From The Wood Part 1 Middle School: From The Wood 4u3d

Part 1 – Middle School

By

JACQALINE FLORES NAVARRO

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2021 Jacqaline Flores Navarro

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-7370216-0-5 (paperback) ISBN: 978-1-7370216-1-2 (ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021911438

Cover design by: Rica Cabrex

To my mom and dad, who worked tirelessly to give the best gift of all to my siblings and me; an education. I love you both dearly.

To my older sister, who always encourages me to become the best version of myself, she still motivates me to keep trying and overcome obstacles that stand in my way. She has shown me that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

Contents

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine

Epilogue Author’s Note Glossary

Chapter One

I was the silent type, the one that rarely talked. As a kid, you know you are constantly told, “You don’t know what you are talking about,” “Shush, you really shouldn’t say that,” or “What do you know? You are just a kid,” especially by people who are supposed to be your role models. I have come across several people like that; peers and even teachers. Whew! I forgot to introduce myself. Hello everyone, my name is Vina. Although my full name is Vina Angelita Perez Santos, you may refer to me as Vina, Angie, or V. That is how I flow. Anyways, let me take you back to events from my childhood years so you can better appreciate my present teenage self. It all started when my elder brother and I were with my mom as she was pregnant with my baby brother. Like me, my older brother Alonso was a shy bloke; he was always obedient, especially to mom. He is older than me by four years. We attended the same elementary school, so we regularly saw each other at school, which was a bit weird. He had his group of friends, and I had mine; we never tried to hang out with one another. For one, my best friend Melma was amusingly crushing on him, and I found this annoying. Melma was my best friend and the only friend who was there for me until middle school. It was just us in our small world, Melma and I; you know, two best friends, and then boom, it grew to become five – Mia, Kari, Ella, Melma, and me. Funnily, we instantly clicked. We were kids who became friends out of nowhere; we never really questioned it at all. Mia was like us, shy and afraid to speak up. She was the type in which the word “trouble” made her stomach flip. On the other hand, Kari and Ella were the “tough” ones of the group, friends who dealt with people who tried to mess with any one of us. They never tolerated name-calling or bullying of any kind. Kari and Ella would pick on such

persons at times who will then go straight to the principal. There were occasions when they got into trouble; good enough, what they got was only detention. The five of us and our mothers knew one another, so when one of us had a party, we were there, or if we wanted to hang out, we also went there. We were so close that we thought our bond would last forever; it did not. We were all sad when Kari moved away when I was in the fourth grade. All I know was that we were going to miss her, especially Ella and me. Kari told Ella; “Take care of our girls. It’s all up to you now. They need you.” This was the first time Kari and Ella were vulnerable with one another and even hugged. Before Kari left, she gave me a white envelope and whispered to me, “Don’t open it yet. It’s for your eyes only.” with that, she hugged me. It was December when Kari moved away, we all knew that things would not be the same, and things began to change fast. Kari left on the last day before the winter break. After the dismissal bell rang, we did not get the chance to hang out one last time or throw her a farewell get-together. Everything did change, we stopped hanging out at each other’s houses, and since none of us had a cell phone, we really could not keep in touch. Melma, Mia, and Ella would invite me to see a movie or just hang out, but I really couldn’t because mom would not let me. Since Kari left, I could no longer hang out with my girls after school or on the weekends at all. It was the last day of fourth grade, and we were excited that the summer break was here. Each of us had plans, and we told each other what we were going to do. Ella was going with her dad to visit her grandparents by the East Coast. Mia was going to stay in-state but spend the entire summer in Northern California. Melma and I lived close by, so we planned to hang out whenever we could. The dismissal bell rang, and before we parted ways, Ella gave me a friendship bracelet, just me. “It’s in your favorite color, hope you like it? Don’t worry. I am not leaving you and the girls. We will see each other again on the first day of school,” she said. I guess she saw how worried I looked; I am not good at hiding my emotions. Off she went, waving back at me with a beautiful smile on her face.

Chapter Two

It was the first day of the summer vacation, and I had a lot on my mind about how I would spend it. However, I did not want to do anything at all. Mom was with my little brother Leo in the living room while Alonso was outside playing ball with the neighborhood kids. “Y que, vas estar sentada haciendo nada. Porque no vas a jugar con tu hermano?” mom said. I did not move an inch, because Alonso never liked it when mom sends me to play with him. “Vina, te estoy hablando, si no me vas a ayudar a cuidar a Leo.” With those simple words, I decided to go outside with Alonso. I love helping mom take care of Leo, but he always managed to get me in trouble for something I did not do. Leo was my mom’s eyes; she was some other person with him. I just don’t know how to explain it. Alonso saw me coming towards him, and he was ready to make a sprint for it, but mom called him out before he made a move. “¡No más que te vayas, cuida a tu hermana!” Alonso turned around, looking infuriated. Yes, brother, me too, I feel you. Once I came face to face with him, he gave it to me straight. “I don’t want you to get hurt, but if I don’t let you play, mom will come after me and begin saying, “Porque no le dejaste a jugar’ o ‘Ella si Puede.” So I am going to let you play, but this is on you.” I just nodded. Although Alonso is a tad overprotective of me and shows he cares sometimes, but he often tells me, “I don’t care.” The other kids came back, and we began playing soccer. The day went quite well, and no, I did not get hurt. I am just built differently. I’m kidding. I may or may not have gotten a scratch, but I felt good. Melma and I made plans to see one another over the summer, but she ended up going to Cancun with her family. It was the usual routine for me, play outside with Alonso for a while or take care of Leo while mom cooked something for us. During the weekends, I spent time with dad playing board games or watching

