Chapter 17 : Allies and Apologies
The days following Samantha’s intervention felt different. It was like the school itself had shifted, as though the atmosphere around me had been lifted by the mere presence of someone standing up for me. There was a sense of balance, a feeling that I was no longer trapped in the same cycle of fear and isolation.
Samantha’s actions didn’t just stop with the confrontation in the classroom. Over the next few weeks, she consistently kept an eye out for me, whether it was walking to class, sitting next to me during lunch, or just giving a nod of encouragement when we crossed paths in the hallways. It didn’t go unnoticed by others.
Soon, the whispers began to change. Instead of hearing the usual taunts or side glances that had once followed me wherever I went, I started hearing more subtle things. Compliments. “She’s actually kind of cool.” “Serena’s been hanging out with Samantha a lot lately.” There were even a few smiles from students I had never even spoken to.
It didn’t happen overnight, but slowly, the school’s opinion of me began to shift. The isolation I had felt for so long started to fade.
However, as this new dynamic unfolded, it didn’t take long for the bullies to notice. Felicia，Rachel and Ivy, once so confident in their ability to make me feel small, now found themselves on the back foot. They had always been the ones with the power—the ones with the ability to make others cower, to twist people into submission. But now they couldn’t do that anymore.
It was during a particularly busy lunch hour when things came to a head. Samantha and I were at our usual table, sharing ice cream and laughing with a few other classmates who had started to gravitate toward us. It was nice to finally have a group, a sense of belonging that I hadn’t felt in so long. Elodie joined us shortly after, and we all chatted like we had been friends for years.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Felicia, Rachel and Ivy walking toward us, their steps deliberate, their faces unreadable. They had been avoiding us for days, but now they seemed to have made up their minds about something.
Felicia approached our table, her eyes scanning us as she took a deep breath, almost as if preparing for some sort of grand statement. “You think things have changed?” she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. “You think just because you’re hanging around Samantha, you’re better than everyone else now?”
There it was again—the same venomous tone, the same need to tear me down.
Samantha even didn’t flinch. She didn’t even give Felicia the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead, she simply stood up, her posture confident, her eyes locked onto Felicia’s. “No, Felicia,” Samantha said calmly, “I don’t think I’m better than anyone. But I do think you’re wasting your time trying to bully people who have found their own voice.”
Felicia’s face flushed, her anger growing, but Samantha wasn’t backing down. “And I’m not the only one who’s had enough of you. People are getting tired of your act, Felicia. You’ve lost your grip on this school, and you can’t force everyone to fear you anymore.”
I could see Felicia’s facade cracking, her usual smugness replaced by irritation. She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. Ivy, standing behind her, just looked uncomfortable, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“You’re irrelevant now,” Samantha continued, her voice still calm but with an edge of finality. “And if you try to mess with us again, we won’t let it slide.”
Felicia’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought she might try to argue, but instead, she simply huffed and turned on her heel, marching away. Ivy followed behind her, casting a brief, uncertain glance over her shoulder at us. The tension that had filled the air dissipated as quickly as it had arrived.
But there was something more to the scene than just the bullies retreating.
As Felicia and Ivy left, I noticed Teresa, who had been quietly sitting at the back of the cafeteria, watching everything unfold. She had always been a follower of Felicia’s, too scared to stand up against the bullying. But today, there was a change in her posture, a shift in the way she was looking at us.
Teresa stood up from her seat, her usual hesitation replaced with a quiet determination. She walked over to our table, and for a moment, I thought she might be coming over to join in with Felicia and Ivy. But she didn’t.
“Hey,” Teresa said softly, her voice surprisingly gentle. “I…I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I want to apologize. To you, Serena. And to Elodie. What Felicia and Ivy did to you guys—it wasn’t right.”
I blinked in surprise, not sure if I had heard her correctly. “What do you mean?” I asked cautiously.
Teresa shifted uncomfortably, her eyes downcast. “I was part of it. I stood by, didn’t say anything. But after seeing all of this today, I can’t keep doing that. I don’t want to be like them anymore.”
I exchanged a quick glance with Samantha, then with Elodie, both of us unsure of what to say.
Samantha, ever the calming presence, spoke up. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Teresa. What matters is that you’re choosing to do better now.”
Teresa gave a small nod, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just wanted you to know I’m sorry. I… I’d like to be friends, if you’ll have me.”
There was a brief silence before Elodie smiled warmly. “We’d be happy to be friends, Teresa.”
And just like that, something unexpected happened. Teresa, once one of Felicia’s loyal followers, had stepped away from the crowd of bullies and joined our side. Slowly, with time, she proved that her apology was sincere. She became one of our quiet supporters, always there when we needed her, but never making a spectacle of it.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride for her. And for us.
The bullies were losing their grip on us. They could no longer control us, and that alone was a victory.
