"Shut up, you nerd. Nobody cares."

I watched as the helpless, tiny boy with glasses that barely traced his eyes was shoved against the wall, papers flying everywhere and evil laughter sprinkling through the air. My eyes hurt just looking at the poor boy, and I stumbled forward to help retrieve his paperwork. He sent a half-smile in my direction, but it was replaced by wide eyes and a twisted, confused mouth when I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw a shadow pass over the boy's face.

"So, you've decided to help him out, eh?"

I gulped and did not turn around. I had no nerve, my hands were shaking, and my glasses were about as bad as the boy's had been.

"Cute. Nerd love. See this, guys? It's nerd love."

Laughter peppered the air again, and I could feel it burning my tongue, persuading me to speak.
The hard hands pushed me against the wall, spraying the boy's papers that I had been trying to retrieve all over the hallway.

"Nerd love," he whimpered sarcastically, "Too cute."

He followed his words with another shove on my shoulders and more peppery laughter. He turned slowly, but whipped himself around again and said, "Better watch out, nerds. The teachers are watching."
He and his buddies laughed together and walked away.

I turned to look at the boy and collect the scattered papers.

He was gone.

I bent to pick up the nearest paper; it was some complicated math that I had yet to solve. However, the boy had easily deciphered each problem with neat script. I looked at the page behind it, expecting to see the complicated work behind the neat answers.

That is not what I saw.

There was a note from the boy.

The note was in neat script.

I read:

To whom it may concern,

I've been bullied throughout my entire existence up until now, and I honestly can't stand it anymore.
My name is Alexander Carter, and I don't want to live on this Earth anymore. Don't try and stop me. By the time somebody important reads this letter, I'll be long gone. Don't miss me.

Make sure my math teacher gets my homework.

Sincerely,
Alexander Carter