As It Was: Reach for the Sky
2: Reach for the Sky
One week later, when everything seemed normal, Chiarina and Bella were whispering nasty comments at Alexandra and Dee, as usual. Dee wanted to go over and slap Chiarina. Dee was truly tired of listening to those comments. She was done being a joke in front of everyone! Right now, Dee was a pot, a pot boiling with anger instead of food.
“If you, Dee Hemmingway, hang out with someone who gets bullied, like that Alexandra Zhang, we don’t just pick on her, we pick on both of you. If you don’t want to listen to my ‘kind’ advice, I can only say good luck then, I guess,” Chiarina had pulled Dee to the girls’ bathroom and threatened her to think twice about what she was going to do. However, Dee still decided to become a friend of Alexandra’s. Seeing those crossed eyebrows and that agitated stare, Alexandra immediately knew that something was wrong.
“Dee, are you okay? You look like you could fight the strongest elephant on earth and could still beat it to its death,” Alexandra said worriedly. It was almost lunchtime, and Alexandra was getting ready to go to the front gates to get her “special Chinese lunch” from her mom. Alexandra recalled her memories of the first day of school. She wanted to try cafeteria food in America since she had heard that they could buy whatever they wanted. And Alexandra simply adores mac and cheese.
Alexandra remembered saying this to her mother while having a huge smile on her face, “I could eat mac and cheese forever and I would never complain. Promise!” Alexandra was pulled back to reality when Dee replied.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just want to go over to Chiarina and slap her, right in that pretty little face of hers. I can tell that she and Bella are talking that nonsense about us again, and I don’t want that to happen to us. This is unfair, don’t you think? And I don’t think I can stand it anymore,” Dee answered while gritting her teeth.
“Well, Dee, I would really like that, too. But by doing so, there wouldn’t be much difference between us and the bullies. Besides, that’s not right! There’s a Chinese saying, ‘Do not do others what you would not have them do to you.’ We need to learn to respect each other, even if they may not change because this is the way they are! I just wish, for once, we could not be everyone’s target for entertainment! You have no idea how hard it is for me, a Chinese immigrant, to come to America to live and learn!” responded Alexandra.
“You know what? Whatever! I don’t care if you are with me on this. You are not my boss, and you certainly cannot tell me what to do! You are a coward and a loser, Alexandra Zhang! I can’t believe I thought that you were someone different! I don’t want to talk to you anymore! Just stay away from me, okay?” Dee screamed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks like little rivers, just flowing and flowing.
“FINE! If you don’t want to talk to me, be my guest! I’m just trying to make things easier for you, but you won’t listen! So yeah, go ahead and leave!” Alexandra shouted back. She stomped her way to the school gates to get her lunch while Dee clomped towards the school cafeteria, her hands furiously wiping the tears off her face.
After Alexandra got her lunch from her mom, she heard, “Bang! Bang! Bang!” coming from the cafeteria.
“Was that gunshots?” Alexandra asked herself. Some students ran outside with blood dripping down their faces. Alexandra dropped her lunch in an instant and ran toward the cafeteria. A mass shooting happened right in the school cafeteria, and Dee could be one of the victims!
“Oh no! Please no! Don’t let it be Dee…” Alexandra couldn’t bear to think about what could have happened to Dee. Alexandra squeezed her way into the cafeteria just in time to see one of the PE teachers, Mr. Styles, jump on the shooter and successfully apprehend him before more people were hurt. It was absolute chaos in the cafeteria. Teachers and students were hugging and consoling each other following the tragic event. They were shaken by what had happened. There was blood all over–on the wall, the ceiling, and their clothes. Everyone knew gun violence in America was real, but no one thought it would happen, at least not right in front of their eyes.
The shooting ended with eight people–three teachers and five students–dead. Unfortunately, Dee was one of the victims. It immediately left a void in Alexandra’s life. Led by Chiarina, the “mean girls” came up to Alexandra and apologized for their past behavior.
Furthermore, they would like to befriend Alexandra and promise to be nice to her hereafter. It was a kind gesture– something that Alexandra needed after the tragic death of her best friend. But it wasn’t something that anyone could get over quickly, particularly for a new immigrant who is still searching her paths forward in an entirely new environment.
Alexandra wasn’t sure if her life would ever be “whole” again. Dee’s presence and friendship were the reasons that she could get out of bed every morning and go to school. Because Alexandra still couldn’t believe that Dee was gone, she started to blame herself for what had happened. She believed that it was her fault.
“If I had asked Dee to pick up lunch with me, then something as terrible as this would never have happened,” Alexandra said out loud to herself. The petty things they argued over seemed meaningless and regrettable.
After weeks of counseling from her new friends, her family, and her teachers, Alexandra finally learned to accept that Dee was gone and that the tragedy could not be undone. She decided to transfer her inner rage into the driving force to stop mass shootings from ever happening again, in America and places around the world.
It was time for some real action, starting with writing to local and federal legislators and government officials asking for tougher gun control laws. It might not be much, but it was a lot for a young immigrant who was identifying with her role “in the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Whether in China or the U.S., Alexandra always wants to be someone who could make a difference in the world. With her best friend Dee as her guardian angel, she believes that her goal of stopping gun violence, achieving, and maintaining, a safer world is entirely possible and necessary. Alexandra knows the road ahead will not be all smooth sailing. There will be setbacks, disappointments, and self-doubts when things just don’t work out. When that happens, she would just take out the picture she had taken with Dee at the county fair. The bright smile on Dee’s face would give her the “pick-me-up” boost she needs to carry on and move forward. Though Dee is no longer there to be with her physically, Alexandra knows she’s always there in spirit to cheer her on and navigate her through uncharted waters. That is the friendship they shared, and that is how she will always remember Dee.
I am really enjoying Alexandra's journey through immigration and facing various challenges. Amazing story!
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