My day began with waking up at the crack of dawn so I could make it to the school gates on time. My home wasn't even five minutes away, but I knew better than to run late. Academia Estella was known for its strictness, and it was already hard enough for me as a short boy to be noticed, much less receive detentions or warnings. My day was just as hectic as normal, rushing to classes, trying to avoid bullies, and doing my best to ignore the whispers behind my back.
You know, some boys, for some reason, believe that studying at a mostly female school must be some kind of paradise. The truth is that what happens is that you stand out as a red dot among a sea of blue. It doesn't help that, contrary to popular belief, girls can be especially cruel with their sharp words and relentless teasing. Being the short, shy type certainly didn't help. I longed for a little support or understanding. Anything that showed me I wasn't alone would have helped, but I was never that lucky. Actually, quite the opposite. For as long as I could remember, my luck always seemed to run a bit dry.
One Monday morning started like any other. The girls started it early, cornering me at the lunch line before the food even came out. "What's a rat like you doing here?" they sneered as they pulled on my hair and clothes. "Whoever said you belonged in a school filled with ladies, anyway?" I wanted to protest, but my throat seemed to constrict every time I opened my mouth. Eventually, the teacher appeared, but she was used to this kind of display and only sighed before making the girls move away.
"Always looking for trouble, Anon," she muttered under her breath, but I still heard. Not even the teachers had faith in me. Still, I found it in me to go on with my day, as much as I wished otherwise sometimes.
My luck began to change when, last weekend, a weird app appeared on my phone. It looked pretty funny, but not in the laughing kind of way. Actually, it looked terrifying. While I initially paid no attention to it because, after all, I didn't download it, it never went away, no matter how many times I tried to uninstall it. This... concerned me.
Finally, curiosity got the best of me one rainy day, as I sat waiting for the time to pass, and I gave the app a tap.
A screen popped up as soon as I opened it.
"Congratulations, young Master!
You have found the Hypnosis App. Yes, you've guessed it; you now hold in your hands the ultimate weapon for extracting your revenge on those who've made you suffer. Are you tired of having your face pushed into a fountain or being hit with spitballs? Are you fed up with never standing up for yourself and having to endure daily torture? Well, today's your lucky day!
By the time you start using this app, nobody - and I mean NOBODY - can touch you ever again. With just the push of a button, we will turn them from confident, aggressive bullies into compliant, submissive shells. Are you ready? Because we are! So keep calm and watch them crumble. Let's see how long they stay smug then!
With Love, Hypnosis App Team. "
A list of instructions on how to use it followed, and I'm sure I broke several world records in the cynical-snort category by the end of it. Yes, this app should absolutely hold the key to making me, me, the shyest kid at the entire school, feel safe among twenty-five thousand mean girls.
The next monday, I had almost forgot about the app entirely and wasn't paying attention to anything but my own thoughts. However, things at Academia Estella went so far downhill during breakfast that a train accident wouldn't have turned out any differently. On the bad-luck scale, we had definitely passed Australia at this point. It seemed a whole new, extra vicious type of girls had just transferred and thought my quiet figure sitting alone was perfect to play victim with. As they swarmed around me with their insults, I suddenly found myself shoving my phone under their noses. The app activated, and the colors started to swirl on the screen, the audio playing in sync. The girls stopped mid-action, their eyes glazed over, and their mouths frozen open.
For a few moments, I didn't realize what was happening. Then it hit me. This app, this ridiculous, fake, made-up app was working. They weren't moving. They weren't speaking. They weren't doing anything. It was like a miracle, like the universe had finally heard my pleas and decided to give me a fighting chance. I had a sudden burst of confidence, and the words just flowed. "You will leave me alone," I said. "From now on, whenever you see me, you won't notice me, like I don't exist." I paused for a second to let it all sink in and watched in delight as they turned away like nothing ever happened.
It was incredible. In just moments, these tall, towering bullies were now practically tiptoeing around me like I was invisible. In fact, every single one of them acted like I didn't exist, a drastic shift from my usual treatment. I couldn't wait to test more limits to my newly formed powers.
I took a deep breath as I closed the bathroom door and gazed out into the long, straight hallway ahead of me. It was lined with lockers and doors on either side, with a large window at the end that let in natural light. Students trickled in and out, going to their respective classes while talking in their groups. Suddenly, I felt a surge of liberty flow through my veins, prearing myself for my next action.