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Nov. 17th, 2014 09:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fry_sandhuHe'd agreed to have a birthday party, so long as he didn't have to invite more than five people, and nobody sang Happy Birthday unless they all started in the same key, and so long as they were doing something rather than just running around screaming.
Dad had said he and Mum would see what they could do.
The result was a booking at a pottery painting place, and Fry distributed invitations out to Teddy, Kasha, Noah, Ink and Archie from next door.
On Friday, at morning break, his break buddy Freya had been very odd with him. After three games of hangman, she'd asked him why she hadn't been invited when his other four break buddies had. Fry had blinked at her, and then said:
"Well I haven't known you very long. I don't know if I like you yet."
Freya had looked at him, and had then gone pink and a bit sniffly, and then said in a huff:
"You've been in my class two years, how can you not know me? You invited Noah and he only came in September." And then Freya had got up and left him, which Fry felt did not make her a very good break buddy.
After that, he got worried that everyone else would want to come, and was almost ready to ask Dad to cancel his party. But nobody else asked to come. Dad agreed to give everyone a party bag so that people would understand that he couldn't invite everyone.
"Freya's mum phoned." Dad said, sitting down next to him later that night. "She said you said you didn't like her. That wasn't very nice when Freya has agreed to be your buddy."
"I said I didn't know if I like her yet." Fry said. "She only talked to me since she was my break buddy."
"Well when you go back on Monday, you should say sorry for hurting her feelings." Dad said, firmly. "When you give the other kids the party bags."
***
The party itself turns out a lot of fun. To Fry's relief, the others don't shout, but paint their pottery nicely. Nobody makes fun when he paints a tile all green with no gaps before he paints his pot.
"I'm glad not everyone wanted to come." Fry says, after he's started painting his pot. "It would have been noisy."
"You don't have to invite everyone anyway." Teddy says, painting his pottery bear. "Not kids like Tommy or Jamal or Bradley who are mean to you."
"Bradley rammed your table on purpose with his wheelchair the other day when you were painting." Kasha says. "I heard him say after."
Archie looks up at them.
"Bradley Peters?" he asks. "Is he at your school now?"
"Yeah, do you know him?" Teddy asks.
"He used to be at my school." Archie says.
"Is that where he was bullied?" Fry asks.
"He wasn't bullied, he was expelled for bullying." Archie says.
"No surprises there." Kasha says, rolling her eyes.
"So he lied?" Fry asks.
"Yeah." Kasha says. "We should tell everyone on Monday."
"Maybe it's a secret." Teddy says. "Sometimes to protect a secret, you have to tell a lie."
Fry thinks about it as he finishes painting his pot, then puts Bradley to the back of his mind.
***
"Freya!"
Fry pauses handing out his party bags in the playground, digs in his pocket, and pulls out a loom band bracelet, which he hands to her.
"Thank you for being my buddy." he says. "Next year, I will know you better, if you'll keep being my buddy."
"Ooh." Freya slips on the bracelet and smiles. "Thanks Fry. I'll keep being your buddy."
Fry goes back across the playground, and pauses near the school gates. Parked in the disabled space, Bradley's mum is lifting Bradley out of the car into his wheelchair. In the front seat, Bradley's older sister is yelling for him to hurry up. Bradley's mum fusses him as she settles him into the chair, then licks her thumb to wipe a grubby mark off his face, before speaking to him in a high-pitched baby tone.
"Now Braddy dear, you must keep your scarf on, it's very cold today. We don't want you getting a chest infection." she kisses him again. "Maybe I should ask Mrs Pink to keep you in at break."
"Mum, stop it!" Bradley almost growls. "Everyone's gonna think I'm a wussy."
Fry approaches the school fence and offers the party bag over.
"Oh look Braddy?" Bradley's mum picks up the bag. "That's so kind, thank you Fry. Braddy, say thank you."
"Thank you." Bradley says, with an icy glare, wheeling himself through the gates.
"Wait, Bradley?" Fry suddenly remembers Bradley's secret. He remembers Dad saying that sometimes bullies are mean because they're scared they'll be bullied, because people think they are weak. And suddenly telling the whole class doesn't seem like such a good idea.
"What?" Bradley snaps.
"I know you're not a wussy." Fry blurts.
Bradley stops, and turns around.
