SOMETHING INSIDE HER made her think of the idea, dismiss it, then think about it again, and she ended up wanting to do it, then needing to do it. She was never quite sure exactly why, only that it was a feeling, a need, based on the way things were around her junior high school.
Oh, there were the usual ongoing small scale dramas, spats among friends, some name calling, a couple of insults that stung. And the truth was, there was a tenseness, a sense of alienation,a general unhappiness of some vague sort pervading the entire school. The teachers seemed burned out, the kids full of stress and self doubt. You could feel it, somehow, if you were there every day, and knew a lot of people.
She had firends, and they would help. One of the benefits of attending never ending school at close quarters is lots of friends, if you work for them, and she did the work, and she had the friends. Good people usually do. It took several brightly colored crayons, six hours of steady work for four people, and one thousand six hundred and forty two yellow, blank stickem notes.
And the beauty of it was the sheer simplicity, enabling an assembly line like production of something very much worth the effort, with every item still unique. The notes went up early in the morning, before the other kids or the teachers had arrived for school, one note per locker door, step, stick, step, stick. The quick work of twenty minutes, among four people.
Each note said the same thing, "You Are Beautiful", in assorted bright thick crayon strokes, each one sporting some unique distinguishing flourish, or curly cue, or swoop. By the time the first period bell rang, at eight oh five, the sabotage was the talk of the building.
Ascertaining who did it was quick, easy work. Word got around that the identity of the perpor perps was being sought, and it came out, from a friend of a friend. A conspiracy among more than one person never remains secret. And anyway, she wasn't ashamed of what she had done, hadn't done anything wrong, really, had no reason to hide.
So she was hauled into the office, and threatened with suspension, and who knows what other horrible punishment, for her blatant disregard of the school code of conduct, prohibiting mass solicitation without prior consent.
Among the students she was considered sort of an eccentric but hearted martyr, and they weren't about to stand for her being punished. the kids took it home, and the parents got on board; no punishement for the girl, or you risk our wrath.
The administrators, responsible for the whole school, were threatening suspension because they were concerned about the precedent, and what problems might be caused by future note postings with less pleasant messages. All good and well, but you can't punish someone for your fear of the future.
The newly enlightened administrators backed down quickly when it became evident that the entire school, community, and perhaps nation was watching closely, ready to rise up in outraged indignation. The power of democracy, free expression, and all that.
In one fell swoop of restraint under public pressure, the administrators got to make their point, have their show of power, make sure everyone was reminded of who's in charge, avoid a potentially catastrophic public confrontation, and save face, barely.
And what the girl did we need more of in this unhappy world, lord only knows. I hope somebody put a sticker on her locker. About her, the message "you are beautiful" is certainly true.The girl is a role model and a hero, and should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I so move. Any seconds?
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