The Berry Boys' Series: Bullies on the School Bus

By K. F. Berry

Zeke and his brother Anthony are being constantly bullied on the school bus and at school but are afraid to tell their teachers and the school dean, Mr. Witherspoon. They have been warned by the bullies what happens to snitches and are certain the bullies will carry out their vicious threats.

When Mr. Witherspoon learns of the problems between the boys and the bullies, he calls them into his office. Zeke and Anthony are filled with dread and are more terrified of the dean than they are of the bullies, as rumors circulate about what lurks behind Mr. Witherspoons dark glasses and the disappearance of one of the students at Berkshire Xavier School. But upon the sudden return of the missing student, Sherman Buckley everyone is forced to deal with the tragedy of bullying and the consequences of their silence.

Frustrated and angry at the bullying, the name callings, the bathroom wedgies, being beaten up on the school bus, Zeke and Anthony finally take a stand. But when their courage and strength failed to ward off the bullies, Zeke begins to seek super powers from a crystal bottle. As he seeks divine help, he is faced with a life changing decisionhe must decide whether to get revenge or to forgive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781490870120

K. F. Berry

K.F. Berry is the founder of Global Manifestations, Corporation, an organization established in 2006 to increase the awareness of various social issues concerning children and families. Her experience with children spans over 15 years ranging from Sunday school teacher, cultural arts program director and case worker in foster care and preventive family counseling. Her commitment to children and youth has been center stage to the many conferences, workshops and programs she has facilitated over the years, such as “Alphabet Rap,” “The Red Ribbon Christmas Project,” and “Urban Youth Xplosion.” For her outstanding community initiatives K.F. Berry has been awarded the 2007 United States House of Representatives Proclamation Award by Congresswoman Yvette D. Clark, 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, and the 2010 United States Census Bureau Award. K.F. Berry lives in New York with her three sons and has written “Bullies on the School Bus,” as the first of “The Berry Boys’ Series” to share some of the experiences of her sons in hopes of providing inspiration, hope and resources to children and youth as they embark on the many challenges of growing up. To have K.F. Berry come to your school or organization to speak about bullying and other challenging issues facing children and youth you may contact her at [e-mail].

Book preview

The

Berry Boys’

Series

Bullies on the School Bus

K. F. Berry

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Copyright © 2016 K. F. Berry.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION®.Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7011-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7013-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7012-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015902534

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/04/2016

Contents

Preface

Introduction

One…

Shadows in the Night

Two…

And so it Began

Three…

I’m Not Getting on that Bus!

Four…

The Bathroom Ambush

Five…

The Math Matador

Six…

Beware of the Dean

Seven…

Don’t Look into His Eyes

Eight…

The Meeting with the Dragon

Nine…

Mr. Witherspoon’s Secret—Exposed

Ten…

Why Are You so Weird?

Eleven…

The Unexpected Confession

Twelve…

The Magic Crystal Bottle

Thirteen…

Great Faith - Great Miracles

Fourteen…

Fear Not… Fear Not

Fifteen…

Taking a Stand

Sixteen…

Running for Survival

Seventeen…

David and Goliath

Eighteen…

Suspended off the School Bus

Nineteen…

The Hidden Drawings

Twenty…

Mom Speaks Out

Twenty-One…

The Bully’s Cry for Help

Twenty-Two…

Forgiving My Enemy

Twenty-Three…

There’s Power in Numbers

Twenty-Four…

In the Silence

Twenty-Five…

No More Bullies on the Bus

Afterword

About the Author

To my three wonderful sons:

You are my inspiration, the wind beneath my wings. It is a great honor and a divine call to be your mother, and it is with that knowledge and understanding that I dedicate myself to being the best mother I can be.

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.-

Preface

B ullying has become an enormous problem in many schools affecting children of all races and ages. Bullying often causes the victim to feel ashamed, angry, powerless and alone, and sometimes desperate—turning to acts of violence to find a way of escape.

Retaliating or hurting oneself, however, is never the answer. If you are the victim of bullying, do not keep it a secret. You must tell and tell… and tell again until you are heard. Bullying must be exposed.

