Cielo let out a deep sigh after hearing both sides of the story. He still couldn't believe someone had gotten hurt because of what happened—worse, it was Kelly's own sister, Melissa, who had only transferred to their school a week ago.
The two students walking behind him stayed silent, trailing closely as they returned to class.
Earlier, Cielo had witnessed Kelly push Melissa, who had then fallen to the floor. But why was Miss Santibañez suddenly being blamed for the accident? The question lingered in his mind as he walked.
He turned to the two students. "Is it true that she really pushed her sister before the accident? You two were there when it happened, weren't you?"
The pair exchanged glances.
"It wasn't her," one of them finally said, their voice clipped. Cielo noticed their hands clench tightly at the mention.
By the time they reached the classroom, the two slipped quietly back to their seats. But the incident had already spread like wildfire throughout the campus—everyone was talking about Kelly and her sister.
Cielo's phone vibrated. A new message popped up in their group chat, calling him to an officers' meeting shortly. He already knew the agenda.
Another sigh escaped him. So much for a quiet afternoon. After lunch, the meeting would begin.
Time passed quickly. When Cielo looked up, he realized the two students were no longer in the classroom.
"Cielo, let's go," Joel called out.
Cielo nodded. Joel was also one of the officers.
"I can't believe what really happened," Joel muttered.
"Yeah, but Navares said Miss Santibañez didn't push her sister," Cielo replied.
"We'll hear the full story at the meeting," Joel added.
Cielo nodded in agreement. They soon arrived at the meeting venue. Chris and his brother hadn't arrived yet. The only ones there were Jonathan and Kevin. Jonathan held a stack of documents—probably records about Kelly. His expression was unusually serious.
"Oh, you're here," Jonathan said as he noticed them. They both sat down quietly.
Kevin, wearing his reading glasses, was busy typing on his laptop. "Oh, you're here," he echoed.
Cielo nodded silently.
They waited quietly until more officers arrived. Only the president and secretary had been called for this particular meeting, which was why Joel and Cielo were present.
Soon, representatives from each year level in the junior high department had gathered.
"Sorry for the slight delay. Is every year level now complete?" the presiding officer asked.
Cielo glanced at his wristwatch. Always on time, he thought wryly.
He looked around and confirmed everyone was indeed present.
"Mr. Villa, please take the minutes of today's meeting," the officer instructed Jonathan.
Jonathan nodded, ready to record the proceedings.
*****
Chris rubbed his temples once the discussion with the officers ended. All he wanted was to stop the false rumors spreading around campus. He knew the issue could escalate outside of school if not managed properly.
He sighed heavily. He had already heard from most sides—except Melissa's.
Now, he sat down to talk with three of the officers.
"How's Melissa?" he asked Jonathan.
"Kenjie picked her up earlier. He was really shocked about what happened—after all, those two are both his sisters," Jonathan replied.
"Right. And the other departments will find out about this soon enough," Chris muttered, sinking into his chair.
"The best thing we can do now is talk to the parents of both parties," he added thoughtfully.
"It's difficult, though. Her parents are almost never around when the school calls for them," Jonathan said with a sigh.
"Will the school send another notice?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, another one. Hopefully this time her parents will actually show up," Jonathan replied, though his tone lacked conviction.
"How about her father?" Chris asked further.
"He's always overseas and rarely comes home. And whenever he wants to attend, her mother usually won't let him. She says it's a waste of time," Jonathan explained.
"Don't they want to know the truth? Do they want this to keep happening to Kelly?" Dave asked in frustration.
Jonathan could only let out a long sigh.
"If only her mother could be the one to attend," he murmured.
"Can't Kenjie go in their place? He's her guardian, right?" Kevin asked.
"No. Guardians aren't allowed during deliberations unless the student has no living parents," Dave explained.
"It's useless then. Even if a deliberation happens, it won't solve anything. All we can do is counter the statements with the evidence we've gathered. But if we keep siding with Kelly, it'll just look biased," Chris admitted.
His headache worsened.
"So there's really nothing we can do for Kelly's deliberation?" Kevin asked. "It only happens once, right?"
"No. If the parents want a deliberation, it can still happen. Let's just hope they take interest this time," Dave said.
No one spoke after that. From everything they'd uncovered, it was clear—these incidents had been happening repeatedly since Kelly transferred to the school.
How can bullying ever stop if her parents don't even care? Chris thought bitterly, shaking his head.
"Let's call it a day," he finally said.
"Jonathan, I need that report, okay?" he reminded.
Jonathan nodded.
Still, the issue from last year hadn't been resolved—the worst case, involving another girl, still haunted them.
"If her parents showed up just once, that alone would be assurance that nothing like this would ever happen again," Chris said quietly to his fellow officers.
Dave patted his shoulder silently. He wanted to help Kelly too, knowing how hard it was to face bullying alone.
She's a mean girl—but maybe we just don't know her reasons for being that way, Chris thought to himself.