One day, as Hillel and I were walking around the campus to kill time, my roommate showed up with two guys who looked like thugs. My roommate said, "Oh, if it isn't Letty, the girl who hates rap music." I said, "It's okay if I can understand the words. That's why I like Red Hot Chili Peppers. When Anthony Kiedis raps, I can understand what he's saying." She said, "Let's get her, boys!" My roommate and the thug guys charged at me. They were ready to beat me. Hillel jumped in front of me and shouted, "If you want to beat her up, you'll have to get through me!" They began beating on him. I cried, "Hillel!" He said, "Run, Letty! Run and hide!" I ran as fast as I could. I found the campus police and told them what was happening. In the blink of an eye, they rushed to the scene and pulled my roommate and her thug friends off of Hillel. He wasn't moving. My heart sank. Am I too late?, I thought. I slowly walked up to him. I knelt down beside of him and said, "Hillel, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have got you into this." I began to cry. He opened his eyes and asked, "Did the campus police take them away already?" I still had tears in my eyes. I cried, "Hillel! You're all right!" He said, "I was hoping they'd stop beating me if I acted like I was dead. I'm sorry I upset you." I said, "Don't apologize. I'm just glad you're okay." He smiled and said, "You don't have to say any prayers for the dead just yet." I said, "Hillel, you know I'm not the praying type." He said, "I know that. I'm teasing you." He put his glasses back on, which amazingly enough weren't damaged at all. He said, "You told me you're not religious at all, but you believe there's something or someone out there." I said, "Yeah." After a pause, I said, "Let's go to my car. I have a first aid kit there. I can patch up your wounds." As I cleaned and patched up Hillel's wounds, he said, "It's too bad I don't need stitches. Can I have some Lilos instead?" I laughed. "You're weird, Hillel." I affectionately teased. He said, "Well, there's nobody weird like me." We had a good laugh over that one. Later, I learned that my roommate and her thug friends were put in jail for assault. Hillel and I were relieved over that one. I had my dorm room to myself for the remainder of the semester.
TO BE CONTINUED
TO BE CONTINUED
After a long time of getting bullied, I began to consider self-harm. I confessed this consideration to Zoe and Gavin. Zoe said, "Please don't hurt yourself. It's not the answer." Gavin said, "Zoe's right. If you hurt yourself, you'll have to deal with all those scars. Why do you want to hurt yourself anyway?" I began to cry. He hugged me and said, "It's all right. You can tell me." I talked about all the bullying I was facing. Zoe said, "Alyssa, those bullies are just losers. You have family and friends who love you." Gavin said, "That's right. You don't have to hurt yourself. Any time something is bothering you, tell us." I said, "Okay." Zoe said, "If you hurt yourself, you won't be the only one who hurts. We'll be hurt, too." I said, "I don't want to hurt you all." We shared a group hug. Over the years, I gained some friends and lost some, too, but I still had Zoe and Gavin. They will be my closest friends until the end of time.
THE END
THE END