Our present post deserves applause. Originally sparked by Anas Haider of class O’ Level, and then heavily edited by Muhammad Abu Bakar Mian, the story highlights a globally recognized problem: bullying. Keeping our scenario in view, the story is focused on school bullying, a topic on which you’ll find loads of material available on the internet. What is school bullying? In Ken Rigby’s words the answer is it has varied shapes, like: “psychological, emotional, cyber, social or physical harassment of one student by another at school or within the school community. This includes at school and within its grounds, in transit between school and home, local shopping and sporting centres, at parties or local parks and in cyberspace. The playground is the most common place for bullying to occur. Bullying involves an initial desire to hurt, this desire is expressed in action, someone is hurt, the action is directed by a more powerful person or group, it is without justification, it is typically repeated, and it is done so with evident enjoyment.” Ken Rigby (1998). See a successful use of an oxymoron in the last line: "emotional excursion".

I was shocked to find my friend Sami among the bullies of the Class

Sometimes you will find your friends doing the unimaginable. This is what happened to me when I realized Sami was a class bully. I learned that being betrayed by a friend in such a way hurts a lot more than when it’s just another person.

As far as I knew, my friend Sami was a close companion and confidant.

It was an anxious night as I sat revising for my upcoming English test. I could not have known of the horrible day that would soon follow. After a good night’s rest, I found myself in the testing room with the English paper in front of me. While solving the paper, I noticed the two students sitting behind me trying to cheat. I hid my paper from their prying eyes and did my best to pay absolutely no attention to their chatter. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that the students sitting right behind me were the bullies of the class.

These students, one of which was Sami, didn’t say anything to me as I handed my paper in. When I got home however, Sami asked me to drop by our favorite hangout spot. My mother told me to go after eating lunch, but I convinced her otherwise. Upon reaching my friend Sami, I found myself in a disheartening situation. In a fierce burst of anger, he threatened to kill me for not helping him cheat during the English exam. I asked him if there was anything I could to do make it up to him. Hearing this, he offered to forgive me if I gave him a large sum of money. Agreeing to his terms, I ran home as fast as a lion. Running into my mother’s arms, she asked me why I was gasping for air. I told her we played a lot of football and that I was exhausted. After having lunch, I went to my room and spent much of the night pondering over what I should do next. To whom should I tell my story? Suddenly, an epiphany went off in my head, and I decided to consult with my Vice Principal.

The following day, I informed my VP of the entire ordeal and the difficult situation I now found myself in. My Vice Principal suggested that I give him the money, and have the shady deal recorded on camera. That way, I would have solid proof of Sami’s blackmailing. Thankfully, everything worked out just the way we planned and Sami was expelled from the school.

If you find yourself being bullied, the best thing to do is consult someone else. It’s never a good idea to go through such an emotional excursion alone.

Anas Haider

Class O’ Levels

PakTurk International School

Chak Shahzad Campus, Islamabad