Were you ever bullied?
Often and viciously. I was intelligent; overweight; and physically incapable of watching my mouth. I also got boobs before any of the other kids in my class - I was showing in grade 5 (age eleven..?), so the first physical torment I got was boys snapping my bra straps.
When I was in year 7 (13-ish) I was forced into a corner of the locker room by a bunch of kids who screamed abuse and were gearing up to attack at me. I charged the line first, broke through, then ran away and hid. It got so bad they called a school assembly to reiterate that bullying was bad, m’kay, using everything that had happened to me as an example.
It didn’t work. But by year 8 I had a few friends, and we made sure to spend recess and lunch in a group and away from other people.
By year 9, I’d had enough of the shit, and I called a few people out on it. Since I was clever and hardworking, I had a few of my teachers on side - who finally gave those who bullied me detentions. After that, it was never physical; but I had to put up with name calling the rest of my high school years.
The most amusing thing is, at the year 12 end of school party (that I only attended as a ‘fuck you’ to the rest of the graduating class), I got drunk - like blind, stumbling drunk, and one of my chief tormentors came up to me and started to apologise for what she’d put me through. I laughed in her face and took a swing. I didn’t connect, but I did make her run away.
Strangely enough, I have yet to be invited to a class reunion…
