Verboten

Jack flipped Alex’s file open, scanning down the first page. It was the standard, basic information that each child had in their file. Jack noted that his middle name was William, and smiled to himself faintly. His date of birth was typed just underneath his name, and Jack reached for his diary. He flipped three months forward to December, and jotted ‘Alex’s birthday’ down in his untidy scrawl, not entirely sure why he was doing it.

Jack read through the page quickly, glancing over and mostly ignoring his contact details and address, and, turning the page over, cursed at the folder for being awkwardly resistant and refusing to let him bend the page over entirely.

He reached over to his desk and retrieved his glasses case, seating them on his nose comfortably.
The next page was his last school’s report. He had achieved As in all of his subjects, and all of his teachers had scribed glowing reports, full of praise – Jack frowned, wondering why Alex had left if he was getting on so well.

The next page gave him the answer to that. It was entitled ‘Personal Details’, and when Jack quickly checked out the number of pages, it was clear that there was a myriad of problems surrounding Alex.
The first sub-heading was ‘Primary Education’, a section that continued at least onto the next page. Jack shoved his glasses further up his nose and started to read.

"Alex first experienced problems with bullying in primary school. He was naturally reclusive and seemed to enjoy spending break and lunch times by himself, rather than playing with the other children. He didn’t enjoy the same things as the other pupils, and was of above average intelligence, which made him a target.

"In Kindergarten, Alex was a very serious boy. Unlike the other new pupils, who often got emotional when being separated from their parents, Alex was very stoic in his nature. He seemed irritated at the displays of affection shown by fellow classmates and their parents, and more than once expressed confusion over why they were acting in such a way – it was as if the bonds and love between them was an alien experience to him.

"Unlike the others, he was very quiet once settled, and never volunteered information independently. If asked to answer a question, his answers were correct 99% of the time, and he was very straight-to-the-point with his answers, speaking concisely and practically. He presented neat and tidy work, with meticulous handwriting and a clear layout, both very advanced for his age. He was silent when completing tasks, not contributing to group chatter at the tables.

"At first, the students tried to interact with Alex, and he responded politely, but warily, like he wasn’t sure whether they were lying or how to handle the friendship that he was being offered. After a few weeks of their attempts, they simply left Alex alone.

"It is not clear when the bullying started, but it is most likely that it began shortly after their attempts at friendship which would be roughly halfway through the school year. Alex never spoke out about his bullying, but it was noticed that around the middle of the academic year, Alex became even more reclusive, and started to remain inside during play-times, claiming he preferred the indoors. As time went on, Alex was steadily more inclined to stay inside and began to isolate himself from others, sitting alone during class-time.

"When Alex progressed into Year 1, he had the best testing scores and reading age of the year, but no friends. He often seemed tired and withdrawn but worked hard and completed all tasks before anyone else.

"It was discovered that Alex had not been driven to school for some time, and had told his parents that he wished to walk the two miles by himself to and from school. When his parents were questioned on this, they insisted that the distance was safe and Alex had walked further before, and all they wanted was for their son to do as he wished.

"Alex’s erratic behaviour continued throughout the time he was at the school. In Year 2, he claimed that he had fallen badly in the corridor to the teacher who found him lying on the floor. He was taken to hospital and his wrist was found to be broken. When asked about his fall, Alex only said that he had tripped, and then refused to answer any other questions, leading teachers to believe that he had been pushed by another student. Alex didn’t answer when he was asked if this was true.

"After this event, teachers were more diligent in taking care of Alex, and with their increased observation noticed that when students passed Alex’s desk in lessons they would often whisper something, and similarly when passing in corridors. Alex refused to acknowledge these events when talked to by a teacher, and the other students insisted that they were only saying greetings to Alex on these occasions.

"In Year 3, Alex started to spend long periods of time in the school’s library, visiting whenever possible. This behaviour carried on through to Year 6, right up until Alex left for secondary school. He rejected any questions posed to him about this by replying that he liked reading every time he was asked.

"Years 4, 5 and 6 are similar in their events: every month or so, Alex would be sent home with some form of injury, usually head or arm related. He maintained that these injuries were his own fault, and similarly his classmates claimed that Alex must have been clumsy. During these years, Alex never reported anything but seemed to be in a continually low mood. When his parents were consulted, they said that Alex had been behaving normally and happily at home, and that perhaps the work was making him unhappy at school."

Jack flipped the folder shut unhappily. He wasn’t sure he wanted to read anymore if it was all like this. He dropped it on his desk and ran his hands over his face, sighing at what he had just read. Determinedly, Jack resolved to ask Alex about it in their after-school session that evening.