While the city of Harrison Creek was horrified over the disappearance of Tanya Shinnok, Trevor Shinnok, Jackie Gilmore, and Grace Gifford were at Grace’s house, celebrating their rival’s disappearance. They hated her because she exposed them as bullies in their seventh grade year; that incident cost them their reputations and friendships with other students.
Thanks to Tanya, they were known as the Bullying Trio, a trio of kids no one liked or wanted to be around.
“I don’t care what everyone else thinks, Tanya is gone and good riddance!” said Trevor.
“Good riddance to her,” said Grace. “I never liked her anyway.”
“I don’t know about you, but it’s not as much fun with her gone,” said Jackie. Trevor and Grace glared at her. “I mean it. It’s not the same without her glaring at us for something we did.”
“Jackie, are you all right?” said Grace.
“What are you talking about?” said Jackie as she glared at Grace.
“It’s not like you to talk like that, like you actually care about Tanya,” said Trevor. “You don’t care about Tanya, or do you?”
“Why do you ask?” said Jackie.
“Because word on the street is that you do care about Tanya,” said Grace. “Haven’t you forgot that she destroyed you and called you a bully for pushing Carina Martin down the stairs while we were in the seventh grade?”
“Carina is a liar,” said Trevor. “And from what I recall, Vicki Daniels pushed her down the stairs and blamed Jackie.”
“Who cares about who pushed who down the stairs?” Jackie snarled, making Trevor and Grace shake in their shoes. “I’m tired of being a bully! It’s not fun anymore!”
“Well, there is that,” said Grace.
“What are you talking about?” said Trevor.
“The fact that things have turned south since Tanya called us bullies,” said Grace. “She literally destroyed us.”
“Yeah, and your point is?” said Trevor.
“My point is that bullying hurts people,” said Jackie, “and the day Tanya called us bullies was the day she hurt us. Sure it was fun to harass people and laugh at their misfortunes, but when Stuart Greer called me a muttonhead and spread that rumor about me having three disabled little brothers, I found myself feeling hurt by his cruel words and that evil rumor. Suddenly, I realized that being a bully was no longer fun.”
“See? That’s how Tanya gets to you,” said Trevor. “She exposes you as a bully and has her helpers make you feel guilty about hurting people. Some people deserve to be oppressed; they’re just asking for it, if anyone cares to hear my opinion on the matter.”
“Trevor, don’t be stupid,” said Grace. “Don’t tell me that you don’t feel guilty after making fun of that Oscar Alston for his disability, because you do.”
“Oscar is a stupid kid who should have stayed in the special ed classroom,” Trevor began, but he fell silent as Grace and Jackie saw Irene Haughton standing in the doorway of Grace’s bedroom with an angry look on her face.
Stories in 5 Minutes 