31 Attack of the Bullies

The Biker Brothers were excited to go back to school that Monday morning. It was not anymore holiday and people began to relax again. They rode their bikes happily as the sun kissed the grasses of Subangdaku.

They arrived early at school and after some chitchats, they went into their separate classes. Before the first period, all teachers in the school informed their respective students of the emergency flu shots. They explained the situation and how the shots would be administered.

\"So after the fourth grader,\" Mrs. Casabueno said, \"all the fifth grader will be going to the clinic for your individual shots.\"

\"Ma'am,\" Bogart spoke up, \"each of us will be injected, right?\"

\"Of course,\" she replied.

\"Are you scared, Piggy?\" Andrex whispered from behind Bogart.

The boys around them heard him and they all laughed. Andrex was the leader of the gang who delighted in bullying Bogart. Andrex was tall, muscular, and a bit handsome in a ragged way. Bogart was too embarrassed with his remark that he did not answer back or even look behind him.

\"What's the noise about?\" their teacher asked.

\"Nothing, Ma'am,\" Eric, the gang's second-in-command who was equally boastful but undeniably simpleton, answered for them. \"Bogs here wet his pants imagining being injected.\"

The class got into an uproar that even their other classmates laughed. Bogart remained motionless, opting not to aggravate their teasing.

\"I think I smelled his piss,\" Albert, son of a wealthy local businessman and the gang's financier said.

\"Is that his piss running on the floor already?\" Pepito, the group's loud-mouthed and no-brainy member chimed in. \"Am I right, Henry?\"

The gang's fifth member simply nodded and did not add anymore fuel to the fire. The class roared in laughter again as others also began mocking Bogart. The truth was he did not wet pants, he was just silent while absorbing their insults. He bit his lips and clinched his fist but he did not dare move a single muscle.

\"Enough of that class!\" Mrs. Casabueno ordered. \"Bogart, did you really piss in your pants?\"

The class cried laughing. Being in her early fifties, Mrs. Casabueno easily believed whatever was said to her. Thus, she really thought Bogart wet his pants. Her innocence and their classmate's silence made everyone laughed. Bogart held his composure, but deep inside, he was grieving.

\"Quiet!\" Mrs. Casabueno shouted and the noise instantly subsided. \"You should not be kidding Bogart.\"

\"Yes, Mrs. Casabueno.\"

\"Yeah, we should not be kidding him,\" Andrex whispered just low enough for Bogart and his friends to hear. \"Instead, we should be pigging him.\"

The gang giggled and then behaved like good boys. All throughout the class, Bogart was quiet and uncomfortable. He felt everyone was observing him, waiting for him to pee his pants. During lunch with his friends, he acted like everything was fine. Yet, they noticed his lack of energy.

\"Are you fine?\" Jamie asked. \"It seems like you are not your usual self.\"

\"I'm fine. Maybe I am just thinking of some things, like the coming flu shot.\"

\"Why?\" Tonton wondered. \"Are you afraid of injection?\"

\"Really?\" Kiko teased him.

\"I did not say I'm scared!\" Bogart yelled at them.

\"Sorry, just chill, dude,\" Kiko said defiantly. \"Don't be angry, l was just kidding.\"

\"Oh, sorry,\" Bogart apologized. \"I did not mean to react that way. My head is just preoccupied.\"

\"Just relax,\" Jamie said. \"We are your friends here.\"

Bogart smiled in response. After which, they finished their meal while talking about the latest episode of their favorite comics. By early afternoon, it was the turn of the fifth graders for the flu shot. They formed a queue outside the clinic while waiting for the grade four pupils to come out. The students in the first section were first in line, followed by the second and third sections, respectively.

\"Did anyone piss his pants?\" Andrex hollered from behind the queue which made everyone instantly laughed.

\"I heard him say oink oink while wetting his pants,\" Eric added.

Kiko heard every word and understood what they meant. Only then he realized why Bogart was touchy earlier. He left his line and went to Jamie and Tonton, and told them everything he heard. The two also flared up and they immediately went to the end of the queue. By then, the bullies were already encircling Bogart with the boys pushing him around.

\"Hey!\" Jamie yelled at them. \"What do you think you're doing?\"

\"Oh, who do we have here?\" Andrex said mockingly. \"Does Piggy need rescuing?\"

\"Don't you dare call him that?\" Kiko ordered him.

\"So what are you gonna do, Mr. Trying-Hard President?\" Andrex glared at Kiko.

\"What bunch of craps - a piggy and a loser!\" Eric added. \"You two should not be hanging out with them.\"

\"That's none of your business,\" Tonton snapped.

\"Hey!\" Andrex yelled and pointed at Tonton. \"I don't like how you sound, Nerdy Boy.\"

Jamie stepped out and stood up against Andrex, his eyes fierce and angry. They were head to head, and suddenly, Andrex pushed him hard. Jamie was thrown but immediately got up and pushed Andrex too. Eric was about to join in but Kiko pulled him aside. The other three thugs also engaged in the scuffle, so did Tonton and Bogart. But before it could get worse, the school guard whistled and ran up to them. The boys stopped and the guard, together with teacher Mr. Lucero, sent them to the school's principal. They appeared to have come to terms, and Kiko and Bogart were immediately sent to the clinic to treat their wounds.

\"What are you boys up to these days?\" Grace asked them.

\"They got it days ago when we were playing,\" Jamie answered. \"Not from the fight.\"

\"I know,\" she said. \"The wounds are not fresh but they need to be continually cleaned and disinfected. You should always change your bandage.

Kiko and Bogart nodded. Indeed, the wounds still hurt, especially Bogarts burn. Kiko's wound had already dried out but because it was located on his knee, it kept getting touched.

\"You boys are quite naughty,\" Tara remarked upon entering the room. \"You should get your shots now.\"

She brought some injections and vials. Grace helped her with the tasks. Meanwhile, Cecilia went to the doctor's office to replenish their stocks. By then, the doctor had already left and she was all alone. She took some vials from another box and mixed them with the flu vaccines.

\"A few this morning and some more this afternoon,\" she said to herself.

She finished stocking the boxes and after observing that nobody had entered the room yet, she took her pager and typed \"RIGHT ON PLAN\".