Schoolyard Fight

I'm Bradley Bradshaw, schoolboy unextraordinaire. It seems to bring taunting laughter everywhere for other kids to call me Brad Brad. I don't even want to go into the nail jokes that have been told. Still, it's gotten to the point where I hardly even hear them anymore.

Things have gotten worse lately. Apparently, one of the yard bullies, Ignacio Brown, Iggy, has taken a keen interest in me and my friends. “Hey, Bra!” he shouts as he knocks my books out of my hands in the halls. “Aww, BB is tired!” he says as he kicks me over while I'm trying to pick up my books.

The other tormentors stand there and laugh. They all think Iggy is the greatest because he does more than name calling.

“Brad,” it was John Essex, one of my only friends, “you have to do something before Iggy really hurts you.” John was a year ahead me and about the only one who seemed to think like I did.

I looked at him quizzically, “What am I suppose to do?” That guy ...” I never got to even finish forming the thoughts into words before John cut me off.

“That guy is nothing but a bully.” He said it with such conviction that it really meant something to me, more than that it started to change something inside me. “You just need to stand up to him.”

At that point the bell for class rang. John helped me pick up my stuff, shook my hand, and gave me a look of solid confidence. With that I strode off to class with more confidence than I think I ever had.

The door to math class was already shut, meaning if you're late stay out. Not me, head held high, my skinny 12 year old chest puffed out as best as I could manage, I walked in. “I apologize for my being late, Ms. Duke,” I said sitting down and getting out my homework and book.

Later, on the schoolyard, I saw Iggy and John. It looked like they were getting into it a little. Iggy pushed John a couple of times. Something was coming unhinged inside me, all rational thought seemed to have stopped. John stood his ground, but I didn't really see that. I did see Iggy swing at John. For me, everything else went away it was only me and Iggy.

Somehow, and I have no idea, I was running at Iggy. Not just your normal awkward kid run, but a full bore, heart pounding, adrenaline fueled, angry bull charge. When my shoulder connected with Iggy he launched. The shocked look on his face turned to anger before he hit the ground. “You're dead!” Iggy snarled as he came up from the ground swinging.

He hit me square in the mouth. Then … nothing. I stood there, looking at him. He stood there, eyes wide, almost in shock, staring back at me. It's like he expected me to fall over or something. I blinked and wiped the blood off my lip.

“That it?” I asked him.

After that, things changed for me, big time. The bullying stopped, I found friends and allies, and Iggy was kicked out of the school.

That was the first, and last, schoolyard fight I happened to get into.