text: Beky Cybille We could have been best friends Let's end Bullying This is a dedication to all the bullied kids out there. 
  Let this book inspire you, let it be motivation.
  A beacon of light.
  
  Lets end Bullying. 
   
   
   Part 1 
   Anaya Davyn 
   I sobbed as I saw the pictures scattered around the halls, being handed out, looked at, laughed at, and posted online. 
   A picture of me naked, and covered in chocolate, trying to cover myself all in vain, trying to catch the last of my dignity. 
   I didn't think of it as anything when Jessica, my bully invited me to go to the spa with her. I thought she finally saw what she did wrong and wanted to start over. 
   A lie I believed, all too easily. Look where it got me. 
   I thought she couldn't do anything else to break me, she's already done many things. 
   Ever since 8th-grade middle school, she seemed to have it out for me. Finding out she was going to be going to the same high school as me, that wasn't the worst of it. No, the worst of it was all the humiliation, insults, and cruel pranks. But this! This hit the cake. 
   "Oh lookie here." Jessica looked up along with her group of friends as they handed out printed pictures to jocks who stared and laughed, and made inappropriate comments. 
   This was beyond humiliation. 
   "How are you doing bestie? Enjoy the spa? I'm sure you did, considering the slut you are, you might have fucked the manager." Her eyes narrowed as she said that, referring to the last comment I made of her about being a slut when I tried to fight back. 
   It's probably what made her go all out, but it was also true. Besides, I deserved to insult her, after everything she put me through for the past two years. 
   Tears came to my eyes once more when the boys laughed looking from the picture to me. "Looking for a good lay sweet cheek? I'll give you a hundred bucks to buy some clothes." Jessica's boyfriend commented making Jessica's eyes narrow in anger before she stalked up to me. 
   "Let this be a lesson for you, don't mess with me. Ever." With that she took my buttoned shirt and yanked it open, popping the buttons showing my chest. 
   I gasped and went to cover my chest but not in time, as Jessica, also took my bra by the middle breaking it making my B cups spill out. I tried to gather my ripped shirt to cover myself, hearing flashed go off along with mocking laughter. I looked up at Jessica seeing a victorious smirk on her face making me angry. 
   I never thought I would be able to hate someone, but she proved me wrong. 
   "One day people will see you for the bitch you are, and you'll lose anything you've ever claimed you 'gained, deserved, or belonged to you.' One day you will be ruined Jessica Mc-henry!" I screeched looking around the silent halls before shouldering past her. 
   10 years later 
   I smirked looking down at the girl in front of me, no not girl, that was years ago. This here is a woman, a woman in desperate need of help, but I'm not the one who will be helping her. 
   No, she ruined her chance years ago. 
   "Jessica Mc-Henry.' I spoke firmly a poker face I mastered over the years coming to my features making her even more nervous than she was before. 
   "You want to work, at my company?" 
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 2 
   
   "One day people will see you for the bitch you are, and you'll lose anything you've ever claimed you 'gained, deserved, or belonged to you.' One day you will be ruined Jessica Mc-henry!" 
   
   And she was right. 
   It didn't take long for parents, and authorities to catch on when Anaya Davyn tried to commit suicide. All before she moved away. 
   I was blamed. 
   I drove a girl to suicide, and if she did succeed, I would have been charged. 
   No- it didn't end there, my boyfriend broke up with me when he found out I was sleeping with others. (Amazing how he didn't figure it out sooner. Andrew Peirce is an idiot.) My friends turned against me, doing what I have been doing to Anaya all those years. 
   They actually picked up their grades, got into college and got married- Never thought they had it in them. 
   I barely graduated high school, and my parents disowned me after they found out I was pregnant, which I lost from going overboard with the alcohol. With my parents disowning me I didn't get the money and savings I needed and never got to go to college. Not like I would have made it with my grades anyway. 
   All in all, I lost everything, and my life fell apart. 
   All because of her.... And my stupid jealousy. 
   Now I'm sitting in front of the very girl who ended me. The tables have turned and instead of her begging desperately to me, it's me begging desperately to her. Except, it's a way worst outcome for me then it was for her. 
   "Please if I don't get a job soon, I'll get kicked out of my apartment!" 
   ....Were my exact words as she stared down at me. I could see she grew hardened from all experiences, and worked hard to become the woman she is today. 
   I could see her reluctance to accept my plea. I was ready to walk out the door, dejected and defeated when she called my name. 
   "You're hired." 
   I blinked once, twice. "W-what?" 
   She smirked at me. "You're hired, however not for the job you applied for. You don't have enough experience for that." Her comment cut through me like steel, but I deserved it. "I did just hear you say you need a job, however. Are you up to doing any job I assign you to?" 
   I hesitated but nodded. I need this, and that was all she needed. 
   "Well-"She slammed the folder containing my resume. "You start tomorrow." 
   It took a full year of some of the most horrible, and low paying jobs I lived off. She got bored and didn't even bother anymore, making it worse than her paying negative attention bullying me time to time. 
   It was then, after another year, I steeled myself and knew what I had to do. This was what she wanted, well I'm not going to let her win, not like she let me years ago. 
   I worked hard, saved money, went to college and finally got the degree I needed to get a real job and finally quit. 
   Now... That's a day I'll never forget. 
   I slammed my papers on her desk making her look from at her paperwork looking from me to them wearily. "What's this?" 
   I smirked feeling victorious, the same smirk she wore every time when I was assigned to the lower and some of the nastiest jobs. But it taught me something. 
   "My resignation letter." 
   She tilted her head in surprise. "You finally got yourself together huh? Didn't expect that from you." She brought the paper towards her reading it before signing what needed to be signed. 
   My breath hitched in shock. I expected another reaction from her. Anger, maybe from the underdog rising, breaking from her grip. 
   It's how I felt when she left leaving my life in chaos. 
   "What's wrong?" Her eyes peered at mines. 
   "I just expected you to react differently, isn't that what you wanted after all? Payback for everything I've done over the years. Me desperate, groveling at your feet, taking any bone you throw at me." She smirked at that leaning close. 
   "I enjoyed it for some time before I resolved, I can't enjoy it for so long like you did with me. 'I wouldn't be like her' was what I told myself. 'But I won't change a thing.'' I stared at her blankly. "And now I don't doubt, it will be the same for you." 
   I nodded mutely as she signed the final line before sliding it towards me. I went to take it but was stopped by her grip. 
   "You know all of this could have been different right?" She smiled, "I could have been your best friend." She leaned back. "But I guess I still taught you something a good friend should. You don't get everything you want in life handed to you on a silver platter." 
   I stared into her eyes. "You learned that way earlier than me, didn't you?" For once she let me see what she felt. 
   "Yes." Her famous poker face came on. "Now get out of my building and don't come back." She said harshly as I walked out with a smile. 
   "Yes, we could have been best friends." 
     
