My Story

Growing up, people have always been cruel, but I thought that was just life. I had always showed compassion to everyone no matter what, but some people bullied anyways. All of elementary to sixth grade, I was bullied by the same 4 girls. I didn’t recognize it as bullying, as I was so young and unwilling to categorize myself as a victim of such hate. Those 4 girls made me think they were my friends. They would be nice, but then all of a sudden, shove me into the wall or push me down on the playground. The names they called me were ugly, fat, annoying. They made the entire school despise me because they were popular and everyone listened to them. I thought life couldn’t get worse. I moved schools, hoping to get a fresh start. In seventh grade, I ran for student council, but a few students ripped my posters down and spread rumors about me to make people vote for someone else. The worst part was that they won and I didn’t get elected. In eighth grade, a group of girls all called me the usual names and made fun of me for everything. I didn’t dress cute enough, my lunch wasn’t name brand products, etc. In addition, a group of guys would always push me or shove me down the stairs. Then came high school. I was dumped by my boyfriend of nearly nine months over text. He was just using me the entire time for me to do his homework or take him places. He admitted that he never liked me and actually, he hated everything about me.  I was told that my boyfriend had deserved better. I was told that I should go kill myself as I didn’t deserve to be alive. I ate lunch by myself for a few days, but then realized that I needed to rise above everyone else and be compassionate to everyone. It’s only been two weeks since the breakup, but everyone is still so hateful. I smile at everyone and I eat lunch with people who usually sit alone. My incidents have all opened my eyes, and led me to realize that I am not alone. Other people are made fun of and sit alone, so I decided to become their friend because I believe everyone deserves a friend. What I take from my bullying experience, even as it is still occurring, is that I have to show compassion to everyone and be forgiving. Since I realized this, I have been happy. I don’t think I had ever been happy before.