BULLIED

Story 402

I was in 8th grade when it happened, and now it's the summer between 8th and 9th (about 4 months later). I was swimming with 2 friends, and 1 commented on how skinny I look. I've always been thin, and recently found out that I'm about 15 pounds underweight (Since then I gained 7!!! YAS!!!) so I was skinnier than ever and in a bathing suit at the house because we were going swimming. I'd gotten the skinny comments before, and they embarrassed me but never really bothered me, until the next day she started talking to a bunch of people about how "'Victim's' thighs are this ' ' big!" and "'Victim's' SOOO skinny!" and after a few times of this I told her to knock it off, and she said the meanest, MEANEST thing ever: "It's GOOD to be skinny." And obviously it's not always (I mean, if you're anorexic, what would you say to THAT?) and I told her to stop because it was bothering me and she refused to promise to and we got into this whole scrap about her not telling other people personal things about ME and she ran away crying and I felt confused and defiant and scared. And then she talked to anyone who'd listen (there were a whole cluster of girls in the bathroom listening!!!) about how "bad of a person" I was and twisted around the story so that I looked like a bad guy, and by the time I walked in all of these girls that I didn't even know too well thought that I was some mean, rude person. And then she drew it out in front of all of them and I could see that they were judging me. Ever since, I've declined pool party invites and been extremely self-conscious when I have swam, and it's summertime. The bullying stopped, but the scarring didn't.