Rose Young was scurrying down the hall, eyes cast down and books clutched tight. She didn’t pay much attention to the sharp chitter chatter of her hundreds of classmates as she tiptoed quickly down the stairs, like a rabbit on the run. Math class, math class, she had to get to math class and she simply couldn’t be late again. Last time she got lost and had to run in late. And everyone was staring. She was so out of place, and she knew it too. But she just wanted to sit quietly in her desk in the corner. She heard the other girls, the mean ones with makeup drawn thickly over their raccoon eyes, would snicker at her and point at her. Rose knew her pastel dresses and little hats with tights and shoes to match didn’t fit in with the mini skirt and boots style, but Rose liked her clothes.
Rose took a sharp right, and then a smooth left, almost to her destination. She was sure she was going the right way this time in this new maze of a school. She wrinkled her nose and pushed her glasses back into place as she quietly scurried into the room with the desk in the corner. She adjusted the pale blue ribbon that held up her thin ebony colored hair. She chewed quietly on the tip of her eraser that sat upon her worn pencil. It was one of her writing pencils that had been used so many times that it felt as weak as a straw. She could probably break it if she wanted to, even with her small dainty little hands.
She pulled her decorative blue coat with lace edges tightly around he thin shoulders as she watched and waited for the other classmates to enter. She bit her lip and focused her ears on the topics of the day. They led such interesting lives, she thought. She wished one of them would greet her. Rose knew she was new here but she hoped maybe one of them would notice her. Even if it was one of the nasty raccoon girls. Bad attention was better than no attention anyway.
Brock Jameson had won the basketball game for the team last night and we beat Washington high sixteen to two! Did you hear about Kendra? She’s totes preggers. I can’t go today Missy, I’m grounded again. No, no it wasn’t because of that. But Mike, I wasn’t with him on Tuesday! I told you I was at the dentist appointment. Oh my god, Samantha Winston is such a loser. She wore plaid…plaid. Crap, dude I totally failed that test. Well of course you didn’t you cheated. There’s a pep assembly today, wanna ditch Parker?
Through all this mindless gossip, Rose’s ears picked up when she heard what she had been waiting for. She didn’t care about Kendra being pregnant or what jock won the game or even why Samantha Winston was a bigger loser than her. She was listening for one thing. And it came, just like it always did ever since she started school here two weeks ago.
”There’s that little Asian girl again. She looks like a doll,” snickered the ever raccoon eyed Nikki Pond. Rose knew her name, for Nikki was notoriously known for being a jerk. She wore tight clothes, shorter than anything Rose would dare be caught in. Rose didn’t like the snarky brunette. Not one bit. Rose had even created a character for her in her writing. She was the nastiest brat Rose could create on paper. It was too bad Nikki was a reality though. Nikki had always been mean to Rose, ever since the first day. She would gossip about her, trip her, and dump her food. And Rose was so done with that.
The class began and the students reluctantly took their seats. Rose opened up her notebook, already covered in writing and had a serious lack of any math problems. Rose was tired of her new school. The people were so mean to each other and so horrible. And everyone just let people like Nikki step all over them. Rose usually shied away from confrontation, but she knew that everyone else in the school did too. But she still wished she would be noticed, and not just because of some snide comment about her clothes or her soft barely audible voice.
The more Rose thought about it, and the more she lacked attention for math, she figured someone ought to take a stand. She figured, she wanted to be noticed. She wanted to be remembered for once instead of being the shy girl in the corner. She wanted people to know her name gosh dangit. She nervously bit her eraser again though and smoothed out her light blue dress. She couldn’t do that though. Not the idea she had thought of. It was too risky. People would stare. She wouldn’t be forgotten this time.
It was a chance she was willing to take though. She couldn’t stand Nikki’s harassment anymore. The doll comment had put her over edge. She was a person, a living breathing person. Her thin frame shook with anger. Nikki was mean to everyone, even her own friends, and it had to stop. Silently, Rose stood up in her seat in the back of the corner, wringing her small delicate hands in front of her. She scurried up to the front of the room where Nikki sat. She stood patiently in front of the girl’s desk. Nikki didn’t even glance up as she texted on her iPhone oblivious to the class being taught and the girl standing in front her.
“Ahem, Rose take your seat please…” the teacher called. A look of curiosity sparked on the teacher’s face though. And a bit of worry. This teacher knew Nikki and she knew Rose. She knew something was off and trouble was about to begin. You could see it in her wrinkled puzzled forehead. The teacher knew how sweet little Rose was though. She wasn’t worried about Rose; she was worried about that awful Nikki Pond being mean to the poor fragile mouse of a girl.
“Oh, um, in a minute Mrs. Jones. I’m sorry, please…please give me a minute,” Rose squeaked, blinking rapidly. The teacher strained to hear her but sat down in her seat and watched the girl with no voice as she begins to speak.
“Nikki, um excuse me….” Rose said, barely above a whisper. The girls head snapped up, her stick straight hair whooshing behind her head. She gave a sneer at the small presence of a girl in front her. But then a smirk appeared on her face, as if she was thinking something evil behind that devious lips-sticked covered smile.
“What?” she snapped, tapping her manicured fingers on the desk. The rest of the class stopped their work and their whispering and their texting. They stood twenty four pairs of eyes, now on the most popular devil and the most forgotten girl. Rose straightened her posture, smoothed down her dress one more time, and cleared her throat.
“I think you’re mean.” She started, and her confidence started to build. “I think you’re awful and rude and make everyone else feel like they don’t belong here. You bully people and break them down. You talk trash even about your closest of friends. Kendra Monroe, yes even you. Miss Pond has been spreading rumors that you’re pregnant…” a collective gasp was heard around the room. Kendra, the best friend, stood up and strolled over to Nikki. A furious look was on her face while Nikki’s remained neutral. She cussed her out, turned on her heel, and walked out of the room. Now Rose had their attention. She wouldn’t let Nikki stop her this time.
“I think you’re so mean because you’re insecure. You’re vulnerable about yourself and don’t believe you can get anywhere unless you step on people. But I hear everything you say. I know everything about you. I guess you always forget the wallflower, the doll, the girl in the corner don’t you? Well I’m here and I listen. You’re a cruel person Nikki. And you’re not going to get anywhere in life. Good luck even getting into college with those last three exams you cheated on. And to be honest, I feel pity for you. You’re nothing more than a mean girl. Maybe someone was mean to you and made you this way. But Nikki, if you don’t stop now you’re going to do some permanent damage. Stop being a bitch and grow up.” Rose took in a big deep breath and shuddered. She had never spoken that loud. The room was silent. Nikki was silent with a permanent scowl drawn out across her face.
“That is all. Thank you,” Rose squeaked. The room broke out in applause. Rose gave a shy smile and ran from the room. It felt good. She was heard. She had an opinion. People were happy with her for finally giving out what Nikki always deserved. Rose wasn’t the china doll in the corner.
She had a voice, and she wasn’t going to let anyone step on her ever again.