soccer games on TV. Dad worked during the weekdays, sometimes on Saturdays, but sometimes he took Saturdays off to spend some time with us. My dad is a very hardworking man. Whenever he gets home, he always looks tired, and he tries not to show it. It is like the minute he arrives at our doorstep, he tries to relax and smiles at us once he sees us. For him, seeing his family and just being able to share moments with us brings him lots of joy. I could say I liked spending time with my dad because I am his little girl, just kidding. The reason is that mom pays more attention to Leo, and then Alonso loves being left alone in his little world. This made me the middle child that rarely gets the attention of mom and Alonso. Mi papá me consiente mucho y es porque el trabaja. Most of the time it’s he and I. My mom will tell him, “No la consientas mucho porque se va acostumbrar.” In a way, mom was right. Although she made sure that I did not get used to it, she would call me out and discipline me. By discipline, she would play bad cop and say no to many things I wanted and wanted to do. It was this way for as long as I can . In our home, mom very much made the rules, while dad was the rule breaker. From this angle, it would seem as if things are not how they should be, but there was a balance to how we conducted our family life. I respect my parents and know that whatever they did was for our good. In a way, I did wish that mom cut us some slack and allowed Alonso and me to enjoy a bit of liberty. As a kid, I did not understand why she acted this way, but I understood better as I grew older. The neighborhood we lived in was not terrible, neither was it perfect. We constantly heard sirens and the odd car crash. Sometimes, we heard gunshots from afar. The apartments we lived in were in the Avenida and callejones, so we were constantly alert and on the lookout for trouble. There were occasional fights between some of my neighbors that would later lead to the police appearing at their front doors. Although we never had any trouble with our neighbors, I would see mom sometimes step out of our house to check if it was safe for us to play on the apartment patio. As time went on, it became a regular thing for us to hear the blaring of sirens from police cars, ambulances, firefighters, or even from

helicopters above. These events mainly occurred during summer because people are out and about during that season. I thought the place we lived in at the time was going to be our home forever; I was wrong again. We moved to a new neighborhood that was more secure and not unsettling than our former place. Mom became calmer and at ease because we lived close to the fire department; it was there if anything were to happen. It became easier for mom to walk out in our new place and see me when I returned from school. Everything felt good, and I felt safer than I did at our former home.

Chapter Three

Fifth grade and sixth grade came and went like a flash, our friend group grew more substantial and kept it until middle school. We were not popular in any way, but people knew because we were inseparable. We knew that our friendship was going to be tested at some point. Different factors that were mainly around us were going to come into play in testing our bond’s strength. One of these factors was the area we lived in and our tag as a small city with a low-income background. Another was that we began to notice things that were not good at all; these were vices. At the beginning of middle school, I started seeing many of my classmates smoking, some drank from little liquor bottles, and others did things that are best not spoken of. These issues were going to play a crucial part in our friendship. The majority of middle school students had cell phones, and others did not. As a result of this, if you did not own a cell phone, you were pretty much missing out on a lot. For me, not having a cell phone was not much of a deal, well, maybe a bit. We didn’t quite know how well the issue of owning a cell phone was going to affect our friendship. I noticed that Mia suddenly changed. She was no longer the shy girl we knew from elementary school – this was a different version of Mia. She became more sociable beginning the seventh grade, and almost everyone knew her by “Pretty Mia.” Melma became heavily involved in sports and was appointed basketball squad captain. It was just Ella and me that were left. It’s true when people say, “people change, and circumstances change as well.” We stopped hanging out as we used to in school. All we could muster was just a wave whenever we saw or walked past one another. Ella was still herself and hung out with me at school, especially in the mornings. Both of us would wait for Kim, Lacey, Fannie, and the boys at the school’s entrance by the patio. We became friends in PE in the seventh grade and have remained friends ever since. One of us was in charge of bringing something for the group every morning. It was usually a snack or a meal we could all eat

together during lunchtime. The boys in our group were Jules, Renzo, and Al. These guys rarely brought anything we liked. They made up for it during lunchtime by giving us their fries and cookies, which was a fair deal. Even though the boys were annoyed because they had to share their food with us, they were thoughtful in their unique way, especially when I was being bullied. Many at my school believed that I was the one who brought it on myself, but that was not the case. I cannot recollect precisely when it began, but it did change things. Everyone knew her, and how she was, her name was Robin. She was in the majority of my seventh-grade classes, and I became acquainted with her. Although she never gave me reasons, Ella warned me that Robin was someone I should not acquaint myself with or befriend. I ignored all she said because I try to see the best in people. Ella always told me that I am too good-natured and optimistic, and such an attitude to life could backfire if I refused to be cautious in my dealings with people. Well, I didn’t see anything wrong with that. As far as I was concerned, people trying to take advantage of me because of my friendliness would be the worst-case scenario. Ella was right. I soon began to see that people are not actually who they appear to be. Robin and I hung out at times alongside her clique. Mia would tag along with us occasionally. I never really noticed anything wrong with Robin. I thought she was a decent girl. We frequently talked about how some of our classmates were heading down the wrong path and moving with the wrong crowd. We would also talk about who our crushes were and who we wanted to be in the future. As time went on, Robin would get involved in very heated arguments when something did not seem right to her or when someone picked on one of her friends. At that time, I did not see anything wrong with this, especially since I felt she was standing up for those who were picked on. Good heavens, this was seventh grade, and I thought people misunderstood her and were terrible in their attitude. This is until I became her next target.

