OS: Fight Back - MG

It’s so strange to be back. I never thought I’d ever be here again. Being an army brat, I lived in many places during my childhood. This town is one of them.

I lived here for a short term. I think I’ve had the most impact on my life here. It feels amazing to be back. But for now, I better get some ice cream for my grandmother. She’s such a kid sometimes. Being the sucker that I am, I do whatever makes her happy.

It’s so crowded here. This town has certainly grown over the years. And this Saturday afternoon, it seems like the whole world is outside. I don’t blame them; the weather’s beautiful. But I really wanted my first walk around to be less crowded.

I weaved through the maze and finally reached my grandmother’s favorite ice cream store. As soon as I stepped in, somebody tapped me from behind. I turned around to see the eyes that haunted me for most of my life. The difference is that this time the eyes are not framed with glasses.

‘Hi, I know you,’ she stated in her melodious voice. It pleased me that it was a statement and not a question.

‘You know me?’ I asked her. She looked a little flustered now.

‘I know that I know you. How do I know you?’ she clearly wasn’t going to give up.

‘Are you sure you’re not trying to hit on me?’ I teased her. I don’t know why, I just wanted to joke with her. Fate was clearly joking with me. It had brought me a present my first day here; the most beautiful gift.

She blushed. I laughed. Instantly, I was transported back to time when she had actually changed my life.

Because we kept moving, I had developed a tough exterior. Being the new kid everywhere, I was teased mercilessly, but I didn’t care anymore. I had learnt enough about humans to not take them seriously.

This town was every other town. This school was every other school. There was a bully in every school. And I was teased again. I ignored it, as always. The pesky kid here was Dev.

One day during my senior year of high school, I walked out of class and was hounded again by Dev and his gang in the corridor, in front of everyone. She came out of nowhere and stepped in front of me.

‘Why are you making fun of him? What has he done to you?’ I remembered seeing her in class. Her nose was always pressed against a book. She was also teased because she wore thick glasses and braided her hair. Regardless of that, she was gorgeous. And I remembered her fallen reputation which when I thought of it, didn’t mesh with what I had observed of her.

‘Nothing, it’s merely the fact that he exists,’ Dev, the bully, smirked. It clearly showed that he thought it was a smart retort. And where had I heard that line before?

The girl was quicker than I had given her credit for. ‘Oh come on, how original. Quoting Harry Potter? Seriously? You think you’re James Potter? He’s the only one that got away with that line. And you think you can? Whatever!’ This was the longest speech I had ever heard from her; not that I ever paid attention to her. But now I did, with both my eyes wide open.

Dev turned slightly red, but he didn’t back down. ‘And you actually know where I got the line from. What does that make you? Oh yeah, I remember, a nerd,’ he smirked once again and my hands turned into fists. I didn’t like the way he was speaking to her or the way he was looking at her. I knew that look, and I detested it. It was a look of lust. I was able to identify it because I had become very quick at reading people.

He continued with his low thoughts, ‘And anyways, why do you care if I tease him? What is he? Your lover?’

Before I could say anything, which I was about to do, she came back with a sharp retort that left me jaw slacked, ‘And what if he is? Just because I refused to be your lover, you defamed my character. I wonder what he refused to do for you that you’re slandering him, now.’

This literally left the entire corridor shell shocked. And Dev, the biggest bully on the face of the Earth, turned a nasty purple color. He took a step forward with his hands clenched in fists. I recognized that he was going to hit her and I pushed her behind me. Our eyes met and my world turned upside down.

I mentally shook myself and focused on the problem at hand. I didn’t have to do anything because Dev’s victims stood in front of me facing Dev. They had all had enough of him. Dev saw them all and ran away.

I turned and saw her looking at me. I smiled at her, ‘Thanks, I didn’t need your help, but thanks.’

She laughed, ‘Yeah, you didn’t need my help at all. I could see that. And thank you as well. I’m Geet Handa.’

‘I’m Maan Singh Khurana,’ we shook hands and I felt something. I looked at her and she was still smiling at me. I don’t think she felt anything. She thanked me once again and left.

I didn’t see her after that day. My dad got reposted and I couldn’t attend my high school graduation. I learnt a lesson that day. I learnt a lesson about courage. The slip of a girl had enough courage to stand up against a bully. The most poignant moment for me was that she had never stood up for herself, but she stood up for me.

After that, I decided to work against bullies. I started a program called ‘Fight Back’ and that program gives students mental courage and physical courage to fight back to the bullies. We show students some martial arts moves that can scare bullies away. We have hotlines for students who are being bullied and those students are helped by our resourceful staff.

Not everyone has the courage to fight back, but it just takes one person to stand up for what is right. I learnt a great lesson that day that has stayed with me ever since. And here was my inspiration standing right in front of me wondering how she knew me. I guess the question should have been how I knew her.

I smiled at her blush and she turned back giving up on me. She started walking away from me when I shouted out, ‘Geet.’

She stopped, turned and looked at me with a slight smile. ‘So you do know me.’

‘Yes, I know you. Do you want to have an ice cream and catch up? I’ll tell you who I am,’ I wanted to know everything about her. Most importantly, I wanted to know if she was still single.