Chapter 2:bullying escalates

At school, the hallway seemed like a battlefield. Caleb Dunn and his gang had noticed Julian’s quiet ways and his little pockets of hope — his notebooks, his sketches, his shy smiles.

“Hey Montana!” Caleb sneered, yanking Julian’s bag from his shoulder. Books and papers scattered across the floor.

Julian bent down to pick them up, trying not to meet Caleb’s eyes. “Leave me alone,” he whispered.

“Or what? You’ll cry again?” Caleb laughed, shoving Julian against the lockers. Other students stared, some laughed, some looked away. No one stepped in.

By lunchtime, Julian’s stomach ached, but it wasn’t from hunger. Eli and Sophie had taken the little sandwich his mom had packed for him, leaving him empty-handed. His classmates whispered behind him, mocking, copying his scribbles from his notebook, tearing his drawings and tossing them in the trash.

Even in his room, there was no peace. His parents argued loudly over bills again, sometimes striking the furniture, their anger filling every corner. Julian felt trapped from every side.

One afternoon, Julian finally snapped a little. Caleb had spilled juice on his favorite notebook. Julian looked up, heart racing. “Stop it!” he shouted, louder than ever before. His voice trembled, but it carried.

Caleb froze. The hall went silent. Julian didn’t wait. He grabbed his bag, picked up his scattered papers, and walked away. For the first time, he realized: even if the world is against him, he can still decide how to respond.

That night, Julian wrote in his notebook: They can push me. They can try to break me. But I choose to keep going. I choose me.

The bullying didn’t end, but Julian started noticing something else: each small act of resistance, each moment he held his head up, was his own victory. And slowly, he began finding ways to protect himself without waiting for someone else to save him.