Meet Stanley Scully – The Town Bully

Stanley Scully lives in the quiet seaside town of Paignton — and if you ask him, he’s the toughest kid around.

He struts through the streets like he owns them, chin up, fists clenched, always on the lookout for someone smaller to push around. Stanley loves to tease, shove, and shout at other kids — especially if they’re younger, quieter, or just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But what no one really knows (or at least, no one says out loud) is that Stanley is secretly terrified of bigger kids. He avoids them like cats avoid baths. Deep down, Scully isn’t as brave as he pretends to be — which is exactly why he acts so loud and mean. Being a bully makes him feel big, even when he feels small.

Stanley is almost never alone. He’s always followed around by his two so-called best friends — although, truth be told, they don’t actually like him very much. They only hang around him so he doesn’t turn his bullying their way. Most of the time, the three of them loiter around the corner shops, rolling their eyes at adults and looking for someone to annoy.

Sometimes, when there’s no one to pick on, Stanley kicks over flower pots — just because the flowers “look too happy.” He says he hates how they smell. But maybe… he just doesn’t like things that are gentle.

Stanley has big dreams, though. When he grows up, he wants to be a millionaire and run a giant company — mostly so he can boss people around all day and no one can tell him what to do. He says he’ll have a golden desk, ten secretaries, and a big red chair that spins.

But there’s one problem.

Stanley doesn’t like reading. In fact, he hates it. He says books are boring, especially the ones with “big, ugly words” he doesn’t understand. Because of this, school is hard for him, and that only makes him grumpier. Sometimes, he tears pages out of books just because they make him feel stupid.

Still, even bullies like Stanley have stories behind them. Maybe — just maybe — he’s not as bad as he seems. Or maybe someone like Kimberley will one day teach him a lesson he’ll never forget.