“I will not go to school from tomorrow. That’s my final decision!” Hasan repeated as the argument grew more heated.

“Hasan, you have to go to school. There is no question about this,” mother answered in a worried tone.

“Then admit me to my old school, but I will never go to this one,” Hasan insisted.

“You know very well that the school building has been sold, so something else will be built on the site,” his mother replied.

Sara stepped into the room after hearing their argument. “What happened, Hasan? Why are you arguing with Mum?”

“Appi, please stay out of this,” Hasan grumbled.

“Hasan, why have you been so disrespectful lately? She is your elder sister,” Mum said.

Hasan rolled his eyes and returned to his mobile game. His mother turned to Sara and explained, “He is insisting on getting admission to his old school.”

“Hasan, we’ll get you admitted to another school next year,” Sara suggested.

“I’m not a little kid whom you can convince with your ridiculous lies!” Hasan snapped.

Sara was surprised. Hasan had never been so disrespectful before. His behaviour had changed over the past few days. She tried talking to him about school and his friends, but he never spoke openly about what was bothering him.

One day, Sara and Hasan were sitting in the lounge. Sara was on her mobile while Hasan watched TV. After a while, she asked, “Do you know Bilal?”

Hasan turned towards her so quickly that his eyes widened in alarm.

“I don’t know him,” he replied, turning away.

Sara sensed that something was wrong. “Oh, I’ve received a friend request from him on social media. And he studies at your school. I’ll tell him about you.”

“No!” Hasan shouted nervously. “Why are you interfering in my school life and friendships?”

“So, he is your friend,” Sara murmured.

“No, he can’t be. Never!” Hasan exclaimed, lost in thought.

“If Bilal is a good boy, I can accept his request. But if he bothers you, I can teach him a lesson,” Sara suggested.

“He is a terrible bully. No one can teach him to behave. So, who are you to do that?” Hasan retorted.

“I can, because I can’t tolerate injustice,” she replied.

“You don’t know him, Sara. He makes fun of people with disabilities or genuine problems and sometimes even hits them,” Hasan explained cautiously.

“So, Bilal is the reason you don’t want to go to school?”

“Maybe.”

“Bullies are often insecure and try to make others feel small. And when their victims are too afraid to stand up to them, they never learn where to draw the line,” Sara explained.

Hasan nodded.

The next day, Hasan told his friends Asad and Raza about his conversation with Sara. Together, they decided not to react to Bilal’s taunts, no matter what he said. The others agreed to follow the plan.

After a few days, Bilal grew frustrated. No one responded to his taunts or fought back. It was as if he didn’t exist. For the first time, he realised that people were tired of his behaviour and no longer gave him the attention he wanted.

Not every problem can be solved by fighting back. Sometimes, standing together and refusing to encourage bad behaviour can help someone realise their mistake. Bilal had wanted attention so badly that he had forgotten the difference between making people laugh and making them feel small. He still had a lot to learn, but at least he had taken the first step towards changing himself.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 17th, 2026