Ridicule

Felicity Georgina Mowat wasn’t the shortest, the tallest, the prettiest or the smartest girl at school. She was the fattest. Weighing in at a little over 75 kilograms, Felicity was known as “Fatty” or “Piggy” or some other equally nasty nickname by most students in her class. Almost everyone teased and ridiculed her on a regular basis. But Madeline Johnston was the worst. Pretty, popular and perfect, Madeline was who everyone wanted to be. She was the type of person who made every girl take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. She was the type of person who made every boy stare longingly after her in the corridor. Felicity knew that Madeline Johnston was the exact opposite of herself.

But it wasn’t the fact that Madeline was so wonderful that made Felicity loathe her. It was the hell that the other girl rained on her everyday. Madeline was the head of a group whose main goal in life was to persecute people who were different. The people who looked unusual or were smarter than themselves. They subtly mocked and discriminated everyone who had a different religion or came from a different country. The Gang hated anyone who was not, in their definition, “perfect.”

Everyone in year ten was elated that school camp was approaching. The boys were buying fake spiders and stocking up on chocolate. The girls were organizing cabin groups and attempting to fit their entire wardrobe into suitcases and backpacks. The teachers were in a frenzy, trying to arrange buses and collect students’ payment. Everyone was ecstatic about the trip. Everyone, that is, except for Felicity. There was no doubt in her mind that Madeline and The Gang would make it terrible for her.

She was right. Sitting on the ground and brushing dirt from her pants, Felicity watched a master at work. Madeline was a picture of innocence. Eyes wide, hands behind her back, the perfect amount of pity showing on her face. There was no way the teacher would believe she pushed the fat girl off the bus stairs. Madeline had seen that Felicity was disembarking the bus and choose it as the perfect opportunity to pull a horrible prank. Which brought Felicity to this moment where, after sitting by herself for three hours on the bus, she was sprawled awkwardly in the dust in front of fifty of her classmates. Blushing, she wished the ground would conveniently swallow her. But no, she was left looking like a complete dork! As usual.

Trepidation shivered up Felicity’s spine as she approached her cabin. Would she be with someone who did or didn’t support The Gang? Correction. To the public eye, everyone supported what The Gang did. If you didn’t, you’d end up like Felicity. Picked on and teased daily. No one dared to contradict Madeline Johnston or her loyal followers. No one dared to fart in this school without The Gang’s permission. So, the real question was will her cabin mates be friendly or treat her like dirt? As she drew nearer the anxiety grew. Then, she saw the sign on the door. NO FAT CHICKS ALLOWED!!! Madeline’s handiwork. It cut her deeply and nearly made her turn on her heels and run off. Sobbing, Felicity ripped the sign down and tore it in half. How could Madeline have done this? She was always one step ahead of Felicity. Crying, she opened the door and collapsed onto the closest bed. Feeling horrible, she pulled out a chocolate bar and began to eat.

Felicity read the activity sheet for that afternoon and felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. It was as though someone had started to squeeze her tightly. She couldn’t breath. Everything seemed to compress around her. Blind panic erupted in her heart. She had to do abseiling.

Holding onto the wall and looking down at the ant-sized figures of her classmates, Felicity thought she’d be sick. She reflected for the thousandth time how crazy she was to be clutching a rope 20 meters from the ground. But she knew why she’d done it. She just wanted to prove to Madeline she could. The things The Gang had whispered to her rang in her ears. The rope would break if she tried, they hissed, in snide voices. “Piggy” wouldn’t be brave enough. Only sporty people are good at abseiling. All Felicity could think about was proving that they were wrong. The sweat on her hands was making the rope slippery and the harness was uncomfortable. Slowly, she inched her feet down the wall. She wanted to close her eyes but didn’t dare. After 5 meters Felicity realized she was doing it! Amazed, she sped up, all thoughts of The Gang and their taunts leaving her mind. She was astounded. This was actually quite fun. Never, in a million years, did she think she would try abseiling. And yet, here she was. She had done it!

Once her feet were firmly on the ground, Felicity became aware of the people surrounding her, patting her on the back and cheering. They admired her abseiling ability! She had climbed down that wall with a grace she had never shown before. All her fellow student and the members of The Gang had been slow and clumsy. But Felicity had taken to the sensation like a natural. She could’ve been doing it for years. She had succeeded were others had failed. For the first time in a long while she smiled and laughed with her classmates, oblivious to The Gang’s glares. They could stand in the corner with their arms crossed and radiate resentment, but it didn’t faze Felicity. She was happy. Happy to just be herself.