Bullies on the School Bus will address many issues related to bullying and provide you with important information needed to overcome the challenges of bullying.

This dynamic tale of two brothers’ encounter with repeated and vicious acts of bullying was mainly inspired by my sons’ own experiences with bullying and the effects it had on their emotions. Many of the events and characters have been greatly altered or changed for the literary purpose of informing as well as entertaining the reader—by creating a story that is filled with drama, mystery and hilarious comedy without every losing sight of the two main characters struggles with bullying, and their journey to confront their own personal fears.

While the book reveals some of the challenges schools and parents go through with complaints of bullying, it is important to let you know that most of the administrators at my sons’ school, specifically the dean and parent coordinator, were helpful in addressing and resolving the problems. For those times when I felt resistance, I maintained my persistence. Therefore, it is very important that if you are being bullied, you report it to your teachers, the school dean, and parent coordinator. Don’t stop telling until you’re convinced that your complaints are being taken seriously.

It is also crucial that you get your parents involved. Ask your parents or your guardian to read chapters 19 to 21 and 25 of Bullies on the School Bus with you. These chapters will provide answers to how you and your parents can work with school administrators, other students, and their parents to address bullying and promote a safer school environment where all students can learn without fear or intimidation.

It has taken me over five years to write Bullies on the School Bus. During some of those years, my sons experienced some form of bullying and I saw the emotional and social effects it had on them and how much I had to be there for them as a mother and their greatest advocate. Bullies on the School Bus is my labor of love and a story that I hope will transform the lives of many of our children and encourage a united response from parents, students, and school administrators to address bullying.

Introduction

"I ’m not getting back on that bus! Zeke shouted angrily, grabbing the blanket from Mom’s tight grip and covering his face.

Going on the school bus had become a living nightmare for Zeke. Last week, it made him so sick he had panic attacks and had missed two days of school. But there was no way Mom was going to let him stay home today, especially when his class had begun practicing for the state test, and he was struggling to stay on the honor roll.

Despite Zeke’s unwavering protest and his fear of being on the school bus, he had to ride the bus and face constant humiliation and ridicule from the bullies and the other students. His older brother, Anthony tries to be strong for him, but he himself is afraid of the bullies, no matter how much courage he tries to muster up to defend Zeke.

Each day the bullying gets worse with a series of attacks, including a cafeteria showdown between the bullies and the two brothers, and an alarming threat of a bathroom smack down, which sends Zeke storming out of the bathroom and running down the hall with the bullies chasing him. Rather than going to the school administrators for support, Zeke is terrified of the school dean, Mr. Witherspoon, who is rumored to have caused the disappearance of one of the students.

Bullies on the School Bus, is a fascinating story of a young boy’s great faith, determination, and struggles to overcome bullying. This book will capture your imagination and tug at your emotions as Zeke comes face-to-face with his anger and his desire to retaliate.

While there are some epic moments of hilarious comedy, Bullies on the School Bus does not stray from the seriousness of bullying and the urgency for everyone to get involved to make schools and school buses a bully free zone.

If you have been or are currently the victim of bullying, Bullies on the School Bus will encourage and inspire you. If you are the friend of someone who is being bullied, it will compel you to take a stand, or if you are the one doing the bullying, this book will transform your heart—you will see the hurt and pain of those you target and realize that you would in fact be better at being a friend than a bully.

Take your time to read and enjoy this book, and be inspired.

Now buckle your seat belt as we get on board Bullies on the School Bus. Journey with Zeke, Anthony, and their little brother Alex and find out what you need to know about bullying and what you can do to stop it.

One…

Shadows in the Night

I t was a cold, gloomy November and already two months into the school year at Berkshire Xavier School. There were a few exceptionally good days, but in general, school was by no means a fun place to be. The first day of school was met with great excitement, but as time progressed, every day became consumed with fear and despair, and today was no exception. It was late, and the school building was almost empty. The halls were gravely silent, and only the footsteps of Zeke’s trembling feet could be heard.

As Zeke exited the library, he cautiously surveyed the vacant halls. Ordinarily the halls would be crowded, filled with the chattering and laughter of students scurrying to their classes. Amid the crowd would be one or two students like himself, trying hard to blend in to avoid being noticed. But now it was late, and he was certain that most, if not all of the students had already gone home, and only a few of the staff were left on duty.

