It was the end of summer vacation, I was too depressed to go to school again. Listening to the birds tweaking, I walked heavily into the classroom I was assigned. I felt miserable, but soon I recovered. It was a new start, a chance for me to erase all the memories from last year and start all over again. Last year was the worst. My best friend Robert became kept on starting fights, so I told him not to, but then he got mad at me and we weren’t friends anymore. Everybody turned their backs on me and treated me like a piece of trash. Robert had led to all this trouble, and he couldn’t see me getting well with anyone. To make matters worse, awful rumors ruined my reputation. All these bullying attacked my mental state which was shown obviously in my grades. My teacher was worried that something might have happened to me and said “Alex,if you have a problem or any worries you should let me know.” but I didn’t have the courage to tell the teacher. I was suffering all by myself afraid to ask for help.I wanted to find a way out of this nightmare. I even asked my parents if I could transfer schools but they said no.I still don’t know how I managed  to go to school every day after that incident. But here I am, now in middle school, ready to start a whole new life with a bunch of new friends. 

I stepped into the classroom and looked around. It seemed like everyone already had made few friends. I quietly sat on my seat I saw my name written on my seat ‘Alex Clive.’ I hated my name. Whenever I complained about it my parents would always say that my name is unique but it never did me any good. Because of my name the kids in the previous school made fun of my name.Every day on the corridors I could hear them whispering and laughing at me.Robert was one of them. I was thinking of the past, dreadful days when a student came up to me “Hi?”he said I looked up and saw a guy who looked very familiar.“Uh…Hi,” I replied back.” There was an awkward silence. 

“So what’s your name?”I asked. 

“My name is Elmer.”he replied 

“So…. do you want to be friends?”I asked.

“Sure”he answered.

After I met all my classmates and chatted with each other. To my relief, everyone seemed so nice,‘I wish my old class was like this.’ I thought to  myself.School couldn’t have been better than this,it was all that I had wished for.The whole month has passed in a blink of an eye.The school teachers were so kind and generous, and I had so many friends, everything has been good so far.

The day when my friends and I decided to hang out it was really cold outside.so I rushed back home to get a jacket.Then I hurriedly ran to the park(the place where we had decided to meet).On my way

to the park I heard the sounds of grunting and voices shouting. There were also sounds of heavy slapping sounds that frightened me. It recalled the awful memories of the past.I was half curious and half frightened,but I decided to follow the noiseWhen I saw the situation by a glance, I couldn’t believe my eyes.It was Robert, but not the Robert that I knew. Instead of the fierce glaring eyes and his face filled with confidence, he squatted down,crying and trying to block the fists that came into him.Although he bullied me I thought that everyone should deserve a second chance.

I also saw the ones who were hitting him.They were actually my classmates! I was really startled, so I tried to get my thinking straight. I was really confused about what was going on.

“Why is Robert getting bullied? And why are my friends there?’ So many questions refloated in my head. But soon I found that I was full of determination to stop this situation. As I learned throughout middle school, a bystander was no better than the one committing violence. After hesitating so much, finally, I stepped into the situation with a strong dedication to the violence that comes to an end.

“What are you doing? Guys, Stop.”I shouted. 

“Alex? Do you know him?” 

“Yes,he’s my childhood friend,” I said, although I didn’t really mean it.

“Well he deserved it,” my friend said in an angry tone but looked a bit sorry since I knew him.

“I’ll talk to him. Can you let him go?”I asked.

My friends left, and I was alone on the street with Robert.

“Thanks, Alex,” said Robert, breaking the silence.

“No problem.”I said.

“But why did you help me after all the things I did to you?”

“I guess I helped you because I know how being bullied feels like and I think that everybody deserves a second chance.”I said.

“Thanks and I know it’s too late to apologize but I’m really sorry for treating you like that.At first I did it as a joke,I didn’t think about your feelings,I learned my lesson.It’s ok if you don’t forgive me because I know what you suffered through.I’m really sorry.”he said as tears started to roll down his cheek.

“Thanks, that apology really means a lot to me and I forgive you.”I said.

Suddenly my phone rang.

“Dude where are you?We’ve been waiting here for 30minutes.It’s freezing here.”said Elmer when I answered the phone.I had totally forgotten about it.

“I’m Coming.”I said.

“You should go meet your friends don’t worry about me.”said Robert.

“Ok, bye Robert.”I said.

And then I quickly ran to the park.

After that me,Robert and my friends hung out and became best friends.