Chapter Four

It was one sunny day, and it was during PE. We were already done with running two laps on the blacktop. This meant that we were free to do whatever we wanted for the remainder of the period. So we went to our usual spot to sit against the gym wall in the shade. Jules, Renzo, and Al took out their phones and began playing video games. Kim, Lacey, Fannie, and Ella had their phones out; they checked their social media s. I just sat there looking around and fidgeting around with my legs because I did not have a cell phone. I’m sure you have guessed this already. As I looked around, I saw Melma approaching me. “Hey Ang, why are you looking around?” She sat next to me, and I just looked at her with a confused look on my face. “No cell phone for a week; grounded again,” Melma said. It made sense to me because she was always glued to her cell phone. “So, how does it feel to be off the grid?” I asked jokingly. Melma laughed for a minute, “Ang, I don’t know how you do it. It has been a very long day, and I feel like I am missing out on a lot.” I just shrugged. I rested my head again against the cool wall, and it felt so good. I closed my eyes for a bit, and then I heard Ella’s voice. “So Melma, what brings you to this neck of the woods?” “Nothing much. When did it become a crime to hang out with my girls prohibited?” Melma asked sarcastically. I jolted my head to look at Ella and then at Melma. “Never mind!” Ella said. Ella went back to look at her phone, and then she suddenly gave me a worried look. She did not say a thing; instead, she got up and began walking towards the hoops. Melma and I immediately got up, following her. “Robin!” Ella shouted. I looked around to see if the teachers heard her calling out Robin’s name. Nada! They did not pay much attention to it. “I told you to stop, didn’t I?” Ella continued to shout. Now I was confused and looked at Melma; she too did not have a clue. Suddenly, I felt Kim, Lacey, Fannie, Jules, Renzo, and Al behind me. “Hey Vina, just don’t,” Fannie whispered. Renzo walked up next to Ella and motioned that I was there. I looked

at Robin, and she had this twisted look on her face and just smirked – the type of smirk that annoys the bejesus out of you. “Now, El, this does not involve you, does it? But here you go again fighting a fight that is not yours,” Robin said, still looking at me. Ella looked like a red tomato and seemed annoyed and mad at the same time. I walked up to Robin and looked straight at her face, “What’s your problem, Robin? Why are you looking at me like that?” I said. I knew it was audacious to say that, but I could not still see how she was treating Ella. “You have the guts to come up to me and say that, don’t you after what you did?” Robin said threateningly. Ella grabbed my right arm and dragged me away. I was perplexed because no one explained what was going on. Ella broke the silence and said, “Wait until lunchtime.” That was all she said; I looked at the others and said nothing.

Chapter Five

We returned to the locker room and changed back to our school uniform. It was dead silent. As we walked towards the gate, the lunch bell rang. We all walked briskly towards the queue to get our food. The loud silence was beginning to creep me out. The boys got to our table first, and when we all sat down, they started eating their food. For the first time, Melma sat with us because she is usually out on the blacktop or catching up with her teammates. The first few minutes went by, and no one said anything. We just sat there munching our food. From the side of my eye, I noticed that Ella kept looking around. “Okay, Ella, are you going to tell me what that was all about?” I asked calmly. Everyone stopped eating and looked at her. I guess that never changed since we were kids. People always looked at her to take the lead. Ever since Kari left us, I felt like Ella took all that she had told her seriously. Ella got up from the end of the table where she was and sat next to me. She took out her cell phone and motioned me to see what was on the screen. I read it and was taken aback by what I saw; it was all about me. “I did not want you to find out about this at all. I did my best to protect you, well, all of us.” I kept looking at her phone’s screen and could not believe why someone would say those nasty things about me. Ella gently took back her cell phone; she looked at me and said, “What you just saw is a hate page, and those were hate posts.” Everyone avoided meeting my gaze. Melma was looking intensely at Fannie’s phone screen. “I can’t believe it. Why would someone do this, especially to Vina?” Melma exclaimed. “Well, some people are just miserable, and since they are not happy with themselves, they want to see others unhappy as well,” Ella responded. Nothing new happened for two weeks, although I had a gut feeling that a storm was coming. I was correct. As I walked to our usual spot, no one was there, so I

