She watched her friend get bullied all through high school. Years later, she met the same bully and shut her down for good
'Constant little digs that added up. The kind that made you feel bad even when nobody else noticed.'
High school can be tough, particularly if surrounded by bullies. A quiet, introverted girl who was always a pretty easy target in school could never confront her bully until her friend took her side years later. The friend (u/free-maybe-8437) posted the incident on Reddit on December 8.
The author explained how the friend was always bullied by this one girl who acted like a total brat in high school. "It wasn’t anything dramatic, just constant little digs that added up. The kind that made you feel bad even when nobody else noticed," they explained. The author remained a silent spectator throughout high school because they didn't want to make things worse for their friend. "So I stayed quiet, which honestly still annoys me when I think about it," they confessed. Life continued, and once the author and the friend met the bully from high school while having coffee somewhere. "She spotted my friend right away and said, loud enough for people to turn their heads, 'Wow, you still look the same. Always so... plain.' Then she looked at her from head to toe," they wrote. The author turned furious and immediately attacked her with words.
"Yeah, she looks the same. Stable job, good life, no issues. What’s your situation now? Still starting drama for fun?" they asked. The bully was obviously left red-faced and was pretending to be the least bothered. "Then she goes, 'You’re being sensitive.' I told her, 'If you’re still picking on people as an adult, that’s not being confident. That’s just sad. Anyway, we’re trying to enjoy our coffee. You can go,'" the author recalled. Embarrassed, the bully walked away, having nothing to say. "My friend looked at me after a few seconds and said, very quietly, 'Thank you. I wish someone had said something back then,'" the author shared.
Despite rules, kids often face bullying in school and eventually develop trust issues. In fact, research in China found that students who experienced bullying are most likely to experience psychological problems. Moreover, they revealed that bullying can lead to serious issues like emotional and behavioral issues, depression, PTSD, and even anxiety. The girl in the story must have developed self-doubts because of constant bullying in school, but her friend helped her heal only years later.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Reddit post, u/cracker_bites wrote, "It's nice to finally have the courage and the opportunity to say the words we wanted to say a long time ago. Hopefully, you and your friend have some closure around it now, and the bully has some reflection and apology at your next school reunion." Similarly, u/minyassa said, "Good. I wish someone had ever stood up for me. I think I wouldn't have spent so many years avoiding people in general, thinking humanity is a cesspool, and having really dark thoughts about my bullies and anyone like them. One person like you could have saved me a lot of resentment."
u/lavatelosmanos_ commented, "I love adulting. I learned to stop people-pleasing and maintaining the peace, and finally built the courage to talk back. This post resonates with me. Thanks for sharing." u/lookawayplease510 said, "Heck yeah! Some people really need lots and lots of therapy, yet, for some reason, those are the exact same people that don’t 'believe in it,' as if it might be fictitious; we just don’t know yet."
More on Scoop Upworthy
She was being bullied at summer camp — until mom showed up with her bestie
15 times people exacted sweet revenge on their childhood bullies and healed
Share on Facebook
