The Fight

Those of you who know me are well aware of my aversion to conflict. I will typically let just about anything slide because I don't want to deal with the fallout brought on by confrontation. I'm a lover not a fighter.

I went to a huge high school. There were 1000 kids in my graduating class... about 3000 in the entire school. I wasn't a popular kid or a nerd (at least I think so...) or in any group really. I was just one fish in a sea of many, doing nothing extraordinary to stand out. One of those people that if you mentioned by name to someone in my graduating class they'd be like "Who?"

But, I was smart and generally got good grades. I went to class and I did my homework and everything else that was required of me to graduate and get the heck out. So, it wasn't surprising when I became a target for one of the popular girls to take advantage of.

Her name was Wendy Bell*. A petite little thing with long dark hair and the looks that all the guys go for. She and her friend were in my Biology class during my Junior year and sat near me and my group of friends. I was always amazed at how confident she was when it came time to leach off her fellow classmates.

Wendy: Hey move your arm, I can't see your paper.

Me: {Ignoring her}

or

Wendy: Hey get the same version of the test so I can copy off you.

Me: Um, no.

There was something about her air of superiority that really got to me. It was like she believed that all of us "unimportant" people should be groveling at her feet to do her homework. I didn't care how popular she was. She wasn't going to ride on my coattails. She could flunk out of Biology for all I cared.

All of these little interactions with Wendy slowly built up in my trigger bank over the course of the semester until one day I finally let her have it. I'd spent hours doing a homework assignment the night before and she came in that day with her usual tone of entitlement and wanted to copy the entire thing.

Wendy: Give me your paper so I can copy your answers.

Me: You know what? If you're going to be a slacker and not do your work, I'm not going to let you copy off my stuff. Do it yourself.

Oh man, that was it. I was now on her shit list. How dare I speak to her like that? Didn't I know who she was? Apparently not. I was not going along with her well-made plan and little scrubs like me don't get to do that to HER. And so the retaliation began.

I would hear her and her friend giggling and talking about me or they'd throw stuff or just do other little annoying things to be jerks. I generally just ignored them and went about my business. Then one day I couldn't take it anymore. Wendy and her friend were sitting behind me and threw something in my hair. My trigger bank exploded and I whipped around:

"If you don't knock it off, I'm going to beat the crap out of you."

They stopped. I was clearly not messing around here. Immediately I began to panic. What the heck was I doing? I didn't want to fight this girl! What if she took me up on my offer? I tried to maintain my calm exterior whilst giving myself a pep talk.

You're way bigger than her. If she does want to fight you could totally win. She's probably scared of you. But she's one of those mean girls. She probably fights dirty. But you're bigger! What if it doesn't matter?! I'm going to be in so much trouble.

If she hated me before, Wendy really hated me now. Whenever I'd pass by her locker where she sat with her friends she'd yell, "There goes that girl. I HATE HER!" Lucky for me her bark was bigger than her bite. To me she was just another nuisance in the world of high school. I was glad the day I graduated that I'd never have to see her again.

I don't know whatever happened to ol' Wendy. I like to pretend she put on a couple hundred pounds, lives alone with her 5 cats, and works the night shift at McDonald's. Because we all know cheaters never prosper. Amiright?

*Not her real name. But close.