Teen felt bad seeing friend getting bullied for wearing worn-out sneakers—so he comforted him with a life-changing gift
Many students unfortunately experience bullying in school. Despite rules and regulations, it's still happening in educational institutions and the victims rarely get any help from peers. However, there are also students who have proved that with a little courage and kindness, they can easily transform the life of a kid being bullied. Romello Early, a best friend of Melvin Anderson, knew he had to do something when he noticed the boy being bullied, as per The Washington Post. The duo, who go together to Buffalo Creek Academy Charter School, have been buddies for quite some time and Early couldn’t take it when Anderson was repeatedly bullied. He then decided to step in to change his friend's life.
Anderson would go to school with muddy worn-out sneakers and one day, when Early had enough of kids mocking his friend over his old shoes, he called him mum, crying for help. “I’m getting tired of them bullying my friend about his shoes. It’s making me so upset,” he complained to his mother in tears.“It just put a real bad ache in my stomach to see somebody have to go through that,” he remarked, per WGRZ-TV. He recalled being bullied due to his height some time back and didn’t want another person to go through the same pain. He asked whether he could get his friend new shoes but the mom decided to speak in person after school. Still upset about the recurring incident, he negotiated with his mum.
The boy offered to give up his allowance or anything that he needed to get for Christmas in return for a pair of shoes for his good friend. “I was floored because most kids are not willing to give up something to another child; most kids are about themselves. Just to see at that age he was acting as an adult, it touched me in a way that I almost can’t even describe,” Early’s mom remarked. Spending $135 of his allowance, the teen got his buddy a pair of Nike Dunks and decided to surprise him with them at school. He was sure that this way, “nobody could make fun of him or say anything about him anymore.”
Just before class could begin, the duo met up and Anderson was surprised with the orange shoebox. Opening it delightfully, he recalled being “shocked and surprised." “I was so grateful that he gave me the shoes,” Anderson said, positive that his bullying would now stop. Bryant Brown Jr., the dean of culture at the school, noticed the box and learned of the friends’ inspiring story. He shared a post on Facebook and wrote, “My student Melo told me he was tired of other students picking on Melvin about his shoes. Melo used his allowance and bought Melvin some shoes. This is what I live for. Be that helping hand.”
Sharing a picture of the duo standing proudly with the box in hand, the professor was inspired to see the morale and kindness flowing through this generous act. “It’s everything I want these kids to be,” he remarked. Anderson insisted on giving back the money Early spent so generously by doing chores at home but Early considered his generosity a gift to his buddy. As for the duo, they’re now more right-knit than ever, echoing beautifully the meaning of friendship and kindness.