Woman regretted not standing up to friend's high school bully. Years later, life gave her another shot — and aced it
‘Yeah, she looks the same. Stable job, good life, no issues. What’s your situation now?'
Standing up for a friend seems like the obvious thing to do until your hands are tied and you feel beyond guilty. A user who goes by u/Free-Maybe-8437 revealed that they were left tongue-tied, too, when their friend was bullied relentlessly in high school. In a post shared on Reddit, they recalled how horrible it felt not to be able to be there as a true friend. Years later, when the same bully came across the duo, she decided to go all out once more. This time, the person didn’t sit still. They took a stand for the victim and rendered a response that made the bully walk away.
The student had always been quiet and kept to herself, but would often get picked on by a ruthless schoolmate. “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 wrote. “I remember seeing it happen a lot and just feeling useless. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t know how to do it without making it worse for her,” they added. As a result, they stayed mum for as long as it continued, silently feeling horrible about not vouching for a friend. But they soon got the chance when the woman approached them years later.
“My friend and I were having coffee the other day, just talking about work and life, when that same girl from high school walked in,” they recalled. The woman threw the same attitude at the victim and said, “Wow, you still look the same. Always so.... plain.” She proceeded to look her up and down, and this time, the friend had had enough. “I just looked at her and said, ‘Yeah, she looks the same. Stable job, good life, no issues. What’s your situation now? Still starting drama for fun?” they said, without skipping a beat. The bully was left boggled, unsure how to respond, still trying to find a way to keep up her supposed reputation.
“She did this awkward laugh, like she was trying to pretend it didn’t bother her. Then she goes, ‘You’re being sensitive,’” the post revealed. However, this time the friend chose to step up and say something for their buddy, who had been silently struggling for way too long. “I told her, ‘If you’re still picking on people as an adult, that’s not being confident. That’s just sad,'” they said. The woman walked out without uttering another word, and for the duo, it was the most “satisfying exit.” The friend gratefully said, “Thank you. I wish someone had said something back then.” Though it took a lot of courage, the Reddit author is glad to have been there as a true companion.
Dr. Krystal Vaughan, Cornerstone Therapeutic Services Psychologist, shared in an interview with WFXR News that bullying has severe impacts on children. It was noted that around 20% of children are bullied, and this can happen anywhere — in the classroom, on the staircase, through cyberbullying, and so on. “It leads to depression, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation," Vaughan noted. She also pointed out that when these negative experiences and thoughts remain in a child’s mind, they build to form suicidal and homicidal ideations — and it sticks with students for life. USA federal reports claim 15.4% of students are being bullied by a classmate who is more powerful than they are in some way, and 14.5% are being bullied repeatedly. In fact, the prevalence of bullying is markedly higher among female students (21.8%) than among male students (16.7%).
Fortunately, this time, the victim got a chance to witness someone stand up for her and end the whole dilemma for good, but not everyone is as lucky. u/abbzworld said, “Well done. It isn’t easy speaking up, but better late than never.” u/PurpleSailor added, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time to plant a tree is today. You got there, and you got the bully, bravo!”
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