Bailey Cooper

• Michelle Vincze, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2011

Here I am again. Under the same old tree. I feel cold blood run down the side of my face and wipe it off with my sleeve. It’s not the first time. I don’t really like to talk about it but if you must know I spend most of my time getting bullied by Bruce Truckson and his crew, I guess I seem like the perfect victim I’m smart, have no friends, good amount of lunch money but mainly I think it’s my name, Bailey, Bailey Cooper; I guess you could say it’s mainly my first name that gets me bullied, Bruce finds it as a girls’ name or maybe he just has an issue with Cooper as well.

I make my way home and pretend as if everything is ok. My mum tends to over react, I guess that’s only one of the reasons my dad left her. You can always find my mum either with a beer or a cigarette in her hand, my dad was the complete opposite but I guess you could say mum has changed a lot in the past few years. I make my way up the stairs half way until my mum stops right in front of me, she blows out a puff of cigarette and says,

“What’s that on your shirt?”

“What’s what on my shirt?” I replied forgetting the blood on my sleeve,

“Oh, its paint from art class,” I said quickly,

“But you didn’t have art today sweetie,” mum said looking confused.

I hate it when she calls me sweetie.

“Wait I mean math, yea we were painting in math,” I surprisingly said,

“You paint in math?” my mum said,

“Yeah. The teachers think it’s a better way for students to learn,” I replied,

“Ok, well go to your room and change,” my mum finally said.

I ran up the stairs and into my room ignoring the pain. I knew my mum saw the scar on my face, she sees every new scar, graze or bump on my body but she never asks anymore; I think it’s because she knows I’ll make up some stupid excuse like that one you just experienced. But for all I know I still think she cares. Oh who am I kidding! She doesn’t care. Nobody cares about me! I’m even starting not to. I’m a complete nerd, a pile of rocks, a nobody! I’ll prove them wrong. Well I am a ‘nerd’ aren’t I? I’ll think of something.

I went to bed and couldn’t think of a single thing. I guess it’s just not my nature to do something... HEY wait a minute! Nature. Oh, haha. Nature. I’m pretty sure I went to bed with an evil grin on my face that night.

In the morning I didn’t pack my bag with homework. There was no room. It was filled with all the equipment I needed for todays ‘surprise’. Camera, paper, super glue, equipment to hack into the schools printer and a ticket of extreme embarrassment for Bruce Truckson.

As I entered the front gates of my school, Greenwill High, Bruce and his friends were waiting for me there as usual. They bashed me up, I got some serious bruises but that still didn’t wipe off the big smirk off my face. I could tell that Bruce thought that there was something wrong with me,

“Hey fellas, I think we hit little Miss Bailey to hard don’t you think?” Bruce said as his friends laughed.

I just kept on walking not really caring. I just couldn’t wait until lunch.

I was in class and it was 10 minutes until lunch, I asked the teacher if I could go to the toilet,

“Ok. But take your stuff with you because it’s nearly lunch,” said Mr. Davis,

“Haha, I know,” I said with the weirdest expression on my face, I think I was that excited that I really did have to go to the toilet, but that just had to wait.

I quickly went to my locker to grab my bag. I went into the boys toilets to the very last one which was the toilet that Bruce always uses. Nobody else used that toilet except for him; nobody even dared to go in there.

It was time to start my plan. I placed super glue onto the toilet seat (apparently he sits when he pees) I then took my camera out and hid in the corner where I couldn’t be seen. Beep Beep Beep Beep! There goes the bell and here goes one brilliant plan.

Bruce walked down to the very last toilet, his toilet, and locked the door. I assumed after that he sat down and did his business while he had no idea his butt was super glued to the seat. I heard a loud sound and saw water rush out from underneath Bruces toilet. He unlocked the door and I jump out taking as many photos as I could. I ran out of the toilets as fast as I could. I heard him scream in the distance,

“Oh you’ll get it this time Bailey!!!”

He also screamed a few other things but I think they are a bit inappropriate for your innocent ears.

I quickly got into the schools printer with my equipment and printed pages of the photo with the title “When Nature Calls” to put around the school.

As the nurses were taking the toilet seat of Bruces butt, I was in the principal’s office listening to all my punishments, a lecture and a phone call to my mum. When my mum arrived she was very surprised with what she heard, I never get in trouble. The principal told my mum the story, but she was still puzzled to why I did in the first place, she didn’t ask but my principal did. I just stared into space thinking that I probably shouldn’t have done it in the first place. When Bruces butt gets healed I’ll probably have the beating of my life!

“Bailey? Answer me,” my principal demanded.

I didn’t know what to say, I basically choked on my words. But I finally said,

“Bullying,”

“Yes you might as well be a bully if you do those kind of things to poor Bruce,” said the principal,

“Me the bully?! I’ve been the victim ever since I started school here! I’ve been beaten up and teased by Bruce and his friends!” I yelled.

“Well why haven’t you said anything about it before?” my mum interrupted,

“Because if I get bullied in the first place then I must be useless, why would anyone want to help me?” I replied nearly in tears.

They just looked at me. All you could hear in the background was the sound of Bruce swearing.

My principle suggested that he could go speak to Bruce and his friends. But I wasn’t so sure if it would work.

He said he would try. He said I could go back to class and thanked my mum for her time. My mum said goodbye and told my principal that she liked the whole new math and painting thing. He looked very confused.

My principal talked to Bruce and the boys the next day. I don’t know what he said but it stopped them from bashing me up, of course I got the occasional dirty looks but I also got an apology and I actually think they meant it.

From that day on my mum stopped drinking and smoking. I was more open to her and she always gave me good advice.

I also made a friend. He’s new to my school. I guess I met him because I was more focussed on life now and didn’t spend half my time at that same old tree.

I decided to go there to read a book or something. When I got there all I could see was a metal fence around it with a big pink X on the tree. It was going to get cut down. I was pretty sad but I guess you could say it was a sign, a sign that my bullying days were over.