decided to go to the lunch table area. From afar, I heard someone call my name. I turned around, and I saw Robin approaching me. I did not see any of the girls or the boys, and I did not know what to do. “Where’s your squad?” Robin said mockingly. I looked around again, and a wave of relief came over me because I saw the boys, but they were still far away from where I was. “How rude, I’m talking to you, Santos. Are you deaf?” Robin screamed. I looked at her straight in the eye. Deep inside me, I knew that I had to stand up for myself because no one else would. “No, I’m not deaf. One, you really shouldn’t say that, and two, what’s your problem?” I exclaimed. “Wow! Look who woke up and decided to be brave today. I’m surprised because Ella is usually here fighting in your corner and for the others.” I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was Renzo. “V, she is not worth it. Don’t waste your words on her,” he whispered to me. Jules and Al stood side by side next to Renzo. Al was going to say something but decided not to. I calmed down after what Renzo said and decided to walk away. As I walked with the boys away from Robin and her little group, I spotted Mia with them, but she tried to avoid my gaze. I had a feeling that she was also involved in all of this. The time ed by rather quickly, and we were waiting for the lunch bell. I told Ella all about what happened earlier, and she did not like what Robin did. What irritated her the most was that Mia was right there with them. We sat at our usual spot and ate our lunch. Nothing much happened, which was weird. I needed to use the restroom, so I got up and left. On getting out of the stall, Mia was there; it felt like she was waiting for me this whole time. “Been waiting for you,” Mia said. I just continued to wash my hands. “Excuse me,” I said as I reached for the hand dryer. “Wait, don’t leave yet. I…,” Mia was trying to avoid my gaze again. “Look, I want you to know that Ella and the rest know what happened earlier today,” I said as I walked out. As I stepped out of the restroom, there she was, stopping me from going any further. “Look who we have here. Little Miss Brave which you are not,” Robin said. I saw that smirk on her face again. “Get out of my way Robin. I do not want to start anything. Just leave me alone.” I said. I tried walking past her and had no success because she stood in front of me. “Not so fast.” Her posse stood side by side next to her while Mia was behind

me. “I finally have you alone. This time no one will help you.” Robin laughed. I tried to walk past her, but I couldn’t. “Why are you doing this, Robin? What do you want from me?” I said in a low voice. “Stop acting like you don’t know.” Robin moved closer to me. “Robin, stop!” Mia exclaimed. That was the first time Mia said something, and Robin looked at her to keep her from intervening. Robin was going to say something to Mia, but I heard a voice. “What is going on here, ladies? Do we have a problem?” asked Vice-Principal Gailing. She looked at each one of us, then stopped and looked at me. “I asked you, ladies, a question.” She looked at me specifically and was waiting for my answer. “Nothing is happening, Ms. Gailing. Nothing.” I said nervously. I was hoping to convince her that nothing was amiss, although I was this close to being harmed by Robin. Ms. Gailing’s eyes looked back and forth at us as if what I said did not convince her. She did not push the subject any further. “Okay then. Go back to the lunch area, and you ladies know that you cannot be here for long.” She motioned us to return to the lunch area. I took advantage of her presence and walked away from Robin as fast as I could. I was back at our table, and I exhaled loudly like I was holding my breath the whole time. Ella was the first one to notice, “What took you so long? I was going to organize a search party for you. You got me worried.” I sat down and grabbed my water bottle chugging down the remaining content before I could respond. “Nothing happened. There was this long line, so I had to wait.” I said, trying to sound calm. Ella looked back, and she saw that it was Robin and her posse alongside Mia. So, she looked back at me, but Melma interrupted her before she could say anything. “Oh really, then why is Robin, her posse, and Mia coming from the restroom almost at the time you got here?” Now everyone was looking at me, and I gave in. “Okay, I got out of the stall, and Mia was there waiting for me. She tried to block my path. All of a sudden, Robin and her girls appeared at the restroom’s entrance. She was going to do something to me, but I got saved by Vice-Principal Gailing’s intervention. Robin did not have the chance.” Everyone looked back at Robin. “Nothing happened. Just let it

go, please.” I urged them. They all looked back at me, relaxed, and did not push any further. The dismissal bell rang, and I was already heading towards the back gate when I heard Melma scream my name. “Vina, wait up!” I stopped and looked back. Melma was running towards me, trying to catch up. “Dang girl, you are Speedy Gonzales, aren’t you.” She finally caught up. “What do you want, M?” I said. “What? Can’t I walk with you? We are headed the same way. So here I am.” I decided not to say much. I just walked, and Melma followed next to me. We walked past the park’s soccer field and the trolley station. “V, I can’t take it anymore. What happened?” Melma said. “Nothing happened. Just believe me.” I looked at her. Melma decided not to say anything anymore. Instead, we talked about something else. We reached my house and waved each other off. She kept walking straight until I could no longer see her.

Chapter Six

Nothing happened for the next three weeks, just the usual. I did not see much of Robin and her posse as well as Mia. I walked to school in the morning and returned home alone because Melma had to stay a bit longer in school at the close of the day. It was Friday. On this day, I decided to go to CVS to buy myself a bottle of water because it was crazily hot outside. As I paid the cashier, I felt like someone was watching me. The cashier gave me my receipt and changed it along with my water, “Have a nice day,” she said. I walked out and had that feeling of being watched, but no one was there. I continued strolling and walked past the bank crossing the street. As I strolled, I heard footsteps behind me. I decided to look back, and there was a man. His gaze scared the bejeezus out of me. I increased my pace and began to feel my calves’ muscles burning because I was walking fast. He tried to keep up with me, and I had a horrible feeling that he was stalking me. Then I heard a honk from a car, “Hey V, need a ride?” I looked at who it was; it was Kim. Her mom was parking her vehicle ahead. I acknowledged her gesture. When I turned back, I saw the guy go in a different direction until I could no longer see him. “Kim, I think you just saved me from something horrible. Thank you.” “Girl, no problem. When I saw your backpack, I told my mom that backpack was yours. I was like, ‘Hey mom, I think that is Vina, and there is this guy behind her that is giving me the creeps. Can we stop?’ and here we are. Anyways do you need a ride?” Kim asked. I looked straight down the road. My house was a block away, but if I got in and my mom saw me get out of Kim’s car, I was going to get an earful. “Kim, it’s alright. My house is just a block away. Thank you anyway.” Kim looked at me, “Okay, just be careful. See you Monday.” She smiled, and off they went. I walked a bit faster until I reached my house. I spent the whole weekend just doing homework. I told my mom and elder

