Chapter 7: Bullies

Lottie: Almost there

Thomas: U’re gonna do great

Thomas: I promise

Lottie: No I’m not

Lottie: Everyone’s gonna laugh or whisper when I walk by

Thomas: Then u give them the finger

Lottie: Noo

Thomas: Cmon don’t worry, everything’s gonna be fine

Lottie: Can you text me during your breaks?

Thomas: Ofc

Lottie: (:

Thomas: Ugh baby I hate that emoji

The word had been there for the whole week now, but it still made Lottie feel good and important. Thomas wasn’t showing any signs that he would stop saying it either now that it had appeared.

“Bye,” Pauline said, jumping out of the backseat and closing the car door, starting to walk towards her friends. Lottie remained in the car though, sitting on the front seat and making no move to go.

“Honey,” Eleanor said, placing her had on Lottie’s knee. “It’s going to be okay. You can tell the teachers if somebody says something to you.”

Eleanor had been at the school last week when it had started again. Since there was video proof, the girls had been suspended for two weeks. Lottie had been at home sick for the first week and was now forced to face it again. “Okay,” she murmured, almost sure everybody would whisper when she passed them.

“Charlotte,” her mother said in her usual strict and teaching way. “Chin up, look forward. Nobody will put you down if you don’t let them to.”

“Bye,” Lottie just murmured, getting out of the car and looking at Katie for a moment (who looked sad and horrified at the same time) before lowering her head and walking towards the school. Eleanor sighed and shook her head a little, driving away with Katie still on the back seat, taking her to school now. The youngest girl was happy at least she didn’t have that uniform her sisters did. Not yet at least.

#

A week later, the girls were back at school. Lottie could see that apparently Sabrina had become to be like the other bitches now; school uniforms half buttoned open, showing off their booties and boobs—definitely stuffed full of toilet paper. They kept giving Lottie dirty glares and making the other kids around them laugh when she entered the room, whispering something. The whole week was horrible for her.

Lottie hadn’t thought she could be more self-conscious. Yet, there she was. She kept wrapping her arms around her skinny body, feeling fat. She kept tearing up in class without anyone seeing after the small paper pieces landed on her table, telling her horrible things—things that made her feel even more self-conscious about herself. She was terrified.

It was finally Friday though. When she had first entered the school that day, she had felt a bit better, hoping people would forget, hoping nobody would do anything, wishing she was home already for the weekend. Just when she had stopped texting with Thomas during her lunch break and his English class, smiling a little while walking through the half-empty hallways towards the locker rooms, she got pushed over by a girl. The two girls that weren’t even her age giggled while walking past her as she fell against a locker, hitting her head slightly. Lottie groaned and rubbed the place for a while until she reached the changing rooms.

She hated changing in front of the other girls—some skinnier, some not. She had never had friends at that school, but at least the girls had smiled to her when they passed each other. Now it seemed as if they didn’t care to do that or were too scared to stand up to the bullies. So, when Lottie entered slowly, the whole changing room became quiet, some giving her a sad look, some whispering and giggling quietly. She ignored all of them and as soon as she was ready, grabbed her bag again and went to the gym.

The class went great at first, the teacher deciding the girls should have an easy day and play soccer this time. So, they got divided into two groups, Samantha (who was also in her PE) glaring at her when being placed into the same team.

(This was only the start of her problems.)

Samantha kept running after the ball when it was clearly Lottie’s position, so the bitchy older girl got called out for it from the coach. The girl managed to make Lottie trip over her legs on purpose, which made Lottie even more uncomfortable and hurt than she was before.

So, fifteen minutes before the class should’ve ended, Lottie’s knees were bloody, the tight black sport pants her mom had approved on now had small holes in them. All the girls were sitting on the bleachers in the gym, drinking the water and resting, Lottie trying to clean her knees, while the coach was in the other corner of the big room, interrogating Samantha who looked extremely annoyed. It was clear for everybody that the girl was bullying Lottie. So, the coach finally tried to do something about it.

