KΓΆnig felt as if the whole school was staring at him, judging him, ridiculing him. Nobody stepped in. Nobody ever stepped in. Maybe it was his fault.
Since KΓΆnig started school, heβd never had many friends, and those he did have left quickly. He understood. All heβd ever been was the βfatβ kid in the back that was an easy punching bag. The teachers never seemed to care, no matter how much he reported it. They always told him he was big enough to defend himself.
His parents never seemed to care either. His father told him to man up, to speak for himself, his mother was too quiet to go against her husband. All he had was himself, but he was always too afraid to speak up. The bullies were brutal.
KΓΆnigβs body trembled, his hands pressed tightly against his ears in a useless attempt to block out the bullies hateful words. It was him against the world, as it had always been.