Jack tossed(抛，扔)the papers on my desk—his eyebrows knit(皱眉)into a straight line as he glared at me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He pointed at the proposal. “Next time you want to change anything, ask me first,” He said, turning on his heels and leaving me in anger.

How dare he treat me like that, I thought. I had changed one long sentence, and corrected grammar, something I thought I was paid to do.

It’s not that I hadn’t been warned. Other women who had worked my job before me called Jack names I couldn’t repeat. One coworker took me aside the first day. “He’s personally responsible for two different secretaries leaving the firm,” she whispered.

As the weeks went by, I grew to hate Jack. His actions made me question much that I believed in, such as turning the other cheek and loving your enemies. I prayed about the situation, but to be honest, I wanted to put Jack in his place, not like him.

One day another of his episodes left me in tears. I stormed into his office, prepared to lose my job if needed, but not before I let the man know how I felt. I opened the door and Jack glanced up. “What?” he asked abruptly.

Suddenly I knew what I had to do. After all, he deserved it.

I sat across from him and said calmly, “Jack, the way you’ve been treating me is wrong. I’ve never had anyone speak to me that way. As a professional, it’s wrong, and I can’t allow it to continue.”

Jack snickered(暗笑)nervously and leaned back in his chair. I closed my eyes briefly. God help me, I prayed.

“I want to make you a promise. I will be a friend,” I said. “I will treat you as you deserve to be treated, with respect and kindness. You deserve that. Everybody does. That’s what friends do.” I slipped out of the chair and closed the door behind me.

Jack avoided me the rest of the week.

One year later, one day after my surgery for breast cancer, Jack stood awkwardly in the doorway of my small, darkened hospital room.

People always say that with exercise, putting on your shoes is the hardest part. But for Emma, this was a lie. The real pain always started when all the students were gathered on the track, ready to run. It wasn’t the fatigue she minded, it was the looks others gave her. Emma was bigger than others of her age. Back in primary school, she remembers her classmates asking her why her thighs (大腿) were so big and her chest so wide. On the outside, she looked big, but on the inside, she felt as small as a pea. And PE class was when she felt at her smallest.

Not all her classmates made her feel uncomfortable, though. It was mainly a group of girls and boys—the loud, outspoken, popular kids. Although they could run faster than Emma, they preferred to jog a bit behind her, bursting out in laughter every now and then, commenting on how Emma jogged.

Just one more year, Emma kept telling herself. One more year and I’ll have graduated and won’t have to take this stupid PE class anymore. She just wanted to survive it.

But everything changed when a new girl called Kit joined the class. She had short, jet-black hair, bright eyes, and a long scar across the left side of her face. Her entrance into the classroom that day was met by dozens of curious eyes.

Although their teacher, Ms Hardy, didn’t ask Kit for a personal introduction, upon putting her bag down on her desk, Kit rose, saying, “Hi, everyone, nice to meet you, I’m Kit. I love boxing, animation and fashion. You might be wondering about my scar. I got it when I was young when I fell off my bike. Luckily, I didn’t get hurt more seriously. It’s now like a cool trademark of all the adventures I had as a kid.”

After Kit’s introduction, Emma simply sat there, her heart pounding and mouth wide open. How could someone be so confident? Even the popular kids were sitting there in shock.

At lunchtime, Emma was sitting at her usual table with a few other classmates when Kit walked over to them.

On Friday, it was time for the fearful PE class, but this time, Kit was with her.

My best friend Carla Hernandez called me on Thursday afternoon. She asked me to meet her in the park near the playground five minutes later. She said she had a great idea! This worried me because Carla’s great ideas almost always meant big trouble for me!

I rushed outside and jogged to the park. When I saw Carla, my heart sank because her huge dog Perro was with her. I liked everything about Carla except Perro. I’d never had a pet, so I felt uncomfortable and nervous around animals. I was embarrassed to say that I was afraid of Carla’s dog. Carla smiled. “Isn’t this the perfect location for a pet show?” she asked. “All the kids in the neighborhood can show off their pets’ talents and demonstrate the things they do well. There are plenty of comfortable benches (长椅) for our parents and friends to sit on. And since you don’t have a pet to enter into the show, you will be the announcer.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, “but that’s impossible! Crowds made me nervous and unsure. Besides, I didn’t like animals, remember?” “That’s nonsense,” said Carla. “There’s nothing to be concerned about because you’ll be great!” Carla encouraged me to be brave and confident. But just then, Perro leaped up, slobbered all over (毫不掩饰地表示喜爱) me, and almost knock me down. “Down, Perro! Stay!” I shouted. Perro sat as still as a statue. “Wow, you’re good at that,” said Carla. She thought I was talented at giving orders to pets, and asked me to get started with her immediately because we would have a lot to do.

By Saturday morning I had practiced announcing each pet’s act a hundred times. I felt my heart pounding by the time the audience arrived. The size of the crowd made me feel even more anxious. When the show began, I announced the first pet, nervously. It was a bird named Butter whose talent was walking back and forth on a wire. When Butter finished, everyone clapped and cheered. So far, everything was perfect.

I was beginning to feel calmer and more relaxed.

This was a disaster, and I had to do something.