1 A Worsening Situation
This was the first time she had encountered embarrassment like this. And the boy was causing the situation to get worse.
Everyone was gawking at her, and her hair as the nurse begged for help, and the principal responded by calling her father and explaining the situation. Goodness were things truly that bad, she thought to herself.
2 Not A Care In The World
Texas resident Hannah Combs was your average teenager who lived in a town where everybody knew everybody’s business. She had recently turned 15, and she couldn’t wait to begin the new school year.
Many people warned her that high school wasn’t a walk in the park and the older students had a reputation for bullying the younger grades. However, this did not bother Hannah, she loved people, and people loved her.
3 She Wanted Romance
Since summer vacation started, Hannah had been fantasizing about the prospect of having a romance with a boy. She wanted it to be magical; however, teenage boys don’t always live up to that.
The possibility also existed that the boys would think she was boring, or they could find something ridiculous to poke at. She recalled the story of how one of her close friends had been teased mercilessly for having lice at school. However, Hannah knew she could deal with anything.
4 Making A Drastic Change
She knew that she needed to do something to grab their attention. She had beautiful long hair, and it was her favorite feature about herself.
She watched a copious amount of Marilyn Monroe films during the holiday, and she knew she needed blonde highlights. The hairdresser encouraged her to do it, and she shared it would suit Hannah perfectly.
5 Getting Everything Ready
Hannah couldn’t help but look at her luscious blonde hair. She felt like a goddess! Many of her friends complimented her, and she knew she was ready to wow the boys.
For an entire week, she planned her outfits, trying to find what looked best with her new hair. She knew that nothing could come in the way of her having a great first week of high school.
6 Patience
The first two weeks went smoothly. However, no boys paid her any attention. She felt as if her high school experience was anticlimactic thus far.
She and her friends would scour the school grounds trying to find any potential boys that might be interested in them, however, to no avail. She simply thought that these things took time and that she needed to be patient.
7 Treating Her Like Dirt
One morning the two friends were having a chat outside the school building when a strange-looking boy snuck behind them and messed with Hannah’s hair. “Ew, gross!” he yelled as he laughed at her. “Bet you think you look great now, loser!”
Hannah felt confused; why did he treat her like this? She couldn’t understand why somebody would be so awful to her as her eyes filled with tears.
8 She Felt Defeated
At that point, the whole schoolyard was looking at Hannah. Did she really look that terrible? She spent hours that morning trying to make sure she looked perfect, and then this happened! She asked her friend if she looked fine, and she responded, “You have to go to the school nurse – now!”
Hannah felt her scalp burning up, so she walked to the nurse’s office. Her friend accompanied her and told her to leave her hair alone. What was going on?
9 Confusion
Once they arrived at the nurse’s office, she was confused by her reaction. “Come here, darling. Just sit down. Everything’s going to be fine. We’ll sort it out.” Hannah was terrified.
The nurse asked her friend to please get the principal, and once he arrived, he knew he had to contact her family immediately. This was a first for him, and he was stunned.
10 Anger
Hannah’s father came as quickly as he could, and when he saw the state of his daughter, he was livid. His poor girl was silently sobbing as everyone just stood there and did nothing.
He wasn't going to tolerate this because he was a former military. His blood started to rise the more he stared at Hannah. Whoever did this would pay for it.
11 Immaturity
Her father demanded answers. However, his daughter was unable to speak due to her sobbing uncontrollably.
The fact that there was something wrong with her head was not the only thing bothering her. She was disappointed in herself as she felt the need to change her appearance for boys. She acknowledged that it was an immature thing to do. It was a deeply upsetting situation.
12 Disbelief
Christian’s blood was boiling at that point, and he couldn’t help himself. He began yelling. He needed to find out who was behind this and why the school had not rushed his poor daughter to the emergency room yet.
“I’m calling 911,” Christian told the principal’s assistant; however, she gave him a disgusted look, a look that said, “Take that attitude elsewhere.” He couldn’t believe her, it was now war.
13 Contacting The Media
Hannah’s father rushed her to the emergency room and then proceeded to contact the media. He couldn’t believe that the school refused to punish a bully. He insisted that assault charges be filed by the Killeen Independent School District Police.
However, he was just getting started.
14 The Community Agreed
The word spread quickly, and the community agreed that it was imperative that the school take the matter further. Since the story gained traction, the bully in question stopped going to school. But what happened to Hannah?
