Chapter 2 Bullies Are Fools

Grant Elementary, Two Months Later

10 a.m., Ms. Johnson's Classroom

Anonymous POV

The hum of excitement filled the room as the kindergarten class worked on their Halloween project, making masks out of paper plates. It was a bright, sunny Tuesday, and everyone was eager to let their creativity take over. Sade sat at a table with Isla, a quiet girl with long, fiery red hair and bright green eyes. They’d been in class together for two months, but they hadn’t really spoken much—until now.

Sade, with her braids woven into neat extensions, sat carefully decorating her paper plate with glitter and crayons. Isla, wearing a blue jean jacket over a colorful shirt and a blue jean skirt, was focused on her project, the bright colors of her red hair standing out in the room.

Sade looked up and noticed Isla’s shirt. It was a bold red design with the Powerpuff Girls on it. The characters' bright colors caught her attention, and she couldn’t help but say, “I really like your shirt. It’s so cool!”

Isla looked up, a little surprised, before a small smile tugged at her lips. “Thanks! My mom bought it for me last weekend. I think it’s awesome, too.”

Sade smiled back. “I love Powerpuff Girls! Blossom is my favorite.” She leaned over slightly, pointing at the shirt. “Isn’t she the smartest one?”

Isla nodded. “Yeah, but I think Buttercup’s the best. She’s the toughest!” She grinned, glad to be talking to Sade. The conversation began to flow, and the awkwardness between them seemed to fade away.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Sade asked, adding some colorful stickers to her mask.

Isla hesitated for a second, then replied, “Well, I’ve got my mom, and my dad… and a baby brother. His name’s Marcus. He’s only two, and he’s always getting into stuff.”

Sade laughed, imagining a little brother causing all sorts of trouble. “I have an older brother, Eric. He’s ten. He’s always acting like he’s too cool for anything. He wears this Spider-Man jacket all the time,” Sade said, shaking her head. “And my sister, Madison, she’s seven. She’s always looking out for me and helping me.”

Isla smiled. “Sounds like you have a pretty big family.”

“Yeah, it’s fun,” Sade said. “What about you? Do you live in a house or an apartment?”

Isla nodded. “We live in an apartment. It’s not too big, but it’s close to everything. My mom says it’s the best place for us.”

Sade nodded. “I get that. My family lives in a house, but it’s in the city. We’re close to everything too, but sometimes I wish we had a bigger yard, or a dog. Chicago has so much to do, though. I love the park near my house, and sometimes my dad takes us to the lakefront. There’s always something going on.”

As the girls continued their conversation, Isla blinked and quickly looked down at her shirt. A blob of blue marker now covered the front of her white shirt, spreading out into a big, messy stain. She gasped, feeling her heart drop. Her favorite shirt was ruined.

Before she could react, a loud voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, stop that stupid, are you crazy or something?" Sade stood up from her seat, glaring at the girl who had just ruined Isla’s shirt.

Tamra, the girl sitting next to Isla, froze. She looked up at Sade with a defiant look on her face but didn’t say anything.

"That’s not funny," Sade added, crossing her arms. "You can’t just ruin people’s stuff."

Isla looked up at Sade, surprised. No one had ever stood up for her like that before. She hadn’t even had time to react before Sade had stepped in.

Tamra mumbled something under her breath, but she knew she had been caught and backed off, muttering something about how Isla couldn’t take a joke.

Sade sat back down and turned to Isla. "You okay?"

Isla nodded, her cheeks flushing. "Yeah, thanks. That was really nice of you."

"Don’t mention it," Sade said, flashing Isla a smile