brother what happened on my way from school. Alonso taught me some basic self-defense techniques if something like that happened again and if someone tried to touch me. It was Sunday, and we decided to go to the morning Mass at church. After the Mass, my dad bought us churros. As I was eating my churro and walking with Alonso ahead, I saw Mia coming out of her parent’s car. I immediately avoided her and began discussing something random with Alonso, “So how about the weather today? It is quite hot, isn’t it?” Alonso looked at me weirdly, “Ang, what are you talking about, and why are you walking faster than usual.” He looked around and saw Mia. “Hey, isn’t that your friend? What’s her name? Nia, Gia…?” Alonso said, trying to make it obvious. I whispered, “It’s Mia, and she is not my friend.” He looked at me curiously and wanted to say something, but I guess he saw how uncomfortable and tense I was. He did not say anything else. Instead, he asked dad if we could eat breakfast because he was hungry. To my surprise, mom said yes, which was unusual because it was mom. Ordinarily, she would say, “hay comida en la casa o yo puedo ser de comer en la casa”. We decided to have breakfast at McDonald’s. Walking, taking the trolley or bus were our regular modes of transportation.

Chapter Seven

It was Monday again, and it was my turn to bring some food for my friends, but I decided to wake up earlier than usual. As I was packed my things for school, mom appeared behind me; I was startled. “Te vas con cuidado, okay.” she blessed me, and I kissed her on her cheek. Out I went. For a moment, I thought my mom was going to tell me something about the food, but I felt she didn’t see the need to say anything. Typically, it does not take me long to walk to school, but this was a beautiful Monday morning, so I decided to ire my surroundings. My city does not look bad at all – it is serene, beautiful, and has a small-town feel. I showed my ID to Rick, the Campus security guard. As I ed the entrance gates, I looked around to see if anyone had arrived, but there was no one yet. I went to our spot and sat on top of one of the school’s bench-like features. I made sure I had everything in my backpack, and as soon as I felt someone stand in front of me, out of habit, I said, “Hey, I brought it today.” I looked up, and it was her. Yea, Robin. Oh, man! The day that I woke up in a good mood and felt it would be one of my best days started on a sour note. “Who do we have here? Our Little Miss Perfect,” Robin said mockingly. “Leave me alone, Robin,” I said as I looked back in my bag. She kicked the side of my foot, “Hey, I’m talking to you. Man, you are so rude.” What I said next really ticked her off, “Well, look who’s talking.” I knew that was going to make her angry. She was even troubled by that remark made me laugh because here she thought she is the toughest thing after Iron Mike. I decided there and then not to give her any more attention. I got up and walked away from her. “Vina, I am talking to you. You are just so rude. No wonder you have a whole hate page on social media.” I stopped in my tracks and looked back at her. She knew that would bother me in some way, and it worked.

“You know what, Robin. I have had enough of your banter, enough with you bothering me. What’s your deal, huh?” I demanded. Robin walked close to where I was until she appeared in front of me, “You know what my problem is? It’s that you think you are Miss Perfect and you can get everyone to like you. You can’t do anything, and you are no one at all.” At this point, I was confused. I had been nothing but friendly to Robin, and I never said anything wrong about her. “What?” I said. “You heard me. Now, since no one is here to protect you or stop me, you will get it from me.” Robin smirked. She moved closer, but I backed away. In my head, I considered using some of the moves that Alonso had taught me on her. However, I did not want to get into any trouble. I looked around; more students arrived and saw Robin and me. They began to form a crowd around us. There and then, I knew that I did not want to fight her. My body decided to freeze right there, and I looked at my peers, but no one wanted to get involved. I just hoped for the worst. I was waiting for Robin to punch me or something, but nothing. I opened my eyes, and Renzo and Fannie were in front of me. “I suggest that you walk away right now, Robin, before I go call the principal or vice-principal,” Renzo said. Robin looked back at me and then at Renzo and Fannie; she walked away. “Hey, are you okay? Did she do or say anything?” Fannie asked worriedly. Nothing came out of my mouth. I felt a knot in my throat. It took me a moment to come around, and that was when I began to cry. I don’t like it when I do that in front of my friends or anyone. Fannie hugged me, and I just let it all out. “V, this is getting out of hand. What happened?” Renzo said. I looked at him, and I did not know where to start from or what to say. “Ren, not now. Let’s wait for her to tell us later.” Fannie said. Throughout the first three class periods, I was neither focused nor paying attention to the lessons. I just kept replaying what had happened in the morning in my head. It was time for fourth period to begin, which was PE, and I knew for a fact that I was going to see her there. As I walked towards the gate, I heard our teacher say, “We are not changing today. It’s a free day. Come over here so I can take attendance.” I walked toward