"Thanks." he says, somewhat warily. "Happy Birthday."
Fry smiles slightly, then goes to find his friends and tell them not to tell Bradley's secret.
Dad had said he and Mum would see what they could do.
The result was a booking at a pottery painting place, and Fry distributed invitations out to Teddy, Kasha, Noah, Ink and Archie from next door.
On Friday, at morning break, his break buddy Freya had been very odd with him. After three games of hangman, she'd asked him why she hadn't been invited when his other four break buddies had. Fry had blinked at her, and then said:
"Well I haven't known you very long. I don't know if I like you yet."
Freya had looked at him, and had then gone pink and a bit sniffly, and then said in a huff:
"You've been in my class two years, how can you not know me? You invited Noah and he only came in September." And then Freya had got up and left him, which Fry felt did not make her a very good break buddy.
After that, he got worried that everyone else would want to come, and was almost ready to ask Dad to cancel his party. But nobody else asked to come. Dad agreed to give everyone a party bag so that people would understand that he couldn't invite everyone.
"Freya's mum phoned." Dad said, sitting down next to him later that night. "She said you said you didn't like her. That wasn't very nice when Freya has agreed to be your buddy."
"I said I didn't know if I like her yet." Fry said. "She only talked to me since she was my break buddy."
"Well when you go back on Monday, you should say sorry for hurting her feelings." Dad said, firmly. "When you give the other kids the party bags."
***
The party itself turns out a lot of fun. To Fry's relief, the others don't shout, but paint their pottery nicely. Nobody makes fun when he paints a tile all green with no gaps before he paints his pot.
"I'm glad not everyone wanted to come." Fry says, after he's started painting his pot. "It would have been noisy."
"You don't have to invite everyone anyway." Teddy says, painting his pottery bear. "Not kids like Tommy or Jamal or Bradley who are mean to you."
"Bradley rammed your table on purpose with his wheelchair the other day when you were painting." Kasha says. "I heard him say after."
Archie looks up at them.
"Bradley Peters?" he asks. "Is he at your school now?"
"Yeah, do you know him?" Teddy asks.
"He used to be at my school." Archie says.
"Is that where he was bullied?" Fry asks.
"He wasn't bullied, he was expelled for bullying." Archie says.
"No surprises there." Kasha says, rolling her eyes.
"So he lied?" Fry asks.
"Yeah." Kasha says. "We should tell everyone on Monday."
"Maybe it's a secret." Teddy says. "Sometimes to protect a secret, you have to tell a lie."
Fry thinks about it as he finishes painting his pot, then puts Bradley to the back of his mind.
***
"Freya!"
Fry pauses handing out his party bags in the playground, digs in his pocket, and pulls out a loom band bracelet, which he hands to her.
"Thank you for being my buddy." he says. "Next year, I will know you better, if you'll keep being my buddy."
"Ooh." Freya slips on the bracelet and smiles. "Thanks Fry. I'll keep being your buddy."
Fry goes back across the playground, and pauses near the school gates. Parked in the disabled space, Bradley's mum is lifting Bradley out of the car into his wheelchair. In the front seat, Bradley's older sister is yelling for him to hurry up. Bradley's mum fusses him as she settles him into the chair, then licks her thumb to wipe a grubby mark off his face, before speaking to him in a high-pitched baby tone.
"Now Braddy dear, you must keep your scarf on, it's very cold today. We don't want you getting a chest infection." she kisses him again. "Maybe I should ask Mrs Pink to keep you in at break."
"Mum, stop it!" Bradley almost growls. "Everyone's gonna think I'm a wussy."
Fry approaches the school fence and offers the party bag over.
"Oh look Braddy?" Bradley's mum picks up the bag. "That's so kind, thank you Fry. Braddy, say thank you."
"Thank you." Bradley says, with an icy glare, wheeling himself through the gates.
"Wait, Bradley?" Fry suddenly remembers Bradley's secret. He remembers Dad saying that sometimes bullies are mean because they're scared they'll be bullied, because people think they are weak. And suddenly telling the whole class doesn't seem like such a good idea.
"What?" Bradley snaps.
"I know you're not a wussy." Fry blurts.
Bradley stops, and turns around.
"Thanks." he says, somewhat warily. "Happy Birthday."
Fry smiles slightly, then goes to find his friends and tell them not to tell Bradley's secret.
