Mean Student Shames Boy for Old Clothes, Karma Hits Back - Story of the Day

A mean student bullied his classmate just because the latter wasn’t rich enough to afford new clothes. Not long after, karma reached him.

Anthony had a troubled childhood. His father, James, was an unemployed and aggressive man who frequently stole money from the house to fund his gambling and drinking addictions. One day, while Anthony and his mother, Clara, were out shopping, James absconded with all of the money Clara had saved and kept at home.

After losing all the savings, Clara struggled to manage the expenses and couldn’t pay the rent, so they were evicted from their home and had to live on the streets for a while.

However, eventually, she managed to get a new job in a sewing company. It didn’t pay her much, but it was better than her previous job, and she could at least afford to pay for Anthony’s schooling and a tiny home.

Anthony was glad that they were now gradually returning to a normal life, but just when everything seemed to be falling into place, there came another trouble knocking at his door: the school bully, Mark.

Whenever Mark saw Anthony, he wouldn’t miss the chance to humiliate him. Anthony was a shy and quiet child who didn’t talk much to anyone, so every time Mark saw him, he would yell at the top of his voice:

“Everyone, look, it’s weirdo Anthony. Nobody talks to him, and this guy is so poor that even poverty is afraid of him.”

Anthony, on the other hand, never retaliated because he didn’t want to get into useless fights and end up in trouble. He knew his mom was working hard every day to make ends meet. But one day, Mark crossed the line, which forced Anthony to speak up.

It was the annual function day, and all the students were expected to dress appropriately in clean attire. Everyone at the school came dressed in expensive outfits.

Anthony couldn’t afford new clothes so he wore a shirt that his mother had sewn from an old shirt her boss had given her. It wasn’t as well-made as you’d expect a new shirt to be, but Anthony loved it.

He happily went to class and sat in the corner. Within no time, Mark noticed Anthony and started mocking him. “Hey weirdo, why are you hiding in the corner? And why are you dressed in such old clothes?” he yelled from the other corner of the class.

As usual, Anthony ignored him and didn’t utter a word. But Mark wasn’t ready to give up. He called his friends, and all of them started throwing paper balls at Anthony who got up and sat in a different seat to avoid them.

But Mark didn’t stop. This time, he went to Anothony’s desk and threw water on his face. “You creep! You think you're smart by avoiding us?” he yelled angrily at Anthony.

Anthony just stood still. He didn’t utter a word and Mark mocked him again. “Why aren’t you responding, you beggar? Okay, tell me one thing, does your mom also beg on the streets? Did she get this shirt for you while begging? Because it looks disgusting!”

All this while Anthony had stayed calm, but at this point, he lost his temper and screamed at Mark, “Shut up you rich brat. Don’t you dare utter a word about my mom!”

Mark laughed. “Oh, really? What will you do? You’ll complain to the teacher, uh? Oh God, I’m scared. I will get punished.” As Mark said this, all of his friends started laughing at Anthony.

Anthony’s eyes welled up with tears, but he didn’t cry. “You will regret this one day,” he told Mark in a low voice. “Those friends who are there with you today will leave you, you wait and see.”

Mark sighed and rolled his eyes. “Wait, what did you say? Do you really think my friends will leave me? Look at yourself. You’re dressed in a filthy shirt, you look ugly, and most importantly, you are poor. I’m rich and famous. My friends will never leave me.”

Though Anthony had previously summoned the courage to speak, at this point, he couldn’t control his tears. He bolted out of class because he didn’t want to cry in front of Mark and his friends.

Two months passed since that incident and Mark and Anthony were no longer in the same class. Anthony’s life became better, not only because Mark was no longer in his class to bully him but also because his mother had found a good job, and they could now afford to live comfortably.

Moreover, Anthony could now easily afford the things he previously couldn’t. He wore better clothes than Mark and even had better gadgets than him. So slowly, Anthony became popular in school, and Mark’s friends left him for Anthony.

Mark tried to bully Anthony a couple of times, hoping that his friends would join him, but they didn’t, and now Mark was alone. He’d eat lunch alone, and nobody talked to him because he wasn’t popular anymore.

Then one day, while Anthony was passing by the locker room, he saw Mark crying. Mark was holding a piece of paper in his hands and tears streamed down his face every time he glanced at it. At one point, Mark crushed the paper and tossed it in the trash.

Anthony wanted to console Mark, but he was afraid that Mark would lash out at him. So he stood there quietly until Mark left. Once he noticed the locker room was empty, he swiftly walked to the dustbin and picked up the paper. But when he read what was written on it, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

The note was filled with mean comments about Mark and how he had bullied other students at school. If it had been someone else, they would have most likely shared this with the class and made fun of Mark, but Anthony handled it his way.

The next day he went to Mark and said, "I read that note that made you cry. I hope you learned your lesson."

"I don't care if you read it, Anthony," Mark said after a short pause. "I'm planning on leaving this school anyway. I don't have friends, and everyone laughs at me. I don't want to stay here."

Antony hugged him tightly. "You don't need to go anywhere, Mark. I know you're not a bad person. Please don't leave the school."

"Wait, what? Are you asking me to stay? And did you just call me nice?" Mark asked, confused.

"Yes, you heard it right, Mark. I don't want you to leave. I want you to become a better person and stop bullying others."

Anthony's kindness brought tears to Mark's eyes. “I’m sorry, Anthony. I realize now how horrible you must have felt back then now that I'm alone. I will never bully anyone again, never, I promise.”

“I know, Mark," Anthony said, wiping Mark's tears. "We all make mistakes. It’s okay. You realized your mistake, and that's all that matters. Come, let’s go to class now.”

After that day, Mark never bullied anyone, and he became close friends with Anthony.

What can we learn from this story?

• Things can sometimes be sorted out with patience and love rather than hatred. Mark was mean to Anthony, but Anthony made him realize his mistake by convincing him that he was a good person and he could improve.
• Judging a person for their appearance is a pathetic thing to do. Mark bullied Anthony just because Anthony was poor.

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