   
   
   
   Bonus 
   "Anaya sweetie?" 
   I stared ahead at the wall not even bothered to answer. "Honey...." My mom trailed off probably catching sight of my wrist. 
   "You said you would stop." She broke down seeing the blood. 
   "I know." I said hollowly. "They also said bullying could be stopped." 
   I gasped shooting off my bed looking around, before sighing in relief. "Just a dream." I breathed out. No a harsh memory. 
   One of many I thoughts I buried, before she came into my life, and walked out once again. 
   "I'll just do some paper work." I sighed getting up and sitting at my desk. Turning on the light I buried myself into work. 
   Work, that's all I've been doing, trying to distract myself. It worked for some time, but now..... 
   "Miss Davyn, your five O'clock is here." I looked up from my desk just to see him walk in. I did a double take. 
   "Miss, Davyn huh. Fancy." He gave me a smile sitting down in front of me. 
   "Mister Peirce." I acknowledged him before looking down at my work. Childish I know. 
   But, is there a guideline to how to react when your long time crush, ex-best friend, and ex-boyfriend to your evil enemy comes visit you? Thought so. 
   Andrew Peirce. As cliché as it is, quarterback player back in high school and popular it boy. Yeah had a crush on him, stupidest mistake ever. It made the hurt, hurt even more. 
   Heard his football career took off, hard not to hear considering the name Andrew Peirce has been everywhere for a while. You can imagine how annoyed I became. 
   It seems like Football has done him good. 
   "Oh come on, don't be like that Naya." I froze at the sound of my childhood nickname. "You and I both know you lost the right to call me that." He frowned but nodded in understanding. 
   Did he really think I would welcome him back into my life? Just like that, after everything he's done! "Well, I guess-" 
   "Why are you here?" I cut him off narrowing my eyes. Andrew shifted nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought, I could come see how you were doing, I heard you've done a lot even after...." 
   I smiled bitterly. "My unsuccessful suicide?" He flinched at my blunt words. "Yeah, I never meant for that to happen, I mean no one did...." 
   I rolled my eyes. "I know they just wanted me to wallow alone, and take everything thrown at me without any consequences for them. Understandable. We can be selfish once in a while can't we?" He grimaced at the familiar words. 
   'We can be selfish once in a while, can't we?' 
   It's just what he told me when I complained to him about Jessica, when he began going out with her. He always had a crush on him and it killed me, I think I killed our friendship too. I don't know whether it was wrong, or right of me to ask him to break up with her. 
   I still don't know till this day. 
   "I-" He groaned running his hand through his hair while I tried not to notice his flexing muscles. "I know, I messed up big time. But I want to make it up to you, be there for you. Your mom is worried about-" 
   I narrowed my eyes. "-Wait, when did you see my mother?" His mouth opened and close like a fish before he relented. "During one of my games, she approached me." 
   "Exactly why? Doesn't she know you played a part in all this?" I said harshly. He sighed. "How can she when you never said a thing?" I felt my nose flare in anger. "Are you blaming me, on how the bullying went too far?" 
   "No no." He shook his head in panic. "A friend, she said you needed a friend. You've been burying yourself in work, pushing people away. She's worried about your health, your mental health. Anaya, you need someone there for you." 
   I sneered standing. "And you're the one? One of the causes in the first place." 
   "Yes, I'm going to become your friend, be there for you, and drag you to parties, to socialize." He stood towering over me. 
   "Whether you want my friendship, or not." 
   It wasn't an empty promise either, and I guest after a long while. I finally found fun, and true friendship. 
   True friends, one who sticks around and picks up the pieces. They could be your previous friends you went to school with, a fall out friend, or simply you're rival and enemy. 
   You simply don't know who could end up being your best friend. 
     
   
   
   Text: Beky Cybille Images: Beky Cybille Editing: Beky Cybille All rights reserved. Publication Date: May 17th 2016 https://www.bookrix.com/-xo9aacb090f4d55