and went ahead to threaten them.
"Okay, how would you love for me to involve the principal in this? I can see you would love to be suspended or, worse, expelled for starting a fight in the middle of the parking lot on the first day of school!
What kind of impression do you want to give others about us?
The bullies picked up Kake and dusted his clothes.
"It's okay ma'am, we will go," one of them said.
Manny and his friends picked up Tommy and dusted his clothes too.
"Let's look at the bright side, friends. Today is a good day for us to go cool at the pond. The roads would be ours, and I saw a really inviting wasp hive. We can attack and have some fun," Ben, the tallest friend in the group suggested.
That was right! It had been a long time, Manny had not cooled off in the pond. A nice sw
im in the cool pond and a nice game with the toads would not be bad.
Who cares about school anyway?