School..............A case of bullying?

Instalment 5 of Message in a bottle for Trevor.

Bill Johnson used his considerable influence and Trevor was enrolled into the prestigious government school named JB High School for Boys. It was named after the philanthropic James Browne – the father of Samson Browne who had helped Bill Johnson on his path to success.

Trevor thought of the movie called ‘Passing it forward’. In it one is persuaded that when someone does something good to you, you should pass it on by doing something good to someone else when the opportunity arose.

Trevor thanked the day that he had found that bottle jammed in the rocks and met Bill Johnson. He had certainly changed my aunt Sarah’s and Trevor’s life. He felt sure that one day he would be able to pass the favour forward………a huge favour.

A couple of weeks passed…………

We had settled into The Cottage and to my delight the smallest Boston Terrier, Tiggy had come to live with us. Jane laughed when I told her and said ‘I guessed as much, he’s been missing from our house. He couldn’t find a better owner Trev, he’ll see you right.’

I wondered what she meant but as the days passed I found huge comfort in this young dog who loved to chase a ball and also snuggled up with me on the couch especially when he sensed that I was remembering that dark day of my mum and dad together with my little sister Mattie killed in the car accident. The feel of his satin skin did in fact ‘see me right’ as I still suffered from ‘survivor’s guilt’ that the doctor had explained to me.

Sarah had been to ‘Cat’s Haven’ and chosen a neglected and scrawny pair of rescued Siamese blue eyed kittens. She had nursed them patiently back to health with love and warm fortified milk. I’d even hear her in the middle of the night murmuring to them.

‘Thank you Johnson family,’ I thought as I hugged my dog, ‘for rescuing us!’

One afternoon shortly after Trevor had started school in the new term with the twins Nellie noticed a dark bruise on Trevor’s arm. She asked him what had happened. ‘Nothing much ,’ he replied hastily, ‘banged it on the classroom door,’ he added making her wonder what the real story was.

Trevor was having nightmares. He felt trapped and felt that he had to fight his own battle.

Two ‘low life’ kids in his class were teasing him, ‘what’s with this fancy way you speak? Where do you come from that you think you better’n us, you limey!’

He tried to explain that where he grew up everyone spoke like he did, ‘a sort of dialect,’ he said, ‘like the Cockneys in London all speak in a similar fashion.’ He might as well as been speaking Greek to them. They continued to copy his English accent, holding their noses and sticking them in the air and taunting him, ‘ you’re a toffee nosed snob……….we’re watching you,’ they warned him.

Pixabay

The twins noticed him limping one day and when they asked him why,he replied, ‘I slipped on the stairs,’ they vowed to look into what was really happening.

Talking to a couple of decent kids in Trevor’s class they heard that the Garling Gang had decided to pick on him and make his life a misery. Added to his English accent was the fact that Trevor listened in class, worked hard and was doing well. ‘Poor guy cannot split on the Gang, they would make his life even worse,’ they decided as they took their dad into their confidence.

And so they took turns with a couple of friends to shadow Trevor at breaks during the school day. They missed the time when one of the gang snatched his school back pack and threw all his books into the dirt.

They decided to lure the gang into a trap.

Gary and Billy bob set up a rumour with their friends that Trevor was going to have to pay for his high handed snobbish ways. It seemed that lunch break the following day was going to be the big attack.

As they left Trevor to go to his class early that morning they told him to meet them at the toilet block at break. Without a proper explanation they simply said, ‘be there bro’,‘ and hurried off to their classroom for roll call.

As soon as the bell went for break Gary, Billy bob and a few of their friends hid in the toilet block and waited. Soon enough the Garling gang were smoking and slouching around having heard the rumour and wanting to have a front row seat to witness the confrontation.

After a few minutes Trevor tentatively made an appearance and his heart sank to his shiny school shoes as the two leaders of the Gang peeled themselves off the wall they were leaning against, stubbed their cigarettes under their shoes and one of them grabbed Trevor by his shirt front and tie.
‘Wot you sneakin’ around us for? You’re nothing better than teacher’s pet,’ and they grabbed him in a headlock and bundled him towards a lavatory to put his head in a bowl and flush it. As the boy behind shoved him hard, Gary, Billy bob and several others broke cover and with a couple of prefects on stand by and loudly confronted the Gang. The senior boys dragged Trevor away and told the juniors to stand back as they grabbed the 4 Gang members who had been making Trevor’s life a living hell.

As Gary supported the shocked Trevor with the other boys his age, the prefects frog marched the offenders to the headmaster’s office to report the on going bullying.

After an extensive inquiry the Head had enough complaints and on going evidence from teachers and boys to order the expulsion of the four boys responsible.

As fast as the horror had begun for Trevor, so it ended. JB Boys’ High had no tolerance for bullying and one and all were delighted that finally The Gang had been forced to leave.

After assembly the following week, the swimming coach, Mr Arbuthnott called Trevor aside, ‘I’ve been watching you swim Dunlop,’ he said. ‘I think you’d do well in Underwater Hockey. If you’d like to try out, report to the pool at 3 pm tomorrow afternoon.’

And so began for Trevor a whole new season in his high school career. He was really excited about the invitation as he had practised in the pool with the Johnson twins and found the challenging sport very enjoyable. When he told the twins that he was going for a trial for Underwater Hockey that afternoon, they jubilantly high fived Trevor and yelled with delight, 'you'll ace it dude, see you there!'