Lafurian was now going to go into a mental meltdown.

“Focus, I don’t want to have to restrain you if you get angry. We shall start. Nah, a klutz like you wouldn’t be able to start. You don’t have the intelligence.”

Lafurian kept quiet. That didn’t hurt.

“I wonder if your mother is as slow as you…”

Those words hit home.

“Don’t say anything about my mother…” Lafurian growled.

“Make me.” Vladenhawk said in a mocking tone. “Your too weak to do anything anyway.”

He began to turn red when, suddenly, Vladenhawk’s lecture reminded him of the anger. He suffocated the hatred and responded “You just want me to hit you.”

“So?”

“So your insults and arrogance will not invade my mind.” He was using new strategies in anti-bullying.

“Yeah right.” Vladenhawk’s stature and pose did not match what he was saying.

“Yes, I am right.” Lafurian gained confidence with every word.

“Don’t know sarcasm, genius?”

“I know sarcasm all right. Sarcasm isn’t effective for insults.” he learned that from another bully. “He then turned on the offensive. “How about I just walk away, and tell the principal that you were insulting me?”

“Er…” Vladenhawk bit his lip. “Go on, try. You’re to coward to do such a thing.” He regained composure quickly.

“And if I do, you would certainly get fired, am I right?” Vladenhawk’s expression changed from a worried look to a broad smile.

“Bravo Lafurian! Bravo!” The compliments came at him so quickly that he couldn’t say anything. “You were able to control your anger, find a weakness, and respond so the bully may back off! Bravo!”

“Um.. Thank you?”

“I hope you learned much from our meeting.” Lafurian did learn much from this meeting. He gained a new sense of requisition, a feeling of requirement to help others, but not violently, but peacefully. He wanted to compromise, make his surroundings a little better by settling arguments, and help when needed. But, he learned restraint.

Through this example, we now gain the understanding that thinking ahead, and carrying out actions based on thinking ahead, may lead to a settled argument, an assignment turned in, or a completed project. This knowledge of controlling your actions and carefully thinking before doing can possibly save you from getting fired from a job, being suspended, or having a bloody nose.