by Linsey Lim (P5 2022)

                “Class, quiet please!” Ms Tan, our teacher, called out to the class with her arms crossed, annoyed with the noise we were making.  Once the class quietened down, she continued, “Today we have a new student joining us.  His name is Luke Orye!  As you know, today is the first day of this school year.  He is transfer student from Sunnyfield Primary School.  I hope you will help him feel comfortable in school.”  All of our faces lit up.   None of us had had a transfer student before!  I gave Luke a friendly grin and waved from my seat.  He saw it and gave a tight smile back.  He lowered his head to keep his gaze fixed on the ground.  I also noticed that he fidgeted with his fingers.

              Just then, I realised something.  “Oh no, Mike is going to bully Luke.  A shy victim like Luke is perfect for him!”  I thought, furrowing my eyebrows.  Mike was the notorious class bully.  He was loved by every adult as a result of his sweet behaviour and innocent look in front of them.  However, he was a completely different person among his peers.  Every student hated him because he loved to kick and push smaller and weaker students only when teachers had their backs turned.

              When the bell rang for recess, I raced over to warn Luke about Mike.  However, Luke was out of the door before I could even open my mouth.  “He probably wants to be alone so no one can bother him,” I thought as I sighed and slowly dragged my feet to the classroom door.

              On my way to the canteen, I caught a glimpse of Mike teasing and mocking Luke at the courtyard.  “Why are you keeping quiet?  Can you even speak?” Mike teased, cackling like a hyena.  Luke looked like he might burst into tears any second.  Mike stuck his tongue out and waved his hands in the air as he teased and mocked Luke.

              As luck would have been, Ms Tan walked by!  She was the teacher on duty in the courtyard that day.  Mike stopped in his tracks and flashed his charming, innocent grin.  Luke and I stared daggers at him.  I wanted to storm over and tell Ms Tan what Mike had been doing.  I began to march over to Ms Tan when I stopped and thought, “Do I really want to get mixed up with this thing?  I could get myself into hot soup.  However, if I do not, Luke will burst into tears and his first day will be ruined! I contemplated my options for a short while and made my decision.  I know what I had to do.

              Walking over to Ms Tan briskly, I informed her, “Mike has been bullying Luke!”  Ms Tan shot Mike a cold stare and the blood drained from his face.  Ms Tan instantly knew I was telling the truth, otherwise, guilt would not be written all over Mike’s face.

              “Mike, meet me in the office now!”  Ms Tan instructed, glowering with anger.  “Didn’t I tell the class to welcome him?  You did the opposite of what should be done!”  Mike lowered his head and followed Ms Tan to her office.  Luke looked up and mouthed “Thank you.”  Instantly, I had an idea.  I held out my hand and invited him to join me in the canteen.  He nodded his head eagerly at once and we made our way to the canteen.  I grinned from ear to ear and Luke never stopped giving me grateful looks.

              In no time, we became the best of friends.  He slowly opened up to me and it turns out that we both like jokes!  One of our favourites is “Why did the girl write a composition while sitting on her cat?  The teacher told her class to write a composition on their favourite animal!”  At this joke, we laughed so hard that tears rolled down our cheeks!  If I had not helped Luke, I would not have found such a good friendship with him.  That day, I learnt to be empathetic and not hesitant in helping others.  What started out as an awful day turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

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