After spending a long weekend off, as Monday was a holiday in our community, the hustle and bustle of classmates echoed in the hallways, and laughter and lively chatter filled the air in the school. Some hugged and kissed each other enthusiastically, while others shared anecdotes about what they had done for so many days.
Inside the classroom, the feeling was different; there was a mix of joy at seeing friends again and a slight nervousness about resuming the school routine. The desks were tidy, and backpacks were quickly arranged on the floor. The first period teacher arrived with a smile, and after greeting everyone, her usual talk about social studies began.
After the second period of classes ended, during the break, the counselor and the literature teacher entered the classroom, asked for silence and closed the door behind them. We all looked at each other in surprise, wondering why they had come.
Scene: School classroom. The students are sitting at their desks. Luisa, the counselor, and María, the literature teacher, are standing on the blackboard platform and after asking the students to be quiet, they look at the class with angry faces.
Luisa: (with a firm and calm voice)
—Good afternoon everyone. We have come to this class because there is a very serious matter that we need to address immediately.
María: (looking at the students seriously)
—We know that someone in this class used a photo of a classmate and after editing it with some computer program, showed her naked butt and shared it on social media. This type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Luisa: — We want to make it clear that we understand that this can be difficult, but it is crucial that the person responsible steps forward. This is not just about punishment, but about understanding what happened and making sure that something like this does not happen again.
Maria: (in a harsher voice)
—However, if no one comes forward and takes responsibility, we will be forced to take stricter measures. This may include speaking to each of you individually and, if necessary, taking disciplinary action.
Luisa: —We are not here to point fingers or punish without reason. We want to resolve this fairly. If anyone wants to share information, we ask that you speak with us after class. You can do so confidentially, and we guarantee your anonymity.
Maria: (pauses for emphasis):
—Remember that keeping silent also has consequences. Failing to act in the face of injustice makes you part of the problem. We all want a safe and respectful environment, and we need your cooperation to achieve that.
Luisa: —Please think about what we have said. We hope that the person responsible will come forward voluntarily so that we can resolve this properly and fairly.
Maria: —Thank you for your attention. If you have any questions or need to speak with us, we will be available after class. (The two of them get off the blackboard platform and leave class.)
Students Sofia, Fidel, Andrea, and Diego talk to each other while waiting for the third period teacher to arrive.
Sofia: —Does anyone have the photo to see?
Fidel: (Showing the photo on his phone screen)
The photo shows Laura, a student at the school, who has not yet turned thirteen, with a radiant smile lighting up her face. She is wearing a white cotton blouse. Its sleeves are slightly flared. She combines the blouse with a light denim jacket, which hangs carefree over her shoulders. Her hair, long and wavy, falls gently over her shoulders, shining in the reflections of the sun. She tries to climb up to an old stone fountain in the park, and drink from the stream of water that springs from the top, creating a small rainbow as it falls. She has her back to us, showing her naked, spectacular, large, round butts, and turns her head, perhaps because she thought she was being watched at that moment, to look at us and show her face, at the moment the photo is captured.
Diego: — Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe they didn't know what they were doing.
Andrea: —Don't talk nonsense, that was someone with bad intentions.
Diego: —How are we going to find out who it was? Surely there is no way to know who did it!
Sofia: —Well, I'm not willing to be punished for something I didn't do!
Diego: —Is there no way to know who did it?
Luisa: —That's what we're trying to find out, Diego.
Andrea: —I'm thinking... Who could have taken the photo? And how do we know that that ass is from our school? Because Laura would like to have that ass.
The conversation ends with the teacher's arrival in the classroom.
It's midday and some teachers are staying in the middle of the school, heading to the meeting room to discuss an important issue: the photo of Laura's butt. Present in the room are: Carmen the head of studies, the counselor Luisa, teacher Maria, and director Lopez; and they have been discussing for a while the best way to act.
Director Lopez: —...But we need to solve this problem. The photo is unacceptable and could damage the reputation of our school. Here everything is by law. We cannot tolerate any of this happening.
Head of Studies: —Unfortunately, the photo was edited with a program that masks the identity of the editor. We cannot easily trace it.
Teacher Maria: —Why would someone do something like this?
Director Lopez: —We need to find the person responsible, before more students' butts circulate around the school, but we also need to solve this without accusing someone unfairly. Any idea how we can proceed?
Counselor Luisa: —Students!
Head of Studies Carmen: —One possibility is to review the students' electronic devices.
Teacher Maria: —We could look at which minors use the phone in class, and ask permission to see their messaging program.
Principal Lopez: —That seems a bit extreme. It would be a serious violation of privacy.
Carmen the head of studies: —It could have been done with a borrowed phone and the owner wouldn't even know.
