Bullying: Friends with Stars. A Little Mix and Demi Lovato story

Chapter 4

Aliyah's point-of-view:

I couldn't believe what Gianna said. Calling my parents dangerous? That's not true. Madison and Jackie know that that's not true. They've been to my house a few times over the years, so they've met my parents. They have seen what my parents use in their jobs. After I did my homework, I decided to take a break before working on my PowerPoint. How do I take a break? By lying on my bed and listening to music for 15 minutes. You might be wondering what type of music I listen to. Well, I mostly listen to Demi Lovato and Little Mix. Why? Because their music has inspirational messages about staying strong when things get tough, and that if you're getting bullied or something, that you're not alone. I often imagine meeting either of them, or maybe even both of them! How exciting would that be? Anyway, after giving my brain a chance to refreash, I got onto my laptop and continued working on my PowerPoint.

With the information I got from the articles, I was able to work on my PowerPoint. However, I still felt like it was missing something. I included how bullying made me feel, and included space to interview other people and see how it made them feel. I felt like I needed more information on this, so I decided to write down ideas as to what to look up for tomorrow. At dinner, I told my dad what happened, and he was angry. "I don't understand why people judge because of looks," he said. "Yeah," I agreed. "You always tell us 'not to judge a book by its cover', and it bothers me to see that." Amber tapped on my shoulder. "What does 'not judge a book by its cover' mean?" she asked me. "It means that you shouldn't judge someone because of how they look," I told her. "Your sister's right. Someone might look different, but that doesn't mean you should say bad stuff about them," added Mom. I sighed. "This whole thing with Gianna is kinda driving me crazy. She keeps going after me, no matter what," I sighed. "I'm sure that this will be the last time this happens. She did get detention for the rest of the month," Mom said. "I know, but still. I still have this feeling like she's gonna keep coming after me," I replied.

"Let's get some sleep. Today is done. Tomorrow is a new day," said Dad. After I took a shower and brushed my teeth, I put on my pajamas and waited for my parents to kiss me goodnight. After my parents kissed me goodnight, I was just falling asleep when I had a nightmare. I was at school, about to go down the stairs to lunch, when I felt someone push me. I grabbed onto the rungs and screamed for help, but no one came. Then the next thing I knew, I felt my fingers being released, one by one. I opened my eyes to see that it was Gianna. Jackie and Madison were there with her. They looked at me and said: "Black and white people aren't meant to be friends." I fell to the ground, thanks to my heavy backpack, and broke my neck. That's when I woke up. I couldn't scream or cry. I was completely paralyzed. I could barely sleep after that.

The next day, after putting on my clothes, I had breakfast. As I was eating, my parents could see that something was bothering me. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Mom asked. "I...I...I had a bad dream," I told her, before telling her what happened. "Oh, dear. My poor darling!" Mom cried, hugging me close to her. "You really don't think that it'll happen, do you?" I asked Dad. "I don't think so. Madison and Jackie are your best friends. I know that they'd never hurt you," he replied. I hugged him, and went upstairs to brush my teeth.

After Mom helped me put on my backpack, I hugged her and Dad so tightly that I didn't want to let go. When they asked me why, I told them that I was scared to get on the bus because I was afraid sit with Madison and Jackie. Mom told me to sit somewhere else, or to sit with Madison and Jackie and tell them about my dream.

I was afraid to do so, but I realized that from our conversation the other day, that talking about things that scare us make us feel better, so I agreed to tell them. I walked over to my bus stop on the corner, and waited for the bus. Once Ms. Garcia arrived, I took my seat beside Madison, behind Jackie. I was scared, but I remembered how much they cared about me. I took a deep breath and told them about my dream.

They hugged me tight and promised me that they would never do anything like that to me. "Really?" I asked. "Really," said Jackie.  As we waited for the school to open, I listened to Demi Lovato and Little Mix again. I especially liked Demi's song 'Skyscraper' and Little Mix's songs 'Wings' and 'Change your Life'. I was listening to the music, quietly humming along, when the doors to the bus opened, and everyone was let out. When I walked into the building, I saw Mr. Donovan sitting on one of the tables in the cafeteria, and called me over to go with him into his office. 

I asked him what was up, and he told me that Gianna was suspended for the day, and won't be coming back until Monday. I was very relieved, but told him about my dream. "It was only a dream. I'm sure that it won't happen," he told me. "Thank you, sir," I said. "How's that presentation of yours coming along?" Mr. Donovan asked me. "Good. Just need some more research, and it'll be done by Monday," I said. "Great. I look forward to seeing it," he told me. 

I hoped that with Gianna gone, that the bullying would stop. Boy, was I wrong. The bullies would take the students' lunchboxes, knock their books out of their hands, and purposefully trip them. I asked the African Americans how it feels to be bullied. They all had the same answers. They would mainly feel:

-Angry

-Sad

-Isolated

-Scared

"Scared to tell?" I would ask them. They all said yes, and that they were being threatened again. That's when I was even more motivated to make a change with this. There was no way I was going to let Gianna and the other bullies get away with this. After school, I went back to Mrs. Adams, and went to do more research. We found a great article about what causes someone to bully, the effects it has on the victims, and another article about what teachers, students, and parents can do to help. 

Mrs. Adams was sure that I had enough research for my presentation. I had the two articles that I had previously, and she put them and the others we found in order, to help me get a better picture of how my presentation is going to look. I understood perfectly, thanked her, and hugged her. Just then, Mom texted me, saying that she was outside waiting for me. "How'd it go today?" she asked me as I got into the car.

"Well, I have good news, and I have bad news. The good news is that Gianna was suspended today. The bad news is that even with her gone, the African Americans are still getting bullied," I told her. Mom sighed. "This bullying has got to stop," she said with a shake of her head. "I know. Mrs. Adams said that I have all the information I need to put my PowerPoint together. It should be ready by Monday," I replied. "It's good that you want to help. And that you don't really let all of this bother you," Mom said proudly. 

"I'm glad too. I have Demi Lovato and Little Mix to thank for that. Their music has inspired me to become a great person. Always helping people who are in a situation like mine," I said. I heard a snicker, and I looked up to see Mom trying to hold in her giggles. "What's so funny?" I asked her. "It's funny that you should mention Demi Lovato," she told me. "Why?" I asked, confused. "Because you're going to meet her!" Mom cried