The Smile that Beat the Bully
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive for Preteens
By Jennifer Youngblood

Be excellent to each other.
~Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Have you ever had a bully who scared the skin off you? The one bully who you have nightmares about? It’s the face you see when you get up in the morning with your stomach all tied in knots. Rosalie Bangeter was that for me — she was a bully in every sense of the word, and I was terrified of her. She was one of the meanest girls I’d ever met, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I was not the only person in the seventh grade who lived in mortal fear of her. I’ll never forget the day I saw her pulverize another student in the cafeteria. As if pounding the girl wasn’t bad enough, she topped it off by dunking her head in a half-eaten tray of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

To this day, I don’t know why Rosalie hated me so much. The fact that I merely existed and had the nerve to breathe in and out seemed to tick Rosalie off, and she never missed an opportunity to threaten or ridicule me. I would hear her jeering remarks when I walked out to catch the bus home. I could feel the heat of her glare when I cowered in my seat in the cafeteria and avoided looking anywhere near her direction. I would’ve walked the length of two football fields to avoid coming in contact with Rosalie Bangeter if I could have, but unfortunately there just wasn’t enough time to do that and still get to my fifth period class before the bell rang. (Keep reading)