366: One Story Per Day (2024)

Day 64 - Sharp Tongues

     In Lincoln High School's cafeteria, words flew like arrows, slashing through the air with accuracy and aim. Lily stood in the thick of it all, her heart heavy from the insults shouted at her.

     "You're such a loser, Lily," Sarah mocked, her voice full of hatred as she stared at Lily from across the room.

     "No wonder nobody likes you," she added.

     Lily was stung by Sarah's remarks, her cheeks burning with humiliation as the other kids turned to gaze. She opened her lips to answer, but the words were stuck in her throat, stifled by a lump of emotion that threatened to overpower her.

     "Leave her alone, Sarah," Ethan said firmly as he went forward to defend Lily.

     "You don't know what you're talking about." he continued.

     Sarah sneered, rolling her eyes, and shifted her gaze to Ethan.

     "And who asked for your opinion, Ethan? Last time I checked, nobody cared what the school nerd had to say." Sarah remarked.

     The words struck Ethan like a punch to the chest, his cheeks also flushed with rage as he clenched his hands at his sides.

     "You think you can just say whatever you want, Sarah? Well, guess what? Words have consequences, and you're about to find out just how much." Ethan told her.

    Lily watched in surprise as the dispute heated up, the tension in the room evident as the students flocked around, hungry for a show. But as the words flew back and forth like daggers, Lily couldn't help but feel a wave of dread sweep over her—a sensation of powerlessness in the face of the verbal barrage.

     "Stop it, both of you!" said Mrs. Thompson, the school counselor, as she dashed into the cafeteria, her eyes sparkling with rage as she assessed the sight before her.

     "This is not how we treat each other at Lincoln High School. Words can be just as harmful as physical violence, and I won't tolerate it any longer," she said in a calm but intimidating manner.

     Mrs. Thompson's statements caused the room to go quiet, with the kids dropping their eyes downward in shame as they recognized the consequences of their conduct. For in that moment, they realized the power of words—their potential to raise and inspire, as well as harm and destroy.

     As Lily made her way home that afternoon, her mind raced with memories of the day's happenings. She couldn't get rid of the melancholy that lingered in her heart, a memory of the anguish inflicted by careless words said in fury.

     But a sudden realization struck her.

     "Words are just scrambled letters," she told herself.

     "Words can't hurt us unless you allow words to hurt," she added.

     Whenever someone has something to say about Lily, she will give no reaction. She realized that bullies will feed off people who react, a small thing that she kept with her until today, forty years after that realization.