Alone

• Belinda Chinnakondu, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

'Promise to always be friends?' 'promise!'. That was the promise she made to Lilian at the beginning of the year, the same promise Lilian broke only a few months later. Lilian said that she'd stand up for her, yet she never did.
When Penelope told her to sit somewhere else. Just as Penelope told another friend never to sit with them again. She knew Penelope didn't want her to sit with them; so she didn't sit with them.
At home she texted Lilian four words 'do you hate me?' 'No' was Lilian's answer. A long talk broke out between the two, an hour had passed until she decided to end the conversation.
The next day she tried her best to stay strong, yet she couldn't, tears cascaded down her face; maybe she was in the wrong, not Penelope or Lilian maybe she should have let her walls come down instead of hiding her thoughts, maybe if she told them she was feeling left-out they could have worked on including her.
After school she told her parents crying, her mother made her talk to a councillor through the phone. It didn't help.
At school the next morning a girl, Celine asked her to sit with them she refused politely and sat alone.
Her mother told her to sit with Celine, so she did. Her mother told her to defend herself (be rude to Penelope and Lilian), so reluctantly she did. That Friday Harla, another of Penelope and Lilian's friends confronted her about being rude, from then on she wasn't rude to them instead she ignored them and tried to be nice.
The next week her mother made a complaint to the principal who had never addressed the issue.
That Wednesday at recess Penelope and friends pulled her over, they told her that they wanted their friendship to be over and that everyone in their class hated her, that Daisy-who was part of Celine's group- didn't want to sit with her, she burst into tears and rushed away that day forward she didn't sit with Celine.
She explained the situation to her mother who called the year adviser who couldn't get to her that term.
The next term she asked Celine if she really wanted to sit with her, Celine responded 'I don't know'; though the response was unclear, she decided it meant Celine didn't want to sit with her. As she quietly sat for roll call that day their year advisor came in and wanted to see her, it felt like everyone was watching her.
Once they were out of the classroom she gave her year adviser a complaint letter written by her mother. They read through it together, she pointed out unnecessary and false information.
One day her year advisor told her to come to her staff room after assembly. When she got there she saw Penelope, Lilian and Harla there. Their year advisor talked to them to make sure everything was okay, then she dismissed them.

She, I reminisced, that was six years ago. I've come so far now.