The hall was dark and dreary. He was on the fifth floor and had to get downstairs to the main office before the next school bus departed from the school grounds. As Zeke made his way quickly down the long, narrow hallway toward the stairwell, every step forward made him tremble. Then halfway to the stairwell, he heard a drumming sound coming from the other end of the hall. Zeke paused… took a deep breath and slowly looked over his shoulders. But he saw nothing. He lifted his eyes and sighed softly, realizing the sound was only the ticking of the clock on the wall. It was hard to believe so much time had passed since the first school bus had left.

Earlier he was with the other bus kids heading down the stairwell to the main floor. But when two of the boys in front of him recognized him and shot him a deadly look, he knew he had to disappear—fast. Stealthily, he had slipped through the boisterous crowd and made his way to the fifth floor where he hid in the library. But now there was no one in sight, and the only other sign of life seemed to be the ticking of the old school clock.

Zeke’s eyes searched the hall, peering as far into the corners as he could. He turned his head swiftly toward the stairwell, letting out a loud sigh of relief—soon he would be on the main floor. Yet, he could not ignore the ghastly feeling that he was being watched and his steps followed.

A cold chill ran down Zeke’s spine when, out of the corner of his eyes, he glimpsed a flicker of movement coming from a shadow on the dimly lit walls. Zeke fled down the hall, burst through the doors, and bolted down the staircase, almost losing his grip on the rail. He managed, however, to make his way to the first floor, but the steel doors were shut. He pushed as hard as he could to force the doors open, but the heavy bolts and chains on the other side wouldn’t allow him.

Zeke tried calling for help, his voice cracking in the dry air, but the only response was his echo. He was stuck on the dark, cold stairwell and was becoming more petrified as he heard footsteps steadily approaching. Each thump of their heels was getting louder as they made their descent toward him. Zeke knew it would only be a matter of time before they found him. They always did.

He rushed toward the window desperate for help, but the rusty, metal bars were isolating him from the outside world. He peered out the window with his head pressed against the bars. It was snowing heavily, the air was cold and dreadfully still. There was no one in sight, just a trail of footprints rapidly being filled by the snow. A desperate sigh escaped his mouth. It had never dawned on him that the security guards would have left the building without checking to make sure no students were lingering in the halls or the classrooms. Now it was dark, and the school was stark empty. It was as if time had instantaneously passed him by.

Zeke stared out the window vaguely able to see the parking lot in the distance, across from the school yard. A far off, he noticed a tiny beam of light flickering. The light grew as it got closer. When he saw that it was one of the school buses, he screamed as loud as he could, hoping the bus driver would hear him. But his words were garbled from the cold—lost in the distance that separated him from the outside world.

No! No! No! Zeke banged on the window. He pushed his hands through the bars and waved at the bus. Then tears rolled down his eyes as the bus disappeared from view. He was alone, cold and frightened. The last school bus had left, and there was no way he was going to get home.

Zeke stood motionless by the window, watching the snow fall in clots. He could hear the rustling of dead winter leaves as an icy gust of wind swirled through the branches of the large, oak tree in front of the school building and rushed through the open window, biting into his cheeks. Zeke shuddered and slammed the window shut. There was no place to run or hide except the dark basement below. He wanted to scream for help but feared his cries would only lure them to him.

He bounded down the stairs as fast as he could, skipping a couple steps at a time. When he reached down into the basement, the door clanged shut behind him with a metallic echoing bang. Zeke’s eyes wandered around, looking for somewhere to hide, but he saw only darkness.

The basement was freezing cold, and the boiler pipes were clanging. He cautiously made his way down the long and narrow corridor, eager to find a way of escape. At the end of the corridor there was a massive brick wall. He crouched down in the corner of the wall, and for a moment, he felt safe. Then the boiler began firing up—the steam was hissing loudly. From amidst the darkness, he saw two shadows suddenly emerged, one after the other. He wanted to run but sat there motionless as if he was in a trance. Finally, he managed to pull himself up and ran as fast as he could, stumbling over garbage cans and cardboard boxes, only to end up facing another brick wall.

