Sam Phentin hurries down the hallway trying to act as casual as possible, not wanting to draw his parent’s attention as his phone blows up with rings. Walking into his room swiftly, then quickly shutting the door he puts his phone on silent and jumps onto his bed with a book.
Opening the escape from the world Sam lives in, he engages in the story that has saved in from so many hard days, Sam’s favorite book of all time.
Believe it or not, but he doesn’t even know the title. There was originally one of those covers that folded into the book, and the hard binding doesn’t have a title, or an author’s name. Though Sam doesn’t need those things. He has the plot, and that is all that is important.
***
The book is about a little girl named Amanda. She is a foster child, her foster parents are only in it for the money, and she doesn’t have many friends, always getting picked on by school mates. Amanda is alone.
Most of Amanda’s days consist of her crying in the attic where she sleeps. Weeping of the nightmare she lives in during the day. She did that quite often, that and imagine a different life. A happy one. She records her dreams in single journal. The journal that has her dreamed life, is her whole life.
This was how she lived, until one day she was done with moping around and decided to get her life started.
Amanda ended up writing a book. One about her real life compared to her dreamed one. She won a Newbery Award, and changed the lives of many people. She was an example to others and encouraged them to follow their goals and hopes.
Sam thought of himself. Sam thought of Amanda. This is the book that always kept him going. Even if it is fictional.
He closes the book and thinks if he will ever be capable of changing his life. But then his phone vibrates, he knows what it says. He knows that nobody else thinks he is capable of doing anything with his life. Is it true?
***
Sam walks into his classroom, going to his desk without saying hello to anyone, without even looking up from the ground. He hates school. Sam may be able to avoid the horrid text messages he gets at home, but there is no way he could escape the voices at school. Unless he somehow manages to convince his mother into home school. Although there is no way Sam could do that without telling people what is going on with him and the other students.
He opens his English book that was laying on his desk. On the first page is the list of owners. About five lines down in Sam’s handwriting reads, “Sam Phentin” but then in someone else’s writing it says, “will never achieve anything.”
Looking away he skips the page to their assignment and begins working, trying not to think about the words he just read. Not that they are new.
***
In Sam’s next class there is a new girl. He was deep in thought, he didn’t catch her name. Though she was pretty and wearing sweats. It isn’t the general clothes that girls at my school wear, and he truly hopes that she isn’t going to experiencing the same troubles as he.
After the final bell rings Sam slumps out the front door of the school as he does after every long day.
Walking towards the crosswalk, Sam accidently bumps into a classmate. “Sorry,” Sam says under his breath.
“Did you that you guys?” the boy asked.
Another boy answered, “I didn’t hear anything.”
“Oh. I thought I heard failure.”
Sam started walking away from the group of loud, annoying laughter. For the first time in awhile he started tearing up. He had thought that he was dry out of tears. Guess not.
Wiping them away he passes a bunch of people, leering over at him. This happens a lot, he has learned to live with it.
***
The next day Sam is called into the principal’s office. He has no idea why. He hasn’t caused any trouble, his grades are great. But even though he hasn’t done anything he still gets those nervous butterflies in his stomach.
Walking into the office, Principal Murry is sitting at his desk, and across from him sits a girl. “Please, sit down.”
Getting a closer look Sam sees that the girl is the new student in one of his classes.
“So I called you in here, because this young lady says you have been being picked on by your peers. Is this true?”
For a moment, Sam gets more nervous than ever. How would she know? She’s new. But then realizes that this could really help him. He might get his problem solved.
“Yes, it is true,” Sam replied steadily.
“That is what I was afraid of.” Principal Murry has always hated bullies. Even if they are his own students. He has wanted to be the person who has stepped in to help that person since middle school. “How long has this been going on? Tell me all about it.”
Sam starts his story, the one he has struggled with for so long. “Well it started in the beginning of sixth grade. I never got any of the answers correct when the teachers called on me. Sometimes I’d guess, or I would say ‘I don’t know.’ I thought nothing of it. Lots of people got the wrong answers.
“One day I was walking home from school when I heard someone call out, ‘Hey, Stupid.’ I didn’t know who he was talking to, so I continued walking. ‘It isn’t kind to ignore people, Know-Nothing Phentin.’ That’s when I realized he was talking to me.
“It continued, more people joining in on the constant ‘joke.’ It was more than a joke to me. It pushed me to try harder. I got good grades, I’m a straight A student now. They never stop. Now they have started texting me too. I try to ignore them, but it gets hard when you know exactly what they say.
“Now I have just learned to live with it. It is part of my life, worst of all I even started believing that it was true. That I couldn’t do anything. That is what practically all the boys have done, without any adult ever finding out.”
He huffed out a single breath. Sam has never told anyone this story. Now he has just told the principal and some girl he doesn’t even know.
“Well I am very sorry about this. You should’ve told someone. Just let me assure you that you are a bright young man, Samuel Phentin. And I am honored to have you in my school. Now, will you tell me exactly who has been saying these things?”
Naming off the cruel people one by one, Sam feels like a weight is being lifted off his back each time he says a name. Finally he has finished and is excused.
Walking out into the hall, he turns around quickly towards the girl who saved his happiness. “I’m so grateful. Nobody has ever helped me the way you have. How did you know?” Sam asks, so blissful that he could even go hug the jerks who had made him so sad.
“Well I overheard the comments those boys were saying, then I saw you crying. I thought it would be a good thing to do is go tell someone. I didn’t really want the principal to bring me in with you, but I’m glad he did.” The thing she has done for Sam was a superhero act. Sam never would have done anything himself, and I knew that she came to this school for a reason.
“I thank you again,” Sam says. “Oh. And what was your name?”
“My name’s Amanda. And don’t mention it. I hate bullies.”
Points: 261
Reviews: 20
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