Bad Influence, page 24
Since getting suspended and everything, DJ has actually tried to be nice to me. He said, “Respect, Amelia,” when he came back to school. It was the first time he’d called me Amelia in over two years. He even said please when he asked to borrow a pen in English the other day. It was so satisfying to smile sweetly and say no.
Like Mum said, it could have been worse. And that’s saying something when a photo of you in your step-mum’s see-through bra has been shared with the entire population. Well, kind of step-mum. I don’t think Selina has plans to marry my dad any time soon. I can’t blame her really. But still, she feels like a step-mum. Hannah still says stuff about her being fake. But she’s only a bit fake on the outside. Inside she’s real. And surely that’s the best way round to be.
Dad still hasn’t quite got over The Photo. But now both his daughters have quit baseball he has something more important to complain about.
“It’s an insult to the Bright name!” he said when I told him I wasn’t going to be on the team. “Your grandpa will be turning in his grave!” I feel bad for him, I really do. Grandpa Bright, that is. But Dad? I’m trying not to worry so much about what he thinks. I mean, I still put my name in the hat to be Class Representative this year. But this time, I did it for me. Because I think I would do a good job. Just before the ballot, DJ announced that he’d pound the meat out of anyone who didn’t vote for me, so who knows? I might get lucky.
After my speech, Mr Malcolmson said I ought to go into politics. I’m still undecided. But whatever I want to do seems less impossible now, for some reason. But less important too. Like maybe the entire world won’t collapse if I don’t try my best at everything. If I stop trying to be someone else. Stop playing catch up with Hannah. Because actually, I’m okay as I am. After all, baseball’s a competition. But life isn’t. And if it’s not a competition, you can’t win or lose. You can just play the game and be happy you’re taking part. Weirdly I don’t feel that way about volleyball though. There’s something strangely satisfying about smashing a 250 gram ball into Madison Hart’s face.
Since making my speech, I’ve joined a few more clubs at school. Creative Writing Club, Latin Club, Chess Club and Choir. I’m not exactly the best at them, but it keeps me away from the basketball courts. My blazer lapel is getting so full of badges it shines when it hits the sunlight. Every time one of them flashes I get reminded of the good stuff I’ve done. And who I really am.
THE END
LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for reading Amelia’s story. Whilst this book is entirely fictional, the events are based on things that have happened and are happening right now to young people. The ubiquitousness of mobile phones has opened up our world to infinite virtual voices, experiences and wonders. It’s enabled us to share, connect and record our lives in ways people never could have imagined when I was a teenager. However, it has come at a price: cyberbullying, predatory behaviour and – something I explore in Bad Influence – the sharing of nude and semi-nude photographs of minors.
Creating and sharing these sorts of images amongst teens is not usually intended to be criminal. In many cases, pictures are captured and shared with consent (although some, like Amelia, feel under an extraordinary amount of pressure to do so). Amelia longs for the bullying she’s experiencing to end. She wants Evan to see her as more grown up. She hopes he will make her his girlfriend. She genuinely believes he won’t share it with anyone. And Amelia is not alone. Research indicates that around 4% of thirteen year olds have sent a nude or semi-nude photograph, but this figure rises to almost 1 in 5 amongst teens aged 15 and older. The same research also found that 19% of those who shared nudes or semi-nudes were pressured or blackmailed into it, 14% were bullied or harassed as a result of the image, and 17% had their image shared without their consent. These figures are growing all the time.
Like Amelia says, a photograph is just a moment, one tiny piece of time captured for ever. But once a private moment is shared, it can cause an enormous amount of distress. Whether it’s done thoughtlessly or deliberately, with the intent to bully, humiliate, or to help them fit in with the crowd, it is not an exaggeration to say that sharing these kinds of pictures, sent with the understanding that they would remain private, can cause lasting harm, sometimes even with fatal consequences.
I am eternally thankful that I grew up before the explosion of this digital age we find ourselves in. Adolescence can be incredibly tough, and the added pressure on young people today, exposed to an online world that doesn’t quite match with their beliefs and values, constantly pinging away in their pockets, is perhaps one of the saddest things I witness as a teacher. When we encourage young people to embrace the online world, it is often without accompaniment, without guidance, without conversations, and without any real protection. Sadly, it is the most vulnerable in the real world who are most at risk online.
Amelia doesn’t see herself as vulnerable. She doesn’t even see herself as a victim at first. Neither do many of the people around her. But I hope you, as the reader, can see how vulnerable she is. She’s a character, like so many of us, who doesn’t believe she’s good enough. She attaches a value to herself that others have prescribed – through the name-calling to The List, to the horrific bullying she is put through. Amelia believes that if only she was better, she would be worthy of their kindness and respect.
There is no doubt that young people like Amelia have the right to explore their burgeoning sexuality without fear or shame. It’s natural that teens reach an age where they are curious and open to romantic relationships. But it’s important too that they understand the risks of sending intimate pictures, even to people they trust. Someone who promises they won’t keep it, they won’t share it, they won’t tell anyone. Because, in many cases, that’s exactly what they intend to do. Whether it’s deliberate or just plain insensitive, once your image is taken, stored or shared, you no longer have control over where it ends up. Amelia didn’t mean to break the law by taking an “indecent” image of herself. Evan didn’t realize he was breaking the law by saving it or sharing it. The many people who shared the photograph of Amelia were breaking the law too. It’s a law designed to protect young people, but so many of them are unaware it even exists.
I wonder how many parents would react like Amelia’s father. Firing questions and comments that make Amelia feel even worse than she does already. I wonder how many schools offer a nurturing, judgement-free, education-based approach to these kinds of issues instead of a punitive one. Or, even better, include high quality, engaging lessons on consent, and the sharing and receiving of intimate photographs, so that young people are better informed.
