Inspirational quote: Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.

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Kieran took a deep breath, before sighing helplessly twice as he and Clyde had entered the ice hockey changing rooms.

This is all for Vanessa.
I'm doing this all for Vanessa.
This is all to get Vanessa to like me.

He kept saying this internally to himself, and walking around in circles as he did so as well...

Meanwhile, Clyde was just staring at him confusingly, wondering what Kieran was potentially thinking, wondering why he looked like he wanted to run away somewhere and almost never be found.

"Kieran?" Clyde whispered, although all he got back from him was the nasty silent treatment.

"Kieran, you need to calm down."

Once again, his friend didn't reply, just kept on strangely muttering things to himself and possibly praying, by the looks of it.

Clyde had almost completely had enough.
Instead of trying to get Kieran to stop what he was doing, because it backfired, he looked around for a white and blue megaphone.

Eventually, Clyde found one, so after a while he found himself coming back to Kieran, telling him to stop hyperventilating and calm down.

He put the megaphone close to his mouth and bellowed:

"Kieran my insane little friend. Stop what you're doing and listen to me!!"

At least that got his full attention swiftly.
"Clyde, I can't do this. I can, but I'm just really scared that I might embarrass myself completely."

Clyde sighed in frustration.

"For goodness sake will you stop talking negatively about yourself Kieran! I hate to see you like this. I've seen you play ice hockey, and it pains me, like really pains me to say it, but you're pretty good at the damn thing. Now stop fussing and get a move on before I end friendship with you."

Kieran didn't reply. There was no reason to anyway because by that time, two people that were in the same year as them surreptitiously came to the scene.

Their names were Kendrick and Justin, and they were Kieran and Clyde's worst enemies. Additionally, Justin's brother was also the sixth former who tried killing Clyde about half a decade ago.

Kendrick was Kieran's friend, at least in the past, before he met Clyde. Now they just hated each other and were spiteful to each other whenever they had the chance to be.

"Well, well, well, well, welly, well, well."

This was coming from Justin. Kieran and Clyde instantaneously turned around.

Kieran wanted to run away, but he couldn't and didn't, he had already gotten himself into this dilemma and there was no way out of it. At least, if there was any way out of it.

"Jesus. How many wells? How many wishes do you have to make to tell yourself that you wish to die, because everyone's life would almost seriously be better off that way?"

That was coming from Clyde, Kieran would have never had to courage to say anything like that. Justin's response to that was to come up closer to him, however Clyde just backed away from him whilst Kendrick pulled Justin away.

Kendrick stared at Kieran, who was now hiding under a table.

"I see you've signed up for ice hockey club, Kieran." Kendrick sneered at him.

Kieran gulped, but didn't say anything.
"I also see you're going to miserably fail this ice hockey club, Kieran."

Kieran was fed up, but was way too petrified of Kendrick to say anything back.

Clyde sort of noticed that Kendrick was teasing his best friend, so as a result he briefly told him to stop. Which led to Kendrick telling Kieran to stop being such a colossal wimp and to stop hiding under the table already.

"Hey. Leave him alone. Okay? At least he's trying something new unlike you guys, who practically do the same old thing everyday. Bully other people and make them feel bad about themselves. Like us. Right now. For example."

Justin scoffed in return, before turning to Kieran melodramatically and laughing.

A sweat ran down Kieran's spine. He could've said something hostile back to Kendrick and Justin but he didn't want to, he could've just told them to back off even.

But he couldn't.
He wouldn't.

I shouldn't.
I won't. Kieran thought.

"Hey, Kieran," Justin yelled. "I know you like that girl over there, Vanessa."

Kieran froze and stared at Justin blankly in return.

"I already know one thing about her. She's my step cousin. Do you think you're going to get her? Really? Do you think she's ever going to like you back, for real? Or is it Justin illusion?"

Kendrick and Justin high fived each other and laughed at Clyde and Kieran, whilst Kieran, who was fully stressed now, wanted to turn back and exit.