Zeke glanced quickly over his shoulders, the figures were drawing in closer and getting larger. He knew it was time to stop running, but as always, his courage failed him. He stared at the wall, panicked stricken with fear. There was nowhere to run or hide, he was at a dead end! Then he noticed a small opening in the wall. He stooped down and peered through the hole and saw a beam of light leading to what looked like a tunnel. But behind the light was darkness—a curtain of the deepest black.

He could hear their feet quickly approaching. He had to move fast! Zeke grabbed a piece of metal that was on the ground and struck the wall several times with all of his might. He hit the wall again and again until the hole expanded just large enough for him to get his entire body through it.

Zeke followed the path to the tunnel. He could feel the darkness pulling him in at great speed, gripping him with a terror he had never felt before. Then a stream of light burst through the darkness and surged through his body like an electrical shock wave. His hands and feet were glowing as if they were lit on fire. This was the change he had been waiting for. Zeke took a deep breath and spun around as fast as he could. The words shot out of his mouth like a meteorite, blasting throughout the tunnel. MEGA-X TRIPLE FORCE, ACTIVATE!

Immediately, he was encircled by a massive, bursting glow of scintillating light, and rushing towards him with enormous speed were blinding balls of fire, shooting downward like bolts of lightning. A sharp series of explosions bounced off the ground and burst into the air—brilliant, swirling light expanded as bright, red and yellow pieces of fire fell and flickered in the darkness. Zeke clutched his fist tight and nodded his head, he was convinced the change had fully taken place.

He made his way back through the tunnel, running at lightning speed. He could sense their presence, but this time he was ready. With his Mega powers now successfully charged, he stretched out his hands and slightly bend his knees, ready to leap through the hole in the wall. But before he could thrust forth his Mega-web, the shadowy figures had somehow multiplied and had encircled him. Blazing flames sputtered and spat from their mouths—words that haunted him.

Stupid!

Loser!

Weirdo!

Zeke fell to his knees, his powers were weakening. Their tongues were sharp like a two-edge sword cutting into him. He buried his face in the cold, damp ground, with his hands pressed against his ears, trying to block out their voices. But suddenly, he felt big, harsh hands yanked him by the neck and pulled him off his feet and then slammed him against the wall. Zeke fell to the ground with a loud thump, his entire body juddered in gut-wrenching pain.

He lifted his head and a huge iron fist was coming at him relentlessly. Zeke tried to stagger to his feet, and barely able to ball his hand into a fist, he swung as hard as he could, but the fierce, heavy, metal hand grabbed him. They twisted his hand, and shoved him back to the ground. A shout of pain escaped his mouth while his body lay beaten and limp on the cold, damp ground.

When Zeke opened his eyes, all around him were feet clad in metal boots rushing toward him. There was no way he was going to survive this. Then he heard a faint voice calling his name. The voice grew louder and louder as if desperately trying to reach him.

Zeke! Zeke!

He tossed and turned, and then he managed to sit up straight, but he was feeling groggy. His eyes wandered back and forth from the ceiling to the walls. He saw a tiny beam of light peeking through a dark, heavy curtain. Zeke drew closer to the curtain and pulled it back, and behind the curtain was a large window, its frame almost touching the ceiling. He peered through the window and could not believe his eyes. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes expecting the image before him to disappear, but it was all too real.

Zeke looked around his surroundings, smiled and released a loud sigh… . It was all just a dream, he whispered, staring at ‘the pine tree in his backyard. He was home, safe and sound. Zeke smiled again and slid his body back under the warm, woolen blanket. He nestled his head in the pillow. He could feel deep slumber on the rim of his eyes. Suddenly his smile faded—he was afraid to fall back asleep.

Two…

And so it Began

Z eke stared at the ceiling, peering from underneath his blanket. He was still shaken up by the dream. He wasn’t sure which was worse, the world he lived in while he slept or the one he so desperately wanted to disappear from when he was awake.

For the last two years, he had been having reoccurring nightmares of being followed and attacked. The nightmares always left him feeling extremely anxious, anticipating that something horrible was going to happen. Occasionally, he would break out in cold sweats, or he would scream so loud he would wake the entire house. Or worse, his bed would be soaking wet. He hated when those little accidents happened, but it was always out of his control.

