I've always been bullied, had it been at home by my sibling, or at school by my classmates. I thought it was normal. In elementary school, I was called fat and was told that I smelled bad. I had no friends and I literally read my days away, trying to escape the bullies. When I got to middle school, the bullying got worse, but at least I gained a friend, right? 

Well, this friend that I gained was a bit of a bully herself. She constantly picked everything I did apart, making me feel bad about myself all the time. We got in a big fight and didn't hang out again for a while. 

I met another friend, and this is when the bullying got worse. This is in 7th grade. I was bullied on the bus and had to sit on the floor of the bus to even be able to get from point A to point B. I was scared to wear my glasses on the bus, and I left my books at school because they would be stolen had I not. After a while, my friend and I got into a small fight and made up. Nothing weird there. The next day, during our gym class, she ignored me. When I directly asked her why, she told me that I was ugly and terrible and that we needn't be friends any longer and she had better friends then me. 

I cried a lot. I had resorted to self injury as a coping mechanism. I told the counsellor about what had happened and then when me and my friend talked it over, she said that we could be friends outside of school but that it was too embarrassing during school hours. We did stay friends in this situation, but it was simply because I was too lonely to care if she was to embarrassed to be around me at school. 

In 8th grade, my friend wasn't there. She had transferred to another school and I was left to fend for myself. Within the first week I was pushed down the stairs around seven times and had my stuff stolen every day. On the fourth day of class, I told my mom that I was not going back, and sure enough she pulled me out to homeschool me. 

The school, however, refused to let this happen. We were called up to the school after about a month of me not being there, and they said that I could either continue going to that school or I could go to an alternative learning environment. They had told us that there was nothing they could do about the bullying since it was me against about 20 girls. 

I went to this new school and things got a lot better. I didn't have any friends but that was perfect okay. 

During the statewide testing that occurred every year, I got reunited with my friend from childhood, Mary. We are very much alike and we regained our closeness within 10 minutes of talked to each other. After this, I decided I would try to go back to the high school that I would have to attend for 9th grade, because Mary would be there with me.

Mary ended up leaving and going back to her ALE school after a girl threw a water bottle at her face. I was bullied once again because I had no friends other then Mary, and so I sat alone. My self injury got really bad around this time and the school counsellor sent me to a behavioural hospital in the state. I missed a week of school and that put me severely behind. Alongside that, I was drugged up to the point of lack of comprehension. I struggled to stay in school and ended up going back to an ALE school. I chose the one Mary was at.

I did good in this school until the teachers started holding me back in my studies because I was going to fast ad they couldn't keep up with how much work I was doing. This didn't make me too mad, I was just annoyed. 

I put in an application for the foreign exchange program to go to Japan that we have here. The same day that the lady that worked there called the principal in the school about my behaviour, the principal said I wasn't allowed to have two bags (which I had carried with me there since the first day I started at the school, a year and a half prior.) and I retaliated. She told the lady hat I was incomplaint and I was denied for the program.

After that, I decided that since I was bullied by the teachers there, I would leave. I went and got my GED. Within that time, I also quit self injuring. 

I am currently enrolled in college and have a supported family and 2 great supporting friends. Honestly if it weren't for the bullies I wouldn't be where I was today, but I might have been able to do some things that I was never able to as well. 

~Brianna