Ethan walks into the canteen a minute or two after we start having our lunch. He gets his food from the counter and then walks towards our table.
“ Can I sit along with you guys ?”, he asks.
“ Sure.”, Grace nods and Ethan sits down beside me. He smiles at me and I smile back a little. I can’t still act rudely to him after he fought for me. I didn’t really think he would keep that promise. But he actually did and I'm really happy.
Very soon Ethan’s friend, Gavin also joins our table. He sit down beside Laura with his plate. Our table soon gain a lot of attention. People who were already looking at us starts murmuring things among each other. Everyone is so surprised and confused at Ethan suddenly turning against the popular gang. They are so shocked witnessing the fight from the morning.
Through the corner of my eyes, I notice Amelia glaring at us. Ethan also notices it. However Ignoring it, he introduces his friend to us. I come to know Gavin is also Ethan’s roommate and he is a basketball player. Grace introduces Laura to both of them and afterwards she tells them her plan.
“ I know a lot of things they have been doing. Tony has cyber bullied not only Annie but a lot of other girls. He is still cyber bullying a junior girl named Charlotte. And Tony and Kevin also do drug deals. I'm ready to reveal everything. ”, Ethan says.
“ Woah ! Drugs ! Then we can put them behind bars. Yeah Ethan..let’s bring out every vulgar thing they've done. We can surely expel the two of them from this school.”, Grace says enthusiastically.
“ Will it become a problem to me ?”, Ethan asks.
“ Have you cyber bullied anyone along with them ? And have you accompanied them in drugs deals ?”, Gavin asks furrowing his eyebrows.
“ No..”, Ethan shakes his head.
“ Have you used d..drugs ?”, I ask Ethan.
“ No !”, Ethan shakes his head, sternly. “ I haven’t done any such illegal stuff yet. I've only went to a few bars and clubs along with them.”
“ Then you don’t need to worry.”, Grace says. Ethan nods his head and goes back to having his lunch.
For a moment, I get stuck at staring at Ethan having his food. I'm suddenly having Alex’s memories. I'm now again feeling like it is Alex who is sitting beside me.
Ethan suddenly tilts his head and looks at me. “ Why aren’t you eating ?”, he asks.
“ Ahm...I- I’m eating.”, I stammer and quickly averts my gaze to my plate. Ethan smiles a little.
The whole time I have lunch, I think about telling Ethan a Thanks. I need to at least tell him a Thanks for standing up for me.
However I don’t speak a word to him. I just sit and listen to Gavin, Ethan and Grace conversing between each other. Laura doesn’t speak much.
After the lunch, we all go to our respective classes. I had physics and I share it with Sophia. She has been occassionally glaring at me from the beginning of the class. But not before long, a peon appear at our class door and call my and Sophia ’s name.
I realize Grace's Dad has arrived and I mentally prepare myself. Sophia is a bit confused as we both walk to the principal’s office along with the peon.
When we reach the office, Ethan, Grace, Laura and a few other girls are already present there along with Tony, Kevin and Amelia. Mr Spencer and a few other staff are also in the office. Two cops are sitting in front of the principal and are talking to him.
Sophia instantly gets terrified on seeing them and she quickly moves to her friends’ side. Amelia is already looking petrified. Tony and Kevin too has lost their cool. Their faces has lost all the colours and they look totally pale. The expression on their faces are priceless.
Grace has a victorious smile on her lips as she watches the two police men converse with our terrified looking principal. I quickly go and stand beside her. “ That’s my Dad.”, She points at the comparatively taller man among the two tall, well built men talking to the principal.
Soon Grace's Dad and the other police man together starts questioning Tony and team. Sophia who gets petrified soon starts telling everything they have done, one by one. Amelia joins her very soon. The police then starts asking us questions. Laura and the few other girls along with her reveal how they were bullied by the gang and school management didn’t take any steps even after they complained.
Once I finish explaining my bad experience, I’m asked to go back to my class. So I don’t know what happened after that. As I walk out of the physics class, I hear people on the corridors saying, all of their parents has arrived and more and more students whom they bullied are being called into the office.
Anyway when I step out of my last hour, Grace comes running to me with the news that Tony and Kevin are dismissed from school and Amelia and Sophia are given suspension for one month along with a huge fine.
“ Nate, are you happy ?”, Grace asks me excitedly.
“ Yeah..v..very happy.”, I say smiling. “ Ethan doesn’t have any problems, r..right ? Did s..someone complain about him ?”, I ask anxiously.
“ Not actually. No body said Ethan hurt them physically or emotionally. So Ethan doesn’t have any problem. Don’t need to worry.”, Grace says.
“ So we won’t be having detention?”, I ask.
“ No dingy.”, Grace laughs. “ Come, let’s go have an ice-cream from the canteen.”, she squeals in joy and grabs my hands. Then she starts running towards the canteen, literally dragging me along with her.
“ S..slow down Grace.”, I shout facing difficulty running through the large crowd. To add to the fact, everyone is staring at us amusedly.
“ Hey guys wait !”, Someone shouts from behind us and soon join us running. It’s none else than Gavin. “ Guys, stop one second ! “, he yells at us and finally Grace stops running.
“ What ?”, She asks looking at Gavin.
“ Give your hands.”, Gavin says smiling. Grace frowns at him before stretching her hands to him. Gavin takes it and shakes it whilst smiling widely at her. “Grace, you did a great job ! “, he squeals. “ Something I really wanted to do all this while but I couldn’t do. You did it today. Thank you so much !”
Grace laughs. “ No need to Thank me. I could do it because everyone stood with me and revealed the truths. You guys could have did this a lot earlier.”
“Yeah..but none of our Dad's are police. And I heard your Dad charged against Mr Spencer and our Principal for not taking necessary actions and protecting the bullies all this while.”, Gavin says.
“ Yeah..that’s right.”, Grace nods in agreement.
“Your Dad did a great job. Thanks to him. Now our school will take strict steps against bullying. So hmm...where are you guys going now ?”, Gavin asks.
“ To have ice-cream. Wanna join ?”, Grace asks.
“ Sure.”, Gavin smiles. “ We should celebrate this.”
“ Then C'mon.”, Grace squeals and again starts running holding my hands.