Lessons from a new friend

Time flies. So we are about to take the final exam of grade 7. Today I am sick again and cannot go to school, so I have to ask Duong to bring my revision notes home for me. When he brought me the test book, Duong thoughtfully included a note wishing me a speedy recovery and good revision. Duong touched me and reminded me of the past when I misunderstood him.

Duong just transferred to my class at the beginning of the year. Because he was quite shy and reserved, when he first moved in, Duong chose a table in the corner of the classroom to sit. Everyone was impressed by Duong's long black hair that reached her hips. It must be said that Duong's hair was the longest in my class, even the most beautiful in the school. Duong's fair, pink skin was very eye-catching. Despite his impressive appearance, Duong was very introverted. He mostly just stayed by himself and didn't talk to anyone. Duong was very good at studying. Before entering my class, I heard that Duong had participated in many competitions for excellent students and also won high prizes. Because of her beautiful, gentle appearance and good academic performance, Duong was also noticed and talked to by many boys. That's why the girls in my class hated Duong openly.

I found Duong cute so I didn't pay much attention to what my female friends said about him. I even felt sorry for Duong so I took the initiative to talk to him and get close to him. A good friendship had begun to form between us. But then a misunderstanding happened.

That day, I couldn't find my ballpoint pen. But after looking for it, I accidentally found in Duong's desk drawer a ballpoint pen that looked exactly like mine. Suspicion rose in my heart, but I didn't choose to ask Duong. I just felt disappointed and frustrated with Duong. Added to that was the "teasing" of a group of girls who didn't like Duong, so I turned to attack my friend. We gathered, pointed, and made up stories to say bad things about Duong. Knowing that Duong didn't dare tell the teachers, we even hid his bag and threw his sandals from the 4th floor to the school yard... Our excessive bullying made Duong even more timid. Duong was like a turtle shrinking into its shell, becoming less and less talkative. Looking at him, he looked completely haggard.

More than 2 weeks after the misunderstanding with Duong, I suddenly found the ballpoint pen I thought I had lost in a small slot in my bag. At that time, I realized my misunderstanding with Duong, but I did not have the courage and lowered my dignity to apologize to Duong. I chose to remain silent and at the same time withdrew from the group of girls who often bullied Duong.

However, because of my regret, I still followed the group of friends. I learned that they continued to bully Duong. They even went so far as to take Duong's notebook and scribble on it. Seeing that they were being too much, I reported the incident to the homeroom teacher so that she could intervene.

After that time, the group of girls stopped bullying Duong. Duong and I became open with each other again. I confided in Duong about my misunderstanding and apologized to Duong. Duong happily cleared up all the grudges with me. The longer I spent with Duong, the more I realized that Duong was a very cheerful and sociable person. It was just that Duong was unfamiliar with his class, friends, and teachers. And because Duong's family had just gone through an incident that forced him to transfer to this school, he became so shy. I told the group of girls who often bullied him about Duong's situation. They also understood and realized their mistakes. We all came to make peace and received Duong's forgiveness. After that incident, our class was happy again.

For me, this is not only a memory with Duong but also a profound lesson about friendship. Friends should sympathize and understand each other, don't just hate, avoid each other because of small misunderstandings, even leading to school violence. I thought, as classmates, we should work together to improve every day.