What did she do next, and how badly was she injured?
15 Burning With Rage
Hannah was examined at the hospital's urgent care center, where the doctor discovered she had first-degree chemical burns on her scalp caused by the boy's high-strength super glue.
But Hannah's scalp would reveal more than just that.
16 The Aftermath
Hannah was in excruciating pain. Her brand-new hairstyle was ruined, and she spent months saving for it. It was more than likely that it had to be cut off.
This was all the result of the awful boy’s horrible prank. And as Hannah would eventually learn, that wasn't all he did.
17 Losing Her Hair
Hannah had some of her hair cut off. She couldn't believe she had to lose her magnificent hair, which was one of her favorite features. But she made a decision to take advantage of the circumstances.
She would need to keep this frame of mind in order to handle what was about to come.
18 A Weird Feeling
Even after a few weeks had passed and the burns had fully healed, she would occasionally still feel as though millions of tiny critters were scurrying around in her hair.
She scheduled a consultation with her hairdresser to see if there was any chance of saving her once-luscious locks because she assumed the feeling was just her skin recovering.
19 Pain
Hannah had not been able to comb her own hair for weeks until the hairdresser started doing it. But as soon as the hairdresser started pulling, the odd, creeping sensation returned. She was ordered to stop by Hannah.
The hairstylist froze and questioned what on earth had happened to her. Her attention was focused on Hannah.
20 Taking A Closer Look
"Okay... let's take a look here," the hairdresser said in an attempt to comfort her. Taking Hannah into consideration, she wanted to ensure that she wouldn't hurt her.
She gave her a light pat on the shoulder and parted her hair with delicacy by running her fingers through it. She looked more intently before screaming.
21 Embarrassment
“Oh my gosh!” She shrieked. There were things crawling on Hannah’s scalp. Hannah was very ashamed of herself when she realized what she had discovered.
Even worse, the entire embarrassing incident was captured on the hair salon's CCTV camera. Would she really give it to anyone else?
22 What Did He Do?
Hannah was embarrassed. “Nobody can know about this,” she begged the stylist as her eyes started to well up with tears.
The boy poured an entire tube of superglue on Hannah's head, and he then leaned in close enough to transfer lice. Hannah's hair was infested with lice.
23 A Worsening Situation
Due to the nits hatching over a couple of weeks, Hannah had been experiencing a creeping sensation. A potent insecticide needs to be applied to Hannah's scalp to kill the lice. The situation only worsened from there.
To add insult to injury, the boy infested her with ‘super lice,’ which is a mutated version of the common lice that is resistant to normal chemical treatments. However, the bad news did not stop there.
24 She Had No Choice
The hairdresser couldn't use the medicinal shampoo to tackle the issue until Hannah's chemical burns had completely healed because she didn't want to risk aggravating the area even more.
Hannah would therefore have to put up with the lice for the time being. Hannah was understandably horrified and indignant. But her main motivation was vengeance.
25 Vengeance
She scheduled another appointment with her hairdresser once her scalp had sufficiently recovered and she was able to remove the lice. She made the choice to dye her hair red.
She not only adored the color, but she also wanted it to stand in for the intense rage she felt. She still intended to hold the bully accountable.
26 Giving Them A Voice
It wasn't something Hannah was going to do for herself. For every kid out there who had suffered bullying, she wanted to speak out. The actions of bullies should not be allowed to go unpunished.
Her parents were supportive of her. To raise awareness of the evil of bullying, they created a Facebook group called "Justice For Hannah." It had been an issue at schools for far too long, and they were going to take action.
27 Everyone Supported Her
Hannah started posting images and information about her experience. She further disclosed that the school had not taken any action to hold the bully responsible. Support came in over the next several days and weeks.
She was also able to amass enough supporters on the Facebook page to sign a petition asking the school administration to force the bully to officially repent for what he had done. It also demanded his dismissal and payment for Hannah's medical expenses.
28 Making A Change
“I want to make a difference. I would like people to stand up for themselves. No one deserves to be bullied—it’s not fair for anyone,” Hannah shared
“I’m just a normal kid with strong beliefs. When it comes to bullying, I stand up for people a lot because of it—but it’s worth it.”
29 Determination
Hannah was committed to keeping her dignity despite the fact that the awful boy had intentionally given her lice and damaged the hair she had so dearly adored. She assured herself that he would lose.
