The voices of young pre-teens echo off the walls of the cafeteria. Paper planes fly high across the room; soft music is playing in the background. The girls sit on one side and the boys on the other, a mixture of seventh and eighth graders. The music stops. The screech of a microphone silences the students and a monotone voice speaks, “Good morning! As all of you know today is the last day of school!!” The students began to cheer. “And yes, I know that you are all excited, especially the eighth graders. You are about to enter into high school,” said Principal Sermones. “We know what usually happens on the last day of school…everyone wants to fight the person they have beef with over the school year. Know that if anyone fights today, you will spend a week in summer school cleaning up! That is all. Enjoy your last day!”

First period. Eighth grade girls athletics; my most hated period of the day. The cattiness of the female group always confused me, which is why I have a tendency to hang around guys. It’s much simpler having guy friends; no drama, no easily hurt feelings and did I mention? NO DUMB GIRLIE DRAMA! However, there are some exceptions. Raven Trigg, who has been my best friend since third grade, and I have been through all of the dumb girl drama together, especially with our archenemy…Raven Huff. Huff was the bully of the school, standing six feet tall since the fifth grade. This girl had it out for me since elementary school. She was the type of bully that be-befriended you and took your lunch money at the same time. More than anyone, she had a love and hate relationship with me. Now, I’m no punk but I was not going to fight a losing battle with the female Goliath. After years of reporting her to the principal, nothing changed. But you know what they say, “A nice person can only take so much!”

“B@$%*! What you say to me?!” “I’m tired of yo’ big manly a@#!,” I screamed to the top of my lungs. Huff laughed, as she and her goonies slowly approached me. The fight circle slowly began to form around us. I breathed deeply and found the courage to say, “I’m tired of you picking on me all the f@#$%*& time…you been wanting me, I’m here now!” I put up my fist. She stood tall and laughed, “This b#$@* really trying to fight me.” I punched her in the face and we began to fight. The strength of David came upon me and to my surprise I whopped her a@$. Her goonies could not have this 4’11 midget beating up on their friend in front of their whole class, so they jumped in and my best friend, Raven followed suite. It then became the ultimate brawl: Raven had two girls on her and there were three girls on me. As I crawled up in a ball, fist and feet hitting me from every angle, the only thought in my mind was, “Where the f%#@ are the coaches to break this s@#& up?!” I looked over and saw my best friend getting jumped for a fight I started, and my emotions ran wild. Somehow, I found strength to escape the pile because I knew the girls would follow me and they’d leave Raven alone. “Get to your locker. Get to your locker!” was the only thought on my mind. I got to my locker and opened it as fast as possible.

My older sister knew of my problems far too well as she experienced them at the same high school I was about to enter. “Here, take this,” she said one day as she handed me a knife. “All you have to do is flash this, they’ll get scared and no one will ever f@#$ with you anymore!” I searched my backpack and found the shiny blade. I flicked it out just in time to see Huff and her four goonies cornering me.

“Bring yo’ a#$ over here,” I said in a stern voice. “B@#$%, you ain’t gon do s@*$# with that,” she said as she approached me and pushed me up against the lockers, while her goonies screamed, “Get her!” in the background. My sister was wrong. This small pebble that David carried did not scare Goliath. The fight would never have never ended unless I did something. It’s crazy how quick the mind runs when in trouble. I pulled back