5 Years Ago
District 21 High School
"Alright, class! Is there anyone who can answer this question?" the female teacher asked the students in front of her. There were around 25 of them, with more girls than boys.
All the students immediately looked down at their desks, hoping they wouldn’t get picked. But then, someone raised her hand.
"Ahh! Madison. Please give me your answer."
A girl sitting at the front stood up. She had a plump figure, with her brown hair tied into a ponytail.
She then answered the question.
"Good! That’s the correct answer. Give Madison a round of applause," the teacher said.
"The fat girl is really a genius. Maybe her brain is as big as her body. Hahaha!" a boy at the back of the class suddenly shouted.
All the students turned to look at him. It was Roger, the most troublesome student in the class.
"Hahaha!" Beside him, several other boys were also laughing, including Lars and Max.
"Please sit down, Madison! I can’t see the board! Hahaha!" Lars shouted.
The other students tried to hold back their laughter. The teacher placed a hand on her hip and scolded the boys.
"How many times have I told you not to insult others?! One more time, and I will call all your parents!" the teacher threatened.
After class, it was recess time. Most of the students went to the canteen, while some stayed behind to eat in the classroom. Madison smiled as she opened the food prepared by her mother.
Suddenly, before she could even open it, Roger arrived and grabbed the food container from her.
"Everyone! Quiz time. What’s on the menu today?" Roger asked his group.
"Chicken!"
"Meat!"
"Pig!"
The boys shouted their answers. Roger then opened the container, revealing rice and chicken.
"Ting! Lars is right! As a reward, you’ll get the biggest share of this food," Roger said.
"B-but... that’s my food. Please, I’m hungry," Madison said softly.
"Haaa! You’re already this big, and you still want to eat? You need to diet a little, alright? Later in life, no one will want to marry you." Roger smirked before walking out of the classroom.
Before leaving, Lars heard something behind him. He turned and saw Madison in tears, wiping her face.
"Huh! Crybaby."
Lars then walked away.
This was the daily routine of Madison’s high school life. Not a single student approached her, even after seeing her bullied like this. They were afraid that if they helped her, they would become the next victim.
A few days later, on the rooftop.
"Give me money! Don’t tell me you don’t have any. Your father is an accountant, right?" Roger said.
"Yeah. I saw your picture last night receiving birthday gifts from your parents. They surely gave you some money too," Lars added.
After taking the money, they left her. Once again, Lars glanced back and saw Madison standing there, crying.
The bullying continued, day after day, for two years. And each time, it became worse and worse.
"Hey, Roger... don’t you think we should stop bothering Madison? I think we’ve bullied her long enough already," Max suddenly confronted Roger at their hideout, the place where they usually stayed whenever they skipped school.
"What did you just say? Did I hear that right? Are you starting to like her?" Roger asked as he stepped closer to Max.
"No... it’s just-"
BAM!
Roger punched Max in the face. Lars immediately rushed over and helped Max.
"I don’t like someone telling me what to do! Even my parents think twice before doing that. Watch your mouth next time." Roger glared at him as his face filled with anger.
Lars and Max could only stare at him.
Then, one day, just before Prom Night, Roger and his gang prepared a big prank for Madison. They made a fake invitation for her.
She was very happy when she found the card under her desk. Roger and his group simply smiled as they watched her excitement. Lars and Max disliked the idea, but they felt they had no choice. Roger even pretended to be a boy who liked Madison and chatted with her every night.
"You know, I almost threw up multiple times while messaging her, hahaha!" Roger said.
Then came Prom Night. Madison was wearing a beautiful dress she had bought specially for the occasion. As she walked toward the entrance, her sister called out to her.
"Madison, do you know who invited you? Are you sure you’re not being played?" she asked worriedly.
"I don’t know who he is. But I’m sure I can trust him. Bye-bye, May." Madison waved at her.
She was truly excited. This was the first time someone had ever shown interest in her. Her steps toward the school were energetic and quick. Suddenly, along the way, she bumped into Lars, who was also heading to school.
Lars looked at her and almost told her everything.
"Is there something wrong, Lars?" Madison asked with a smile.
Lars stared at her before clenching his fist. If he told her everything and she turned back, Roger would eventually find out that he was the one who warned her. And Lars knew Roger would beat him severely.
As soon as she entered the hall, all the students were already waiting for her. Every one of them, boys and girls, started laughing.
"And please welcome! The most beautiful and the biggest girl in our school... Madison!" Roger shouted into the microphone.
All the students burst into laughter as they looked at her dress and makeup. She had never worn makeup before, and right now, it only made her appearance look worse.
"Does she really think someone would invite her to prom?"
"She’s hideous! Hideous!"
Madison clenched her teeth as insults came from every direction. She then walked onto the stage and confronted Roger.
"What is this about!?"
"Whoa, whoa! Why are you getting angry? Didn’t you come here because you received an invitation?"
Suddenly, everything clicked in her mind.
"You... are you the one who’s been messaging me every night?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Yeah! Who else would want to message you, huh? Everyone, please listen to the messages she sent to her... ’boyfriend.’"
Roger then began reading aloud all the embarrassing messages Madison had sent.
The students covered their faces from secondhand embarrassment while laughing at her.
Madison burst into tears, her makeup running down her face. She immediately ran out of the hall, but stopped when she saw Lars. Her angry eyes stared directly at him. Lars avoided eye contact with her.
Without saying anything, Madison ran away.
For the next few days, everyone knew what had happened. Madison became the subject of insults and gossip among the other students. However, she hadn’t attended school since that night.
Until one day, their teacher entered the classroom with a grim expression.
"I have bad news for everyone... Madison has already left us."