I couldn’t believe it. I actually had a friend. A friend!! I’d never had a friend before…it’s so cool! A week in school had passed and I was enjoying it! Ava was really nice and kind. She stood up to the horrible bullies for me and sat next to me at school. I helped her whenever she was stuck and she said she thought I was really clever. We shared lunches and played outside together. We chatted and laughed whenever we could and met up at weekends to go shopping and to the cinema and to the park. I had a sleepover at her house too! Chelsea, Amber, Lily and Joanie weren’t mean to me when Ava was around, (Though they glared at me and tossed their hair as they walked past). I didn’t mind school!

It was a Saturday and Ava had gone to a wedding or a communion or something like that. I forget where. I was at the local GAA pitch. I was going to try and get on the football team. They were having tryouts, which I thought were stupid. Why couldn’t anyone be on the team? Still, I wasn’t too bad at football, so I decided to try to get on the team. I was waiting for my turn outside the ball alley. I decided to go to the changing rooms and put on my gear as I was bored of waiting. The changing rooms were at the very top of the pitch. I strolled across the long, grassy pitch, carrying the bag which contained my gear. As I walked, I sensed something. I could hear soft footsteps behind me. I gulped and just carried on walking. The footsteps got louder and louder. The person was coming closer and closer. I started walking quickly – and soon I was

running. But the person was running too. The person grabbed me and threw me onto the ground. It was Joanie. The other girls followed her. “Think you’re safe now because you’ve got a little friend to protect you?” Joanie  spat. “Well, you’re not. You’ll never ever be safe.” She started kicking me and whacking me. The other girls joined in. I started to scream and cry. “Leave me alone!” I screamed. “In your dreams!” Lily hissed, and they continued whacking and punching me. They grabbed my bag and pulled everything out of it, flinging all my stuff into muddy puddles and tearing them. I heaved myself up while I could and tried to run but they had kicked my leg and hurt me so much I could barely walk. I got away. Somehow I got away.

At school on Monday I was terrified. What did Chelsea, Joanie, Lily and Amber have in store for me now? I walked up the steps and met Ava. We went into class together. There was no sign of the bullies. “Class!” Our principal, Mr Wright, was up in front of us. “I presume you all know Chelsea Richmond, Amber Sey, Joanie Heather and Lilian Mury?” “Yes!” We all said. “Yes. Well. Their parents have sent them to a school in America. They found out that they were bullying people in their school. So those girls will no longer be here!” Mr Wright said. I felt like jumping up and whooping. I felt like having a party. I felt like running around shouting “I’m safe! I’m safe!” But of course I didn’t. I just smiled a small smile and for the rest of the day I said silently to myself:

I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe.