Status: Finished
Golden Slumbers
GSA
Till
I couldn’t sit with Oli and his friends at Lunch today. I had GSA, and I try not to miss it. It felt kind of lonely without Oli, if I’m honest. I got into it, though, when bullying came up.
Tessa, the leader of our group, brought it up. She’s what’s known as butch, with a short haircut and at least one tattoo that I know of. She’s dating Leslie, a bi chick who came out last year. “Okay guys. Today’s topic is bullying.”
It was the usual talk of stories from friends and family, how cruel kids can be to ‘freaks’. Then Jay, a girl who only just joined, piped in with a revelation, to me. “Remember that kid....Oli or Ali? Something like that, got a Japanese sounding last name. I remember he used to hang out with the popular kids, but when they went into high school it was decided he was no longer ‘cool’. They bullied him so bad his mom caught him trying to kill himself. One of my older sisters, Karen, used to babysit him, and I remember his mom would call and ask her for help. I’m not even sure if he still goes to our school. Poor kid. It was awful.”
I felt a little breathless with this news. “Jay, do you mean Oli Tohru?” I asked quickly. She brightened and nodded. “Yeah! That kid.” The conversation moved on around me while my thoughts raced. So that’s what happened to Oli.
I couldn’t sit with Oli and his friends at Lunch today. I had GSA, and I try not to miss it. It felt kind of lonely without Oli, if I’m honest. I got into it, though, when bullying came up.
Tessa, the leader of our group, brought it up. She’s what’s known as butch, with a short haircut and at least one tattoo that I know of. She’s dating Leslie, a bi chick who came out last year. “Okay guys. Today’s topic is bullying.”
It was the usual talk of stories from friends and family, how cruel kids can be to ‘freaks’. Then Jay, a girl who only just joined, piped in with a revelation, to me. “Remember that kid....Oli or Ali? Something like that, got a Japanese sounding last name. I remember he used to hang out with the popular kids, but when they went into high school it was decided he was no longer ‘cool’. They bullied him so bad his mom caught him trying to kill himself. One of my older sisters, Karen, used to babysit him, and I remember his mom would call and ask her for help. I’m not even sure if he still goes to our school. Poor kid. It was awful.”
I felt a little breathless with this news. “Jay, do you mean Oli Tohru?” I asked quickly. She brightened and nodded. “Yeah! That kid.” The conversation moved on around me while my thoughts raced. So that’s what happened to Oli.