Counselor Luisa: —Maybe we could put up an announcement in the school, asking for some information anonymously.
Teacher Maria: —What if we put out a call to the student community so that whoever has information about the photo can say it anonymously?
Head of Studies Carmen: —That could work. Maybe someone knows who did it and is willing to talk without revealing their identity.
Principal Lopez: —That seems like a more sensible idea. We could offer a pardon to make it easier for the person who took the photo to identify themselves without consequences. With the commitment that it won't happen again. Luisa: Can you take charge of writing the announcement?
Counselor Luisa:
—Of course, principal.
While the Counselor writes the announcement, the rest of the teachers leave for the school cafeteria.
—Let's see, let's see, let me see Laura's ass.
Afternoon classes in Laura's classroom.
Teacher Maria (with a firm voice)
—Attention, class! Someone is circulating indecent photos of their classmates around the school. I need to know who it is. If anyone knows something, please tell us now.
Laura, visibly upset, added:
—I can't believe someone did this with a photo of me.
The students began to murmur among themselves. Some looked nervously at each other, while others seemed indifferent.
Teacher Maria—If no one says anything, everyone will be punished until it is discovered who it was.
Fidel feels uneasy when he hears Teacher Maria talk about punishing the entire class and raises his hand to protest.
Fidel: —That's not fair, teacher! Why do I have to be punished if I haven't done anything?
Sofia: —Yes, that's an injustice. We can't be held responsible for what another student did.
Teacher Maria: —I understand your frustration, but I need everyone to collaborate. If no one speaks, I have no choice but to punish you all.
It's nine o'clock at night, and the students have been home for several hours.
A mother enters her son's room to say good night; he is lying in bed looking at his tablet.
The mother leans a little towards Alberto, trying to see the screen:
—What are you looking at on your tablet, honey?
Alberto nervously moves his hand over the screen, trying to hide its content:
—Nothing, mom. Just playing.
Mother frowns and reaches out to take the tablet:
—Let me see. Why do you have a picture of Laura on your tablet?
Alberto: —I don't know! I found it in her room and thought she looked pretty.
Mother (leaves the tablet on the bedside table and crosses her arms, showing distrust):
—And how did you get it? Because Laura gave you a photo of herself?
Alberto, feeling guilty, answers: —I borrowed it when she wasn't looking.
Mother: —That's not right, son. It's invading your sister's privacy!
Alberto: —I'm sorry, mom. I won't do it again.
Mother, looking at her son seriously:
—Let's talk to Laura about this. It's important to respect other people's privacy.
Alberto: —It's better not. She'll get angry with me.
Mother: —It's possible, but the important thing is that she knows what you did and that this situation won't happen again.
Alberto: —I understand, mom. I'm very sorry. But it's better that my sister doesn't find out.
Mother: —Let's go find Laura and talk to her together.
Alberto: —It's okay, mom.
There is a knock on Laura's bedroom door.
Laura opens her door and, intrigued by her mother's serious expression, asks:
—What's wrong, Mom?
Mother: —Your brother took a photo of you without permission. We came to apologize.
Laura discovers that the photo her brother took of her is the photo that was used for the montage at school.
Laura, her eyes wide open: —What?! That's unacceptable! I can't believe you did that.
Alberto: —I'm so sorry, Laura.
The next day, Alberto's mother accompanies him to school and explains to the principal that her son was the one who stole Laura's photo.
After Principal López tells the school counselor and the head of school that the image used for the montage of Laura's backside was taken by her brother from her room, they speak to the students involved and everything is discovered at school:
Alberto could not deny that he was the one who stole the photo from his sister's room.
Alberto: —It was a mistake and it will not happen again!
Gabriel, a little computer enthusiast, declared that he used a computer program to put his bare bottom on the photos of girls that his friends sent him by messenger. He also mentioned that the idea for the photo of Laura's butt was not his, but Fidel's. According to Gabriel, Fidel paid him with sweets and candy for the montage of the bare butt. This montage was a birthday present for Fidel's best friend, who was in love with Laura.
Fidel denied all the evidence that betrayed him, but the director López, since this student was the son of the school inspector, concluded that it was not known who it was.
At the end of the morning classes, the director gathered the management team and after making a summary, explained that it was better that the true owner of the rear anatomy, which was used in the photo of Laura's butt, did not find out, to avoid her filing a complaint against the school for the students using, without her permission, a part of her female body; and for this main reason he asked that what happened be forgotten.
Following the instructions of director Lopez, calm returned to the classrooms of the center in the afternoon, and after the incident was soon forgotten, what happened made me reflect, with adult eyes, on the crime that was committed by putting that bare, firm ass on the backside of a young teenager and not on the backside of one of my coworkers.
mvf.
