Falling For The Girl I Bullied
Chapter 21

Violet’s P.O.V.

I took a deep breath and looked at the playground in front of me. This was my first day as the assistant of the volleyball team and I was already regretting my decision to take this job. I was only worried about my grades and that was why I took this job or else there was no way that I was going to walk into the lion’s den by myself. All the players, including Kyle looked at me and I felt like a pride of lion was looking at me with hungry eyes. I was easy prey for them and Kyle was the leader lion of this pride. For a few seconds, all of them turned into lions in front of my eyes and I gulped down hard while looking at them with wide fearful eyes.

“Halo… Violet…. What’s wrong with you?” I heard someone calling me and then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I screamed aloud while jumping on my feet and looked at the lion standing beside me. “What’s wrong with you, Violet? Are you alright?” Mr Stammers asked me in a worried tone while giving me a concerned look. I took a breath of relief while putting my hand on my chest. This was not a lion coming to attack me. This was Mr Stammers. “No… nothing, sir… I am okay”, I immediately replied to him in an anxious tone. My heart was still drumming against my rib cage and I patted my chest to calm my heart down.

“Are you sure?” he asked me in the same worried tone. I smiled weakly and nodded affirmatively. “I am really fine, sir”, I tried to assure him but I felt that he didn’t buy my excuse. “Okay…. As you say. Let me tell you what you need to do here”, he said, and I nodded. After that, he explained to me everything that I needed to do here as my duty. I was surprised to know that I had to do so many things, including helping the coach and the assistant coach with running drills, monitoring their training and helping with strategies extra. I had to take care of their drinks during the practices and matches. Also, I had to give medical assistance too. It was the only thing that took my attention.

“Did you understand everything, Violet?” Mr Stammers asked me in a gentle voice and I took a deep breath. “I understand all the things, sir, but I may take time to familiarize myself with everything. This is a lot to understand and perform on the field”, I told him truthfully and he smiled. “I can understand and don’t worry…. You will get every help from us”, he patted my shoulder and looked behind him at the players who were now practising on the court. “Uhhhh, Mr Stammers”, I called him with a bit of hesitation this time and he looked at me questioningly. “Do I have to deal with cheerleaders too during the matches?” I asked him while scratching the back of my neck nervously.

He took a deep breath and looked around before looking back at me. “No, Violet…. You don’t have to pay any attention to them during the match and if any one of them bothers you, you can directly refuse to help them and you will tell me immediately”, he instructed me in a firm and stern tone this time and I nodded. I was really glad that I didn’t have to deal with Sia and her gang and it was a big relief for me. “Let’s go… I will introduce you to the team”, he said while signalling me to follow him and my heart skipped a beat in fear. The whole working thing was not as scary as meeting with the team. I once again saw a pride of lions in front of me which made me jerk my head a few times to clear my vision.

“Everyone”, Mr Stammers clapped his hands to get their attention and they stopped playing. I was standing a little behind him timidly while clasping my hands in front of me. I felt sweat on my back but I tried to look calm. He signalled them to come closer and all of them jogged towards us. I refused to see any of them and looked here and there, but at them. “As you all know, that we have selected Violet Carter as the game assistant for your team. She is joining us from tomorrow onwards. Let me make one thing clear to all of you. She is here to assist all of us, not for your entertainment or fun. Make a move on her or try to bother her, I will throw you out of the team no matter how good a player you are”, I raised my brows in surprise while looking at the side face of Mr Stammers as they not only introduced me to them but threatened them in a stern voice.

“Am I clear to all of you?” he asked in a cold and stern voice. “Yes, Mr Stammers”, all of them yelled in unison, making me flinch a little. “Violet”, he looked behind him at me and signalled me to come forward. “If you want to stay and go through the game plan for the next week then you can stay today or else you can go back home. You have to come an hour early in the morning and have to stay back after school for the next hour until they finish their practice. We have a practice match next weekend and you will stay with us the whole day that day. I once again tell you that you don’t need to bear any of their pranks and you will report them directly to me”, he once again instructed me and I smiled faintly this time. It was easy to say but hard to implement.

