HIBhub was recently handed this incredible essay written by 17-year-old Mary, who wanted to share a past personal experience with bullying. It is truly an eye-opener to how heartbreaking a student’s experiences with bullying can really be, especially when the bullies used to be your own friends. But it also shows that you can get through anything with the love and support of your family.
Some of the names in this essay have been changed.
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Bullying present participle of bul·ly
Verb: The use of superior strengths or influence to intimidate someone, typically to force him or her to do what one wants.
Seven years ago, a little girl entered the third grade. To her, this would be one of the greatest years of her life. She knew that her best friend she made in kindergarten-Olivia- was going to be in her class, and she could not wait to spend every day with her. The year started off wonderfully, and the little girl began to make new friends. During recess, she and her new friends would pretend they were a part of “The Cheetah Girls,” and they always acted out and sang along to the songs they knew so well. Her best friend never left her side, and was a part of the new group, too. The little girl ran home to tell her parents how great school was each day, excited about how many friends she had made. As the year went on, the little girl noticed that she started to be left out of the group. She noticed that the girls would whisper and look at her in a different way than they used to. The little girl asked her best friend what was going on, and her best friend told her how the one girl-Cheyenne – was trying to turn everyone against the little girl. The little girl started to cry, and asked Olivia, “No matter what, we’ll always be best friends, right?” Olivia replied to her, “Of course, you know I’ll always be here for you.”
She noticed that the girls would whisper and look at her in a different way than they used to.
Around the middle of the year, the little girl kept noticing the distance between her and her group of friends. One day, the girls were walking down the hall to a special reading class, when the little girl asked one of her friends, “Bella, why won’t you talk to me? We were supposed to hang out this weekend, and you never called me.” Bella replied, “Cheyenne told me what you said about me. I don’t think we should talk anymore. Just stay away from me.” The little had no idea what Bella was talking about. Things just got worse for the little girl as the year came closer to the end. Cheyenne had turned Olivia away from her. The one day, the little girl had to stay in from recess to finish some make up work. Olivia and Cheyenne came in from recess, and the little girl followed them into the restroom. The little girl asked Olivia why she hasn’t been talking to her lately. Olivia replied, “Cheyenne doesn’t want me to be friends with you, anymore.” At that very moment, the little girl’s world was crashing all around her. She locked herself in the bathroom stall, and screamed to Olivia, “But you promised! You said you’d always be there for me! You can’t just leave me.” Cheyenne and Olivia left the little girl in the bathroom, and the little girl just cried and cried. That night, the little girl went home and told her parents what has been going on. Her father, being the wonderful man he is, called Olivia’s mother telling her what had gone on in school that day. The little girl begged him not to call Cheyenne’s parents; she didn’t want any more trouble from her.
She locked herself in the bathroom stall, and screamed to Olivia, “But you promised! You said you’d always be there for me! You can’t just leave me.”
The next day, the little girl went into school knowing she had no alliances, no one to talk to. At lunch, Cheyenne and Olivia tried to sit with the little girl at lunch, but she wanted nothing to do with them. The little girl’s father specifically told her, “Stay away from those girls, sweetheart. You’ll be better off.” The little girl, replaying those words in her head, told Cheyenne and Olivia to get away from her. She told them she didn’t want to be bothered by them. Cheyenne said, “I just want to see what you’re having for lunch, fatty.” The little girl started to cry, and said “Please just leave me alone.” One teacher came over, and told Olivia and Cheyenne to leave the little girl alone. The little girl kept thinking about how Cheyenne had called her a “fatty,” and that’s when she realized how different she was from everyone else. She remembers trying to fit into Cheyenne’s clothes, and she couldn’t. She remembered everyone starting to distance themselves away from her right after that weekend. The next morning, the little girl told her mother that she did not want to go into school. She told her mother that her stomach hurt. Her mother called the little girl’s sister in worry. Her mother knew what was going on, but she did not know how to take care of the situation. The little girl’s sister talked to her on the phone, “Hey kiddo! What’s going on?” “My stomach hurts. I feel like I’m going to throw up.” “Well, why don’t you try to go to school, and then if you feel sick you can go to the nurse. Don’t let those girls bother you, okay? You’re beautiful, and smart. Have a good day, I love you,” her sister said as she handed the phone back to her mother. The little girl ended up going into school, worried. She wore a yellow shirt and jeans that day. She walked into the third grade classroom, and the first person she saw was Cheyenne. Cheyenne was wearing yellow, too. As soon as Cheyenne saw the little girl, she glared at her. Cheyenne started to talk to a boy, and the little girl knew it was about her. The only thing the little girl wanted to do was to go back home, and cry her eyes out.
The little girl started to cry, and said “Please just leave me alone.”
The little girl in this story was me. My name is Mary, and I am now seventeen years old. Seven years ago, a part of me was destroyed by bullies. I’ve dealt with insecurities and trust issues since the third grade. Bullying is not something that young people should have to deal with. As cliché as it sounds, your teachers and parents are there to help you. Their words can help you, and you have to understand that you aren’t going through this alone. Remember, each and every one of you is beautiful and intelligent, no matter what anyone says.
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HIBhub would like to thank Mary for using her gifted writing skills to encourage our youth to be strong, confident, and kind to one another.
Would you like to share your bullying story? Send your experience to [email protected].