“Bullying is wrong,” Hannah shared on the Justice for Hannah Facebook page. “Sometimes it’s the bully that really needs the help… maybe this has made him see that he has been doing things the wrong way.”
30 Finally Responding
Although others advised Hannah's parents to remove her from school, her father thought the bully should be required to change schools. “I’m not going to pull my daughter out and uproot her from her life because of what this kid did to her,” Christian shared.
“That child that did this to her uproot his life. He gave up the opportunity to go to Harker Heights when he committed the act.” The school then started to consider the criticism seriously.
31 Apologizing
A full school assembly and parent body were present to see the boy apologize to Hannah. As a result of not knowing how to express his feelings for her, he did what he did because he liked her a lot.
“Well, if that's how you express your feelings, then I think you have some serious growing up to do,” Hannah responded, and the crowd cheered as she walked away.
32 The Power of Hair
When Hannah decided to dye her hair red, she not only adored the color, but she also used it as a symbol of the intense rage she felt towards her bully.
The act of changing her hair was a way for her to take control and express her inner strength. It showcased the power that hair can hold for individuals, as a means of self-expression and empowerment.
33 A Father's Anger Ignites
Upon learning about what had happened to his daughter, Hannah's father, Christian, became filled with anger. Instead of removing Hannah from school as others suggested, he believed that the bully should be the one to face the consequences.
Christian's determination to hold the bully accountable fueled his anger and ignited a fire within him to fight for justice. This father's anger served as a catalyst for taking action and seeking justice for Hannah.
34 Seeking Justice for Hannah
With the support of her parents, Hannah was determined to speak out not just for herself, but for every child who had suffered from bullying. Together, they created a Facebook group called "Justice For Hannah" to raise awareness about the evil of bullying.
It was a call to action against a long-standing issue in schools. Through the power of social media, they aimed to hold the bully accountable and ensure that the actions of bullies would not go unpunished.
35 The Hidden Dangers of Bullying
Hannah's disclosure about the lack of action from the school to hold the bully responsible shed light on the hidden dangers of bullying. Bullying affects not only the victim but also the overall well-being of a community.
It became evident that the school needed to address this issue seriously. The story serves as a reminder of the lasting impact that bullying can have on individuals and the urgent need to tackle it to create a safe and supportive environment.
36 Fighting Back Against Bullies
Hannah's determination to keep her dignity despite the harm caused by the bully demonstrates her resilience and refusal to be a victim. She refuses to let the actions of the bully define her and instead fights back against the injustice she has experienced.
Her strength and resilience serve as an inspiration for others facing similar situations, encouraging them to stand up against bullies and reclaim their power.
37 A Community United Against Bullying
As Hannah shared her story and rallied supporters through the Justice for Hannah Facebook group, a sense of community was created. People from all walks of life came together in support of her cause, signing petitions and offering encouragement.
This sense of unity against bullying highlights the power of collective action and the strength that can be found in solidarity.
38 Overcoming the Emotional Impact
Dealing with bullying can leave lasting emotional scars, but Hannah's determination and resilience show her ability to overcome the emotional impact. By refusing to let the bully's actions define her, she focuses on standing up for herself and others.
Hannah's journey reminds us that it is possible to rise above the emotional toll of bullying and find the strength to heal and move forward.
39 Turning Adversity into Action
Hannah's experience with bullying motivated her and her parents to turn their adversity into action. They channeled their frustration and anger towards raising awareness about bullying and seeking justice for Hannah.
This determination to transform their negative experience into a catalyst for change demonstrates the power of individuals to make a difference in combatting bullying and creating a safer environment for all.
40 Creating Awareness about Bullying
The creation of the "Justice For Hannah" Facebook group became a platform for raising awareness about the serious issue of bullying. Hannah shared her story, posted images and information, and mobilized support from others who had experienced or witnessed bullying.
The group became a hub for discussion, education, and advocacy, shedding light on the realities of bullying and the urgent need for action.
41 Rebuilding Confidence After Bullying
Despite the harm caused by the bully, Hannah remains determined to rebuild her confidence. The apology from the boy during the school assembly served as a moment of closure for her.
While the journey to rebuild her confidence may be ongoing, Hannah's refusal to let the bully's actions define her signals her strength and resilience. Her story inspires others who have been victims of bullying to find ways to regain their confidence and embrace their worth.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.