I just nodded and then looked at the team this time. The smirk on their faces was enough to shake me internally in fear. “What do you want to do now? Will you stay or go back?” Mr Stammers asked me after dismissing them and I thought for a while. The temptation of going back home was really strong but I held that back. To perform my duty better, I needed to go through everything. “I would like to stay and go through the match plan for the next week, Mr Stammers”, I told him my intention in a firm tone and a small smile crept on his lips in satisfaction. “Follow me then”, he said to me and I nodded.

I went back to his room next to the boy’s room and he gave me everything that I needed. “Sit down here and go through them. You can go back after an hour when they will finish their practice for today. If you say, then I will ask someone to give you a ride”, he proposed, but I immediately shook my head negatively. “No need, Mr Stammers. I have my bike”, I told him and he nodded. “I am going back to the court then”, he said, and then went out of the room, leaving me alone. I took a deep breath and sat down on the chair beside his table. There was a lot to understand and I was determined to perform my duty sincerely.

“Hey, Carter…. Welcome to the team”, I looked up and saw Dustin looking at me with a wide grin on his lips through the window. “Thanks”, I thanked him while scratching my nose in confusion because I clearly didn’t understand why he yelled aloud. He simply could greet me after practice. “Back to the court, Dustin”, I heard Kyle yelling at him and Dustin looked behind him while pouting. I just smiled and shrugged my head once and looked back at the material that Mr Stammers gave me to go through. I had to do so many arrangements for my shifts in the diner. I needed to come here early in the morning and then stay back after school. It meant that I had to take early shifts and also had to adjust the timings in the evening so that I could get time to eat something before starting my shift.

“Is everything okay, Violet?” I looked up and saw Mrs Stone standing near me in the room. I really didn’t notice her coming inside the room. “Yeah, Mrs Stone… thanks for asking”, I said with a smile and she smiled back. She went to the other side and sat down on the chair near me. I pursed my lips and looked at her because it was clear that she had something to say to me. “I am glad that you accepted this job, Violet. Trust me you will not regret your decision”, she said while putting her hand on my thigh. “Uhhh… it’s too early to say, Mrs Stone. You know what kind of relationship I share with them”, I said in a calm tone, but she got the sarcasm in my tone.

She took a deep breath and then looked out of the window. I was sure that she was looking at the boys on the court who were now playing seriously right now. “They have their own problems and worries, Violet. They bully you because they somehow feel that you are much stronger than them and this hurts their egos very much”, she said in a gentle tone while looking at them. I bitter smile crept on my lips. “What they think or assume is not my fault, Mrs Stone. If they think that I am stronger than them, then it’s their thinking, not mine. It doesn’t give them the right to bully me”, I said in a bitter tone and Mrs Stone gave me a sympathetic look. I hated that look but couldn’t say anything to her. No matter what I was feeling right now, I just couldn’t be disrespectful towards her. She was my teacher and she deserved my respect. She was the only teacher who stood up for me from time to time.

“Anyways… I am sure that these boys will not give you hard time anymore. You know this game and I am sure that it will help them improve their game skills”, she said with a smile and patted my thigh a little. I raised my brows in surprise because I never told anyone that I used to play volleyball in middle school. To play well, I studied this game at that time. “You don’t need to know how I know about this”, she winked at me while saying to me and I just nodded. “Okay guys… time to wrap up for today”, we both heard Mr Stammers yelling at the boys and I sighed a little.

“Wrap up and put them there (she pointed towards a shelf). You will get your table and shelf tomorrow”, she instructed me, and then we both stood up. I closed everything and then put down everything on the shelf that she showed me earlier. She went out of the room. She also had to wrap up everything before going home. After finishing my work in the room, I took my bag and then walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. Now I had to rush to the diner for my shift.