It all started in the third grade on the ride back and forth on the yellow school bus. At first, he was excited to ride on the bus. It made him feel more independent rather than like a two year old when Mom had to drive him and his brothers to school. Some days he sat with his older brother, Anthony, in the back of the bus, singing their favorite songs or by his friend, Max, drawing their favorite super heroes. They both loved drawing and often competed with each other to see whose drawings were the best.

Then one morning, while they were in the back of the bus, putting the final touches on their sketches, they noticed the bus had taken another route than the usual ride to school. The bus crawled to a stop in what appeared to be an old, abandoned neighborhood. Zeke and a couple of the other students peered out the window, beaming with curiosity. The bus was parked in front of a group of buildings annexed to each other. Some of the buildings had their windows boarded up and graffiti written all over the walls.

For the first minute or two, the bus driver sat quietly, looking back and forth out the window. He tooted his horn several times, and then his cell phone rang. Zeke overheard him telling the person on the other end that he had received the new bus schedule and was outside the building waiting. His voice was monotone and seemingly annoyed. He tucked the cell phone back in his shirt pocket and leaned back in his seat. Then he unfolded his newspaper and began scanning through the pages.

The bus was parked for approximately ten long minutes. They were all laughing and chattering, and then suddenly, there was a loud knock on the front door of the bus. The laughter and chattering instantly ceased as everyone stared toward the front of bus. It was then that everything had changed!

The bus driver sat up straight and gave a cordial, warm smile. He pressed the button by his seat to open the door, and two fairly huge and rugged looking boys, who no one had ever seen before, boarded the school bus. They were wearing black leather jackets, ripped jeans, and construction boots with the laces untied. They were sporting a proud, menacing smile that sent chills up Zeke’s spine.

The bus driver’s expression changed immediately, his brows pulled down, and his lips twisted, when his greeting to the boys was met with a cold shrug of their shoulders.

As the boys walked down the aisle to the rear of the bus, one by one, the kids in the back of the bus began snickering and changing their seats. Zeke, however, remained in his seat but not due to any unusual act of bravery. He dared not think he had an ounce of courage to withstand their intimidating stature. It was by far the complete opposite. He was trembling in his seat beneath his heavy winter coat, and his knees were buckling, making him unable to stand to his feet.

As the two new boys drew in closer, whispering and laughing loudly with each other, their eyes diverted to Zeke. A look of fright flashed across Zeke’s face, and as he met their cold, callous gaze, their lips drew back into a ferocious snarl, and their eyes narrowed into slits. Instantly, Zeke knew he was in trouble. Their eyes zoned in on him like a steel-pointed arrow ready to hit the bullseye—and just like that he had become their target.

Zeke wanted to quickly change his seat but was immobilized by fear. Then one of the boys, wearing his baseball cap backwards, stood brazenly by Zeke’s seat with his shoulders squared and looking down at Zeke, said Watcha looking at? His menacing eyes glared at Zeke. Zeke’s heart sunk to his stomach. He wanted to look away, but his eyes only widened—nervously fixed on the two boys.

Watcha looking at? the boy repeated, his tone getting angrier.

Zeke shook his head and tried to pull away his gaze, but his mouth hung wide open with his eyes glued on the boy. He wanted to say something to explain that he wasn’t really staring at them, but the words wouldn’t come out. Zeke sat there trembling in his seat, hoping they would just go away and leave him alone. But they just stood there, staring down at him.

Watcha looking at? The boy’s speech was slow and deliberate.

Zeke opened his mouth to answer, his lips were moving rapidly, but there was no sound—at least nothing anyone could comprehend—just the chattering of his teeth and his lips quivering.

BLUBBER LIPS! The boy hurled, eyeballing Zeke up and down. Then he flipped his baseball cap around and began laughing with his friend.

With those two belittling words, the bullying had begun, and each day it only got worse. For almost an entire month, they called him ‘blubber lips.’ It went from the school bus to the caféteria to the classroom and then the school yard. They enjoyed ridiculing him so much that each day they coined a new name for him: