Falling For The Girl I Bullied
Chapter 12

Violet’s P.O.V.

I threw myself on the bed and closed my eyes. I was hell tired and wanted to sleep so badly. The whole day had taken a toll on me. The embarrassment that Sia inflicted on me by tearing down my top in front of the whole school was still afresh inside my mind. It was really bad having no strong background in this world where power is everything. Sia could do anything that she wished because of her strong family background. Kyle and other boys could bully me as they like because of their strong families. I was nothing in front of them because I was just an orphan, the weakest link in the society.

I didn’t know why Noah saved me but I was really grateful to him. The last night, Ethan and the other boys saved me from all those drunken men and today, Noah saved me from Sia. I knew that today’s incident had created so many enemies for me but I was not afraid of them. All those girls who had a crush on Noah and Kyle were now enemies and I knew that they would torment me from now on. They didn’t know that I was their favourite toy and they didn’t want anyone to play with me and that was the only reason that they saved me from time to time. Now almost half of the school was ready to show me my place there. I didn’t know how long would I be able to stand up against them but I needed to stay strong to finish this year.

Suddenly I jerked open my eyes when I heard the doorbell. I looked at the time on my phone and narrowed my eyes. It was already past nine and I clearly remembered that I was not expecting any visitors tonight, not this time of the night. I stood up when I heard the second bell and walked towards my window. I opened my window and looked down to see who was at the door. My eyes widened in shock when I saw Dustin standing at my door front while tapping his foot on the ground impatiently. Without wasting a second, I ran out of the room after closing the window and reached the main door downstairs in no time.

I opened my door while panting harshly. Dustin stopped pressing the bell for the third time. “Hey, Carter”, he greeted me with a wide smile but jerked his head back when he saw my condition. “Wh… what are you doing here?” I asked him in between my pants. Before he could reply to me, I saw Mrs Hank standing behind me with a concerned look. “Violet…. Dear… do you need some help?” she asked me and Dustin looked behind him in surprise. “Sorry to disturb you all, ma’am…. But I really need Violet’s help in my maths assignment”, he answered her in a very polite way and then looked back at me.

“You know Mr Harold, Violet. He would hang me tomorrow if I fail to submit my assignment”, he pleaded to me making a very innocent puppy face. It was true though. Mr Harold could do this and I almost imagined Dustin hanging in the air. “Violet”, I looked at Mrs Hank who was still standing now beside Dustin with the same look while eyeing him. “This is already late, Dustin. You should have asked me in school or after school”, I said in a calm tone. I didn’t want him to refuse my help but he should understand my condition here. “For that, I went to the diner but you were busy there. I didn’t want to disturb you at your workplace so I came here and wait for you”, Dustin told me innocently still having that innocent face.

“Mrs Hank…. I think… Thomas and Daisy also asked me to help them with their assignments when I was going to school. If they are awake… please tell them to come here”, I asked Mrs Hank in a polite tone. “Yeah, sure, honey… I will send some snacks for you guys too”, she replied to me with a smile and then looked back at Dustin. “It should be related to study, boy”, she almost threatened him taking him off guard. I pursed my lips into a thin line to suppress my laughter. My neighbours were very loving and protective towards me and that was why I always felt safe living among them.

“Mrs Hank…. I think… Thomas and Daisy also asked me to help them with their assignments when I was going to school. If they are awake… please tell them to come here”, I asked Mrs Hank in a polite tone. “Yeah, sure, honey… I will send some snacks for you guys too”, she replied to me with a smile and then looked back at Dustin. “It should be related to study, boy”, she almost threatened him taking him off guard. I pursed my lips into a thin line to suppress my laughter. My neighbours were very loving and protective towards me and that was why I always felt safe living among them.

She went away and I stepped aside giving Dustin space to come inside. “Your neighbours are very protective to you, Carter”, he commented while coming inside. I didn’t reply to him because he would never understand how difficult it was for me to live alone all these years after my grandmother’s death. I left the door opened because Thomas and Daisy were also about to come. I was so tired but now I had to stay awake because I couldn’t say no to Dustin because of Mr Harold. “Wow…. You really have a good home, Carter. It gives a homey feeling”, Dustin commented once again with a chuckle while looking around in the living room.

I looked around with blank eyes as his comment made me miss my grandmother more than I already did. She made this place a home for me. Now, I came back to this empty place every night hoping to see her sitting on the love seat waiting for me but all I got was disappointment and loneliness. “Sit down, Carter….. your Thomas and Daisy will be here soon and I really wanted to finish this assignment as soon as possible”, I came out of my trance when Dustin spoke once again. I took a deep breath and then sat down beside him on the couch. He took his notebook and the book out of his bag and put them on the centre table in front of us.

“I have already finished these questions. If you want to …. You can copy them”, I told him in a low tone while looking at the questions of the assignment. “Violet”, before he could answer me, I heard Thomas’s voice and looked in the direction of the door. Thomas and Daisy were twins and twelve years old. Both of them were very mischievous but adorable. I liked to spend my weekends with them. All the kids in my neighbourhood played with me on the weekends if I am free. They loved being with me and I also loved their company. Daisy closed the door behind me and they rushed towards me. I raised my brows at them curiously because they came to me running.

“Violet…. Can we watch TV in granny’s room?” Thomas pleaded to me as soon as he reached near me. “What?” I asked him in confusion while shrinking my eyes. “We want to watch The Conjuring and you know our mom”, they told me the reason for their request truthfully. I gulped hard when I realized that they wanted to watch a horror movie. “We promise that we keep the voice low as you two are studying here”, Daisy immediately promised me in her sweet voice making me unable to say no to their request. She was really a sweet girl with those lovable blue eyes. I took a deep breath helplessly. “Okay…. But don’t raise the sound”, I gave up in front of them and they immediately cheered. They put down their bags beside the couch and the bowl of snacks that they brought with them on the centre table beside the math book before running towards grandma’s room.

“Are all the kids in your neighbourhood like this?” Dustin asked me while looking at their retreating figure. “Yeah… they love to play with me and often watch their favourite shows or movies here when their parents refused to let them see”, I told him truthfully in a light tone. “It’s good to have people around you”, he said in a low tone while still looking in their direction. I felt a sense of loneliness in his words. “Anyways… back to math assignment”, he changed the topic and looked back at me with a tight smile this time. “I want to understand these questions because we will have our mid-term right after the season and I will not have time to go thoroughly through the syllabus”, he reasoned why he wanted to understand these questions.

I nodded in agreement and then I started telling him the solution to all those questions in a calm tone. It was going to take a good time of mine but I couldn’t do anything now. Dustin was a brilliant student but his only weak subject was math. Mr Harold had scolded him so many times for not showing interest in this subject. He always complained that he couldn’t understand Mr Harold’s method and I didn’t understand his logic here. “Let me do this question by myself once so that I can understand it clearly”, he stopped me from going for another question and I nodded. I gave him the pen and he flipped the page. I looked at his serious face and smiled a little. He was looking so serious right now. He never bullied me directly but I still feared him. He was not in his playful self now and this was the only relief for me. The way he stayed calm and silent while I was explaining to him the solution to the first question made me confirm that he was telling the truth and that he was really here to study.

“Did I do right?” he asked me after finishing the solution and pushed the notebook towards me. I checked his solution and I was really amazed that he understood the whole question in one attempt. Was he really not understand Mr Harold’s method of explaining the solution? “You really did well”, I praised him with a smile and he grinned widely. “I told you… I am brilliant… it’s just Mr Harold”, he praised himself but complained once again in the end with a frown. I just shook my head and then we went for another question. I wanted to finish this as soon as possible so that I could go back to my bed that was calling me from upstairs.