"You okay?" Clyde murmured so only Kieran could hear, putting an arm around him. "Look. Just ignore them."

"No. No Clyde. I am not okay!" Kieran smacked his arm away as Clyde felt a tear from Kieran's eyes land on his hand. "I want to flipping die. I hate my life!"

Clyde became infuriated soon afterwards.
As a result of his infuriation, he came towards Justin and stepped on him.

"At least he's talked to a girl before. I bet the only thing you've talked to, that was meaningful to you, was a toothpick."

Justin didn't reply, neither did Kendrick.
"I'm sorry. I can't talk to you." Justin turned away. "I'm allergic to you."

"That's stupid-"
"Atchoo!"

"Will you stop teasing Kieran and-"
"Atchoo!"

"You're annoying me..."
"Atchoo!"

"Okay. Now you're just fake sneezing." Clyde pointed out.

In the meantime Justin and Kendrick sniggered at them before saying their final thing and walking away.

"I'm sorry. Are you speaking from heaven? Because you're dead to me."

At least he said heaven, Kieran thought privately to himself. It could have been hell.

"I'm sorry. Are you an elevator? Because we're clearly not on the same level, you twat." Clyde snapped back at him.

Justin just eyed Clyde maliciously in return, not saying anything.

"Oh and one more thing Kieran and Clyde? The 19th century called. They want their clothes back."

There was no time to reply.

Kieran truly wanted to say something back to them, but he didn't.

So because he didn't say anything, Justin pushed Kieran to the floor, and spat on Clyde for the second time today. The first was someone else, but it was an accident, before scoffing at them one more time and finally heading off once and for all.

Kieran sighed in frustration as he got up again, brushing dirt from the floor off his shoulders.

"You know, Clyde? I suddenly don't want to do this anymore. I just don't feel as motivated as before."

Clyde, who wanted to scream now, watched angrily as both Justin and Kendrick headed their way out of the hall, possibly badmouthing about Clyde and Kieran behind their backs.

"What?" Clyde stared at Kieran in disbelief. "So you're just going to give up like that? Just because some idiotic bullies the same year as us threatened you? Is this how life works? Kieran, you need to stop letting people walk all over you. I'm starting to think that maybe you're the one people can't respect and not them. No disrespect."

Kieran rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"I just can't Clyde. I mean, I'm useless anyway. I might as well live in the cemetery, where I belong."

Clyde was utterly fed up of his best friend talking like this.

"Kieran! Listen, Kieran. I hate when you talk like this! It makes me go absolutely ballistic! You need to stop letting people walk all over you like that. The next time I hear you talk negatively, I swear, I might as well leave you, like you want me to. So what if Justin and Kendrick bring you down? They're probably just jealous of you, in some deranged way or the other."

Kieran didn't reply. He just gazed downwards at the floor, as if the sight of dust fascinated him. He didn't look up once.

"But why would Justin and Kendrick be jealous of me? I'm a stupid, worthless, person."

Clyde pretended to hurt Kieran, until Kieran almost smiled a little, before dropping the black, plastic knife on the floor again then continuing.

"Who wouldn't be jealous of you, Kieran? You have the most amazing personality that anyone could think of. Look at yourself. You're a wonderful person."

Kieran was about to say something but stifled it when he remembered that Clyde was going to leave him if he hadn't watched what he had said.

"I can't see myself, Clyde," Kieran replied, rolling his eyes again.

"Yeah, but I can. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. We're normally our harshest critics out of everyone."

Kieran grinned to himself surreptitiously.

"Now. I want you to go there, and ace it, okay? Okay! I'll be here if you need me."

And with hearing that, Kieran shot Clyde an I don't believe you look before heading off leaving Clyde to play ice hockey once and for all.

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Moral of chapter: If someone bullies you, or you witness bullying happen to someone else, don't hesitate... immediately report them!