our designated area, and I saw Fannie and Renzo talking with Ella. I sat alone and just waited for attendance to be over. After this, we all went to our spot. I placed my backpack to the side and sat down. All my friends did the same. It felt like they wanted to talk about what happened before school started, but I did not want to. I knew if I did not, Ella would get it out of me sooner or later. “So, V, are you going to tell us what happened in the morning?” Renzo asked. Fannie sat next to me; she placed her right arm around me, giving me a side hug to let me know that it was okay. She let go; I took a deep breath and exhaled. I looked straight ahead because I couldn’t face them; it felt like I would freeze. “Before anything, please don’t do anything rash, especially you Ella,” this time, I looked at Ella, and to my surprise, she looked calm. “When I arrived this morning, I went to our usual spot. After some minutes, I felt someone standing in front of me. I thought one of you had arrived, so I began talking, but it was her. I told her to leave me alone. She said that I was rude, so I responded, ‘look who’s talking.’ After that, I walked away and ignored her, but she followed right behind. Then she began saying that I have a hate page because I am supposedly rude. I stood up to her, saying that I had had enough of her nonsense. She came close to me and told me that I am no one and very wrong to think that I’m perfect. I guess because none of you had arrived, she took advantage of the situation. I wanted to fight back, but I froze up. I was waiting for her to punch me or something, but Renzo and Fannie got there just in time. That is what happened.” I didn’t notice that Ella was in front of me because the whole time, I had lowered my gaze. “Vina, you have to put a stop to all of this, and it is only you that can do that. Renzo and Fannie told me that I could not continue to fight your fights, but I will be there to you. I know that I have been doing everything Kari told me since she left. I mean, who would not? But I could not stand what Robin has been doing to you behind your back. Just know that you need to stand up for yourself because no one else can.” Ella hugged me. At first, I just stood there until I found the strength to hug her back. At lunch, we decided not to talk about what happened any further, so we talked about other things. The rest of the school day ed rather quickly, and this time around, Melma walked with me. Her presence brought some relief because of what happened the other day with that man following me. I got home early and went straight to the room to change out of my uniform. Then, Alonso came

home, and we began eating what mom had fixed for us. My elder brother and I sat on the living room floor doing our homework; he was acting a bit strange because he kept looking at me from time to time. A few minutes had ed until I had enough. He was making me feel silly, “Alonso, why are you looking at me like that? Stop it.” Alonso placed his books on the floor and faced me, “Vina, are you alright? Lately, you’ve been looking nervous, like something is bothering you.” I looked at him and assured him that there was nothing wrong, “nothing is going on, Alonso, and everything is fine.” He looked at me like he was not buying a word I was selling. “Okay, if you say so. If at all anything is bothering you, please, tell me or talk to me about it. It is not good to have things bottled up inside you, especially something disturbing. I know that we argue sometimes, and we don’t always express our feelings, but I am your brother, and I’m here for you.” He gave me a reassuring smile and went back to doing his homework.

Chapter Eight

I spent the next few days reflecting on what Ella said to me as well as Alonso. Robin had been absent for two days now, and her posse had not crossed paths with me. On Thursday morning, I decided that enough was enough, so I marched right into the main office and told the secretary that I wanted to talk to Mr. Ruth, our principal. Ella was right beside me and reassured me that everything would be alright. Mr. Ruth came out of his office and asked me to go in. I told him everything that had been going on, although he did ask me why I had waited so long and let things escalate. He told me that he would write it down and look into this whole Robin situation and the hate page on social media. Mr. Ruth gave me a to excuse me for being late for the first period. It was lunch, and we sat at our table eating when Melma came to sit with us. “Did you hear what happened? Someone leaked who is behind Vina’s hate page and the others, but no one knows who it is. Guess who is responsible for it? It’s no other than Robin. Right now, Robin and her posse have been looking quite nervous.” Melma whispered to us. We were all shocked by what Melma told us, and I began thinking about who could have leaked it. All I knew was that whoever made the leak did not want to get into serious trouble. The next day, I was called into the principal’s office during the third period, and the whole class began saying, “Oh! Vina is in trouble.” I ignored it. I walked out of class. As I walked towards the principal’s office, I saw Robin was also heading there. I had a gut feeling that this meeting was not going to be pretty. As we walked into Mr. Ruth’s office, we realized that Ms. Gailing was also there. Ms. Gailing stood next to Mr. Ruth while he sat on his chair. “Ladies, you are probably wondering why we called you in,” Mr. Ruth said. Ms. Gailing looked at Robin then at me, “Ms. Higgins and Ms. Perez Santos, we heard that there had been something going on between you two. Now before anyone speaks, let me advise you to tell us the truth about what has been going on because we will know if you are lying.” Ms. Gailing told me to step outside

