You're Safe Now

• Kezia Jane Willcox, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2018

My name is Lily Williams and this is a part of my story.
"Hey red head come here we want to tell you something," laughed Tony.
I tried to walk away but they wouldn't let me. They pulled me by my arm and slapped me.
"We told you to come here!" Tony yelled at me in my face. "You know your fat and ugly right, huh, did you hear me!"
Tony is the leader of his group and if anyone annoys him or looks weird or even acts weird, he slaps and punches them. The teachers never see him do it because he does it after school. My mum died when I was 2 and I didn't know her very well, but from what my dad tells me, she was amazing! I live with my dad and he is amazing, he's like a superhero.
"Let me go!" I say in an annoyed tone.
Billy, one of Tony's friends punch me in my stomach and it hurts so much, I almost vomit. Luckily, they all start laughing and I have time to slip away out of their reach. I am a really fast runner so they can't catch me. I don’t tell my dad what they do to me, he already has a lot on his plate. The next day I go to school and try to tell the Principal that Tony and his friends are bullying people.
"We can't suspend Tony until we have some evidence Lily," said Miss Gale with a sorrowful look on her face.
"I have evidence," I say quietly with my head down.
"What?! How?" says Miss Gale in shock.
I lift up my top and show her the bruises from last night. She stands there looking horrified. Miss Gale starts tearing up. She leaves me in her office. I don’t know where she is going, maybe she is going to get the nurse? Ten minutes later Miss Gale arrives back with Tony, Billy, Anderson, and Joey. She asks them if they did it and all of them said no, apart from Anderson. He says exactly what happened and when it happened. I am shocked. Anderson said he felt bad for what happened and that he wants to be punished. Miss Gale suspends all of them at once. They all leave angrily, apart from Anderson. He leaves happy with himself for what he just did.
Miss Gale looks at me with kind eyes and says, "Lily, you're safe now."