Dear Sir,

You probably don’t know me —

I’m not very loud.

In fact, I barely speak at all,

making my way through the halls of this school silently.

Invisibly.

I don’t get noticed by the others;

no, they tend to overlook kids like me.

Not a friend, yet not a threat,

I can slink along comfortably in the background, observing.

I can wear my favorite T-shirt to school.

You know, the one that should’ve been thrown out long ago;

the one with the rubbed out elbows and fraying edges,

the one with the burn near the collarbone that was put there by your dad’s cigarette in a moment of anger,

but you love it because it reminds you of a time when he was around.

I can wear that shirt without worrying

if it’ll be yanked over my head during lunch.

Joe isn’t that lucky.

Joe’s a good kid.

You probably don’t know him either—

he doesn’t like trouble.

That’s why he doesn’t report it when his glasses are broken by the big guys on the team.

I’ve watched him pop that lense back into place about a hundred times,

wipe ‘em off and put them back on before going to sit with the others.

Yes. There are others.

There’s Maya, the girl who no longer uses wired headphones

because experience and a scarred neck has shown her

how dangerous it can be;

George, the guy who’s on first name terms with the school nurse because he’s in there so often,

blaming the blood on his shirt on a nosebleed;

Caren, the girl who stays buried in her books so she doesn’t have to face the world.

There are more, Sir.

More of our number who are being beaten down every time they set foot in this building.

Like I said, I’m lucky:

I can eat my peanut butter sandwich in peace

in the corner of the cafeteria,

silently watching the carnage.

I’m just sick of all the pain and the hate;

sick of the silence that should be screaming for help.

I must speak up, Sir, and so must you.

I know you’re used to turning a blind eye to things like this,

but it became too much the moment it started.

People shouldn’t be allowed to hurt others, Sir.

Not on my watch, not any longer.

Don’t you agree?

Sincerely,

Anonymous.