while Robin went first, then she told me to go inside while Robin waited outside. I did not leave out any detail and looked straight at Ms. Gailing and Mr. Ruth. After some time, Robin came back inside. “I am sure both of you know that we do not tolerate bullying of any kind. Right now, I want both of you to look at each other and apologize. No ifs or buts, come on, go ahead.” I couldn’t believe that Mr. Ruth had asked me to apologize when in the first place, I had not done anything wrong to Robin. For me, it was not fair, but I had to be a better person and just wanted all of this to stop. We apologized to one another, but I felt like Robin was not sincere with hers. “Now that we are done with this, I do not want any more trouble involving both of you. Ms. Gailing and I are going to spend days looking into this.” Mr. Ruth said. Ms. Gailing dismissed Robin first but made me stay behind. “Vina, we appreciate that you came forward with this, and I had a feeling that ever since that small incident in the restroom, there was something wrong. Now please avoid situations like this. I know that you did not do anything wrong but avoid getting more involved. If anything else happens, please come to either Mr. Ruth or me, okay?” I just nodded and walked with Rick to get my things from my third-period class so I could go to fourth. As Mr. Ruth and Ms. Gailing had said, everyone was called into the principal’s office – Robin’s posse, Mia, Al, Renzo, Fannie, Lacey, Melma, Jules, Kim, and Ella. I knew that this was going to take some time. I tried my best not to worry about it especially letting it show at home. One, because mom would get mad at me for not telling her what had been happening, and that would mean I would get into more trouble for not telling her. Two, Alonso would also lecture me on why I should have spoken to him about it. I eventually told him everything that transpired. At first, he was not so happy that I could not trust him with such information. But he understood that he would have told mom, or it would have accidentally slipped out of his mouth. However, he was proud of me for standing up for myself. Alonso said he knew because one of his friends hinted to him about the hate page talk around his school. A sister of one of his friends also mentioned to him that my name appeared on some hate pages. I think this particular incident brought us closer as

siblings; it made us trust each other more.

Chapter Nine

After some time, we heard that Robin did get suspended for two weeks and that she would not be able to do any of the eighth-grade activities except walking in the promotion ceremony. Her posse got three days suspension and a week of detention, while Mia got suspended for two days. You are probably wondering why Mia also got suspended. She was involved in all of this. She spread false rumors and incited all of this with one little lie. But because she was the one who leaked Robin’s name as the hate page mastermind and also told the truth to Mr. Ruth and Ms. Gailing, you can say that she was let off with a warning. She eventually apologized to me. It was initially difficult to accept her apology because she was my friend and her involvement hurt me the most. I did accept her apology, but our friendship was no more; this was the same for the rest. Mia mentioned that she was going to move upstate at the end of the school year. I guess this had to do with what happened or it probably does not; who knows. Robin and her posse stopped bothering me. Their side-eye looks had been giving me some very negative energy, but I always wore my Mal de Ojo bracelet. They really could not do anything anymore; else, they will get expelled. Melma still hangs out with us once in a while. She said she still feels guilty about the incident, although she never said why. I never really bothered to ask her because, as the saying goes, “don’t ask questions if you don’t want to hear the answer,” or something like that. Ella, Fannie, Lacey, Kim, Jules, Renzo, and Al have been there for me, and I am truly grateful I have them in my life. We spent the whole month of May taking State exams and District tests. Towards the end of the month, our eight grade activities commenced, and it was a blast. June came and the next thing you know it was the day of our promotion. Although the ceremony could have been more exciting if they had played the song we all voted for, their selection was alright.

After the ceremony, we had a little get-together. We had to leave early because mom only allowed me to stay for a bit. Mom and dad took me out to eat along with my brothers. My parents were proud because, like my elder brother, I got promoted from the eighth grade, and I would soon go to high school. Alonso’s high school graduation was the week before mine, and he would head off to college soon, which means that I might not see much of him at home, but I’ll manage. It has been quite an eventful journey. Now you know a bit about me from my childhood up to my pre-teen self. There were some ups and downs especially dealing with bullying. My middle school years were pretty eventful, and they afforded me valuable memories and lessons along the way. The journey does not end here; I know that there will be more obstacles ahead of me. I will cross that bridge and tell the story when the time comes.

Epilogue

in the beginning, Kari handed a white envelope to Vina, and there was a letter inside. This letter helped Vina in middle school. It gave her the courage to face her fears and report the bullying situation to Mr. Ruth and Ms. Gailing.

Hey Vina,

I don’t know where to start, but I wanted to tell you this in person, maybe I would have cried a bit, a big maybe. Okay, here it goes. We have been best of friends since the second grade, and you have been genuine with me. I have to be honest with you; you were a bit annoying because you were shy, and I got over it after some time. I that day I got into trouble and served detention with Ms. Hill during lunch. When we had our second recess, you saved some of your lunch and gave it to me. I guess that was when you grew on me, and I felt like you are genuine and you are going to be my best friend. It’s rather strange that I am moving now even though I looked forward to spending my pre-teen and teenage years with you and the others. I told Ella to look after you all and ensure that no one gets into trouble, but someday Ella would not be there to fight your fights, neither will the girls be there too. Ella does not care if she gets into trouble if she needs to defend or stand up for all of you, but someday you all need to stop depending so much on her, especially you. You have your flaws, and you are shy, but girl, you need to get out of your shell and shine. I know you can do anything you set your mind to, and you have shown it, especially to Ms. Cunning.

when you told me that Ms. Cunning told you in front of your parents that GATE class was too fast for you and that you were going to get a low grade? You that she also said that you were not smart enough. She did not say it, but she made it seem that way, but you showed her when you ed the verbal multiplication of your 11’s and 12’s in front of the whole class. You kept doing better in your tests and assignments, girl. You did show her that you are capable. that you will have friends and people there to show , but you need to be willing to play your part and stand up for yourself just like you did with Ms. Cunning. I know you can, and eventually, you will. Show people who you are and what you are made of. You have something special within you, and know that one day people will be amazed by your generosity, friendly personality, and how genuine you are. I am glad to call you my friend and befriended you. PS - Just know you got a friend in me. Even if I am moving, you will always be my friend. Don’t forget about me. Who knows? Perhaps, one day will see each other again. Until then, take care and know that I love you. Sincerely, Kari Evingston

Author’s Note

Thank you all, and I appreciate you for reading From The Wood: Part 1 Middle School.

