Nineteen Minutes entry 2

One of the chapters that had a genuine impact on me came around half way through the book. It brought the reader back to gym class back at Sterling High before any of the shooting took place. Coach Spears had chosen Drew Girard and Matt Royston to be team captains; this was no surprise to Peter because they were varsity athletes. Of course, this irritated Peter as he expected to be the last one called. Meanwhile, the coach told the class to "look alive" as the captains picked players; the names began to get called out and eventually it was Peter along with his friend Derek and a student with aggression issues who were last. It is Matt's turn to pick a player and he replies "I'll take the homo." (228). This of course is referring to Peter. This is so troubling to me not just because Matt said this, but rather that Spears said nothing to Matt. In fact, all he said was "Let's play" (228). It is completely ridiculous to me that students such as Peter, were bullied throughout their high school experiences and no teacher tried to stop it. It is evident that the Coach had heard what Matt had said and deliberately ignored him. Bullying will never end if the teachers, the people who are supposed to look out for us, do nothing. There were so many people who had the opportunity to stand up for Peter, yet they did nothing at all. While Josie had Peter's back for several years, she was not a loyal friend in high school as she allowed her friends and boyfriend, Matt pick on Peter constantly. When people see bullying and do not do anything, I believe they are just as guilty as the person doing the bullying because they are condoning the behavior.