Lottie held her breath when everybody was told to go and keep playing now. Samantha was put back inside, looking even angrier than before. Five minutes later, Lottie goaled. She smiled when the girls actually cheered, but the nice feeling was immediately over when something hard hit her ankle. It all happened in slow motion. She saw Samantha’s foot connecting with hers, felt an enormous amount of pain and then was starting to fall. She tried to move her hands in front of her, but it was impossible, considering that the girl pushed her right after that, Lottie crashing into the same side she had before the class in the hallway.

“Crap,” Lottie cursed quietly, the girls all circling her, looking either shocked or worried—even the stupid cheerleaders who even Pauline tried to ignore.

“Out of the way,” the coach demanded, making the girls part a bit to make him way. He squatted down next to Lottie and touched the weird looking ankle, making her wince and literally push his hand away. “Miss Wilson. Principal office. Now,” he said, briefly looking at Samantha before getting Lottie to stand up. “Don’t lean on the foot,” he said, just in case, the back part of her ankle already swollen and red. “Come on.” She managed to get one of the girls to bring Lottie’s bag before helping her limp off to the nurse’s office and heading towards the principal’s himself.

#

An hour later, the principal’s office was full of people fighting. Samantha was saying she hadn’t done anything, her parents left extremely confused by the whole situation, Eleanor accusing everybody and threatening to press charges, Howard just rubbing Lottie’s back when she was silently crying, foot hurting. The principal wasn’t sure what had happened, the coach trying to explain all of it. And all of it was happening at the same time.

“Charlotte, tell us what happened,” the principal finally sighed which made everyone shut up and look towards the brunette girl.

“I don’t know,” she cried. “She kept pushing me and I kept falling and when I goaled, she hit my foot and it might be broken so can we please just go to the hospital to check on it?” she asked her parents.

“Nothing is broken, Charlotte, don’t worry,” Eleanor sighed, her main worry right now the bullying she was the victim of. “Look. I’m paying good money to your school to get my daughters the best education and a normal school life, not being bullied everyday which has made her physically sick for a couple of times already,” she scolded the director who appeared kind of shamefaced.

“I agree with your daughter, Mrs. Brown. Her ankle doesn’t look good. She can’t lean on it for walking. I recommend the hospital,” the coach said with a frown.

#

Another hour later, everyone had understood the school wasn’t going to do anything. Howard was driving the car to the hospital, Eleanor on the passenger’s seat and Lottie sitting in the back, typing away in her phone.

“Charlotte,” Eleanor scolded. “Who are you texting to?”

“I’m just leaving comments on Instagram,” she murmured, lying.

“Polite ones, I hope.”

“I’m not a bad person mom. They’re always good,” she sighed quietly.

Thomas: U okay?

Lottie: No, the coach thought my ankle could be broken and so do I

Thomas: Crap

Thomas: How hard would she hit you?

Thomas: I mean… You’re a human being ffs

Lottie: She’s just stupid

Lottie: I’m not really sure what kind of joy she gets from hurting me

Lottie: Maybe she’s a psycho?

Thomas: That doesn’t matter

Thomas: She’s a horrible person at heart

Lottie frowned at the huge greyish brown hospital she could see from her window and felt guilty, seeing that even the parking ticket was going to cost a lot probably.

Lottie: Here

Lottie: I’ll update you later

Thomas: Okay

Thomas: I hope you’re okay

Thomas: Be strong, baby

Lottie: I love you

Thomas: Love u too

#

“What are you wearing?” Pauline chuckled the first thing when Lottie entered their apartment. She was with crutches, a cast around her leg, the school uniform skirt on, accompanied by the sports shirt and the thick coat she wore during cold winters like the current one.

“She hit my ankle fucking out of the place and my clothes are what you’re worried about?” Lottie asked angrily.

“Charlotte,” Eleanor scolded once again, not appreciating the tone nor the words.

Lottie just rolled her eyes and grabbed the school bag from her father, placing it over one shoulder and with the crutches, moving forward. She managed to throw the two helpful things halfway up the stairs.

“Lottie,” Howard sighed now too, but the girl just ignored them, both hands holding onto the handrail, the right leg trying to jump one step by one.