This has been in my mind for a long time; ever since middle school, I would write stories and have some of my friends read them. Whenever my friends read my stories, they would give me some and tell me that they were good.

My inner self at middle school was screaming inside of me to put myself out there and write a book, so here we are. Although I got to say that the writing process is real, especially since you want to say so much, it is sometimes best to keep things simple. I my teachers would tell me, “you are great at writing, but you have the tendency to go on for too long.”

The characters introduced in the book were inspired by people who were part of my life. I did have friends who stood up for me and fought my battles at times, but I eventually learned to stand up for myself. Robin’s character was inspired by the bullies I had in middle school, and those times I was bullied made me feel bad and brought my self-esteem. At one point, things got out of control so badly that I thought about fighting them. I backed down because violence is never the answer. The part where Vina went to the principal’s office and told him what happened is an accurate of what I did in middle school.

I am grateful that the whole situation was well managed. Vina’s friends such as Kim, Lacey, Fannie, Ella, Jules, Renzo, and Al were inspired by the friends I had. I am genuinely grateful for them, and the years of friendship some of us had

while others will still have.

As I mentioned, some true events have inspired this book, but it is about showing that if you set your mind to any endeavor, you can accomplish it. I come from a low-income community and a Mexican household, so at times, there were numerous obstacles in the way, but I had to overcome them. You also have to overcome yours. You have to show that you are capable of anything if you set yourself to do it, although you have to be realistic about it.

For me, it required showing those who had told me NO that I would find a way around my challenges. For Vina, it meant standing up to her bullies and blowing away someone like Ms. Cunning in the book with her excellent academic performance.

My life successes have proven to me that I am capable; I am a very tough individual who is willing to try, ready to get back up after falling, and relentless about succeeding.

I hope that this inspires many to follow and listen to their inner selves. Keep your dreams and aspirations alive; they are valid. I hope this gift inspires you to overcome that challenge and be confident that you can succeed. Sometimes we may not have the resources or the we need but be that person that took the initiative in the right direction.

This is my first book. I was nervous about writing it, but I am pushing through those nerves. This is the first of many best-selling books. This book has allowed me to break out of my shell and let myself shine.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope that you enjoyed every part of it.

Thank you for your ! Jacqaline Flores Navarro

Glossary

Avenida (Ch. 2) - Translated to avenue, it is also referred to as the main road from the main walk to a house.

Callejones (Ch. 2) - Alley; alleyway; backstreet

Y que vas estar sentada haciendo nada. ¿Porque no vas a jugar con tu hermano? (Ch. 2) – And you’re going to be sitting around doing nothing. Why don’t you go play with your brother?

Vina, te estoy hablando, si no me vas a ayudar a cuidar a Leo. (Ch. 2) Vina, I am talking to you, if not you are going to help me take care of Leo.

No mas que te vayas, cuida a tu hermana. (Ch. 2) - Don’t you dare leave; take care of your sister.

Porque no le dejaste a jugar. (Ch. 2) - Why didn’t you let her play?

Ella si puede (Ch. 2) - She is capable.

Mi papá me consiente mucho y es porque el trabaja. (Ch. 2) - My dad

pampers me a lot and it’s because he works.

No la consientas mucho porque se va acostumbrar. (Ch. 2) - Don’t spoil her a lot because she will get used to it.

Nada (Ch. 4) - Nothing

Hay comida en la casa o yo puedo ser de comer en la casa (Ch. 6) - There is food at the house or I can make food at home.

Te vas con cuidado, okay. (Ch. 7) - You go carefully, okay.

Mal de Ojo (bracelet) - Translated to “evil eye.” It is a belief that a look or stare can weaken an individual who is vulnerable, leading to bad luck, sickness, or something awful. Many use a Mal de Ojo bracelet or amulet to ward off bad energy or bad vibes.

About the Author

Author Jacqaline Flores Navarro has had a ion for writing and storytelling ever since she was a young girl. Growing up in California, she was always able to draw inspiration from the people and places around her. But she didn’t think about pursuing writing professionally until college, where she began to study scriptwriting. This was her first step in deciding to write her first book. Although her ion lies in writing, Navarro has a myriad of other interests and hobbies. She’s a big fan of getting creative in other areas of her life, from drawing, to making videos, to dancing! And though this is her debut book, she plans to continue her career as an author and show everyone that anyone can publish a great book! Navarro was named by her older sister and is very family-oriented, which comes off in her writing. Her favorite foods are fruit and pasta, and she was even a part of the audience on an episode of “Let’s Make a Deal.” Currently, Jacqaline lives in California with her parents and sisters. Read more at Jacqaline Flores Navarro’s site.