I also wonder how many young people who find themselves in a situation like Amelia’s have no one to turn to. I hope this story reaches those readers and makes them feel less alone. Less afraid of speaking out. I also hope this story makes people think twice about sharing images without consent. I hope it opens up conversations between parents and teens. Amelia is able to pick herself up. She has people she can talk to and trust. She’s still able to imagine a wonderful future for herself. I hope anyone who has experienced this scenario is able to see that they still have oceans to fly.
Virtual or physical, our world is far from perfect. And neither are we. All of us are bound to make mistakes, take risks, trust the wrong person, act in a way that doesn’t make us feel very proud. But if we can navigate those missteps, learn, grow, apologize, use our voices in a positive way, and speak out about our experiences, then, in the words of Loretta Lynn’s classic tune (I had to end on a musical note!), we’ve come a long way, baby.
Statistics taken from the Cybersurvey from October 2020, Aiman el Asam & Adrienne Katz, for Internet Matters and Youthworks.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It’s my name on the front of this book, but this was not like Amelia Earhart’s solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean – there are so many incredibly talented people who contributed to making Bad Influence happen. Firstly, an enormous thank you to the incredible Luigi and Alison Bonomi at LBA for being THE most supportive, enthusiastic and positive agents a writer could wish for. You’ve believed in me and my writing from day one and I’m so grateful to be on your team. You always make me feel like I’m Big League, so thank you.
Sarah Stewart – this book would not have been possible, or ever finished, without your knock-it-out-of-the-park editorial skills. You deliver each note with pitch-perfect warmth, insight and energy, and this book would never have gone beyond the dugout without you. You respond to all of my OMGs and exclamatory emails with good humour, patience and you understood Amelia’s heart and mind from the very beginning, so thank you. And just for posterity: BOOK 4 OMG!!!!!!
Rebecca Hill – this book would not have even crept into my mind without your amazing support for my debut, Being Miss Nobody, and you’ve been cheering me on ever since. Thank you for your enthusiasm and dedication to my writing; your unwavering passion for bringing empowering books to teenagers is an inspiration.
A huge shout-out to super ace hitters Anne Finnis and Alice Moloney for your insightful and valuable editorial feedback. You helped bring out Amelia’s gutsy character and helped shut Evan’s mouth when needed!! I am enormously grateful for the time and care you have given my story.
For an epic all-star sensitivity read, a huge thank you to Leila Rasheed. Your notes were on-point, thoughtful and enormously important to me and my readers. You helped Nisha’s character shine her own light, so thank you. Hannah Featherstone, copy-editor of dreams, sending you a massive high five for catching all my many errors and oversights with grace and poise. And to the amazing proof-readers, Beth and Gareth, thank you for your eagle-eyed attention to detail, making sure nothing slipped through the net, and for your super lovely comments about this story.
A GIGANTIC thank you to the amazingly talented Amy Blackwell for your super awesome cover illustrations and the incredible Kath Millichope for your super striking and gorgeous cover design. Hannah Reardon Steward and Fritha Lindqvist – thank you for an out-of-the-park marketing and publicity campaign that will help this book reach the readers that need it.
I also want to say a gargantuan thank you to Laura Ryder, Youth Justice Worker (Crime and Prevention), for your enormous help with my research for this book. Your knowledge and insight on the topic of minors sharing images was invaluable, and the brilliant work you do to support and educate young people and their families is inspiring.
In many ways, Bad Influence is about the importance of sisterhood. Amelia Bright has a ferocious teammate in her big sister, Hannah. I would be nowhere without my own fierce and awesome big sister, Kirsty. You’re not only a super intelligent and inspiring engineer, you’ve also got a fierce and gigantic heart (not to mention a mean singing voice). Thank you for being my big sister and loudest supporter (apart from Mum).
As I’ve thanked my sister, I had better dedicate a moment to thanking my equally awesome brother.
Andrew, you’ve always got my back. Even though you hate my coffee, I hope you love this book. Mum and Dad – thank you for the endless enthusiasm for my books and the enormous amount of support you give me while I write them. My incredible son, Felix – you are human sunlight. Thank you for making me: cups of tea, breakfast in bed, the most beautiful cards and drawings, laugh every single day, and your sixth favourite author. Mummy is very proud.
Laura, Emily-Jane and Emmaline (The HCWKs), we’ve been friends for over thirty years and I am so grateful to have a supersonic sisterhood of my own. Thank you for all the support, hilarity and love over the years. Here’s to many decades more.
Finally, I want to send a special shout-out to two awesome young girls I met back in 2019 at Cranleigh School’s Awesome Book Awards. These two particular young ladies told me that they loved my name and hated their own. How surprised they were to learn that when I was younger I too, hated my name, but that I grew to love it. When I asked to hear the names they hated so much I was frankly shocked to hear that they were “Amelia” and “Bright”. Properly awesome names! I promised you then and there that one day I would write a book with a main character called Amelia Bright, and here she is. I hope you like her.
First published in the UK in 2023 by Usborne Publishing Limited, Usborne House, 83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, England. usborne.com
Usborne Verlag, Usborne Publishing Limited, Prüfeninger Str. 20, 93049 Regensburg, Deutschland, VK Nr. 17560
Text copyright © Tamsin Winter, 2023
Author photo © Andrew Winter, 2017
Cover illustration by Amy Blackwell © Usborne Publishing Limited, 2023
The right of Tamsin Winter to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
The name Usborne and the Balloon logo are Trade Marks of Usborne Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
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This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
EPUB: 9781805073598
Tamsin Winter, Bad Influence
