The Bully

I looked back to see a boy taller than Leon, he seemed to be familiar to me.

"Justin..." Leon said as he rolled his eyes.

"Justin?" I whispered to myself.

Justin was the name of someone I knew in the past. A bully who treated me like nothing for 4 years straight.

At the time I didn't think we'd end up in the same school again because Sierra High was a school for students with above average grades.

I hid behind Leon so he wouldn't notice me.

"So what are you doing, Leon?" Justin said. "Who's that behind you?"

I tried to hide, but he ended up spotting my face.

"If it isn't the class nerd," he said, smiling.

I trembled and recalled what he did to me 3 years ago.

It was the first day of secondary school after summer vacation. I was walking to my locker to get ready for my next class.

"Class nerd, come here," Justin said from a distance.

I walked to him in fear.

"I need my summer homework now. You finished it, right?' He said, "You better have it or you're in trouble"

I quickly put my bag on the floor and took the homework that I finished for him last night. I've been doing his homework ever since the 4th grade. That's the year that he completely changed.

We knew each other because our parents were close. We were practically family.

I gave him the finished homework and walked away fast. I went to my class and tried to stay calm.

I did my work like I normally would and next thing I knew school was over.

I walked out of school and rushed to the gate.

While making my way to the gate I saw Justin and hesitated.

I froze.

I couldn't move because he was there with a couple of his friends, holding bats. I was scared.

I walked back slowly, thinking that he wasn't looking at me.

"Hey Nerd! Why don't you come here? Now." He retorted.

I walked towards him.

When I was in front of him, I saw that he was furious.

"Why were all the answers on the homework wrong?!" He said while throwing the homework sheet to my face.

I was trembling like crazy.

"I don't know.. " I said trembling, "I even rechecked them! They shouldn't be wrong"

I didn't think that the teacher already knew he wasn't the one doing his own homework.

He pushed me to the floor and kicked me. Everyone walking by just ignored what was happening. They didn't want to be the next target of the school bully.

The only thing I remember was being hit, over and over again.

Bruises that wouldn't fade away, haunting the way I see myself in the mirror.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital with a concussion and severe bruising. After that my parents decided to homeschool me for two years. And seing him again in High School, I didn't know what to do.

I thought that I got over it but it felt like I still had this feeling of fear in me.