The title says it all and I'm sure you also have your guesses. This story dates back to preschool, I was quite chubby when I was little, I guess it was what attracted the bullies to me which also got my little brother involved. You might find this funny but I assure you, it wasn't.
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It all started one day when a grade 6 student took it upon himself to make my life and that of my little brother miserable. He threatened to make our lives worse if we informed our parents or the school authorities, of course, we were intimidated and dumb too.
He would often send us on stupid errands and force us to carry some of his load. He had a big bag which was sometimes heavy, now that I think of it I wonder what he kept in them, I won't be surprised if he intentionally added rocks there just to frustrate us.
Some days, I would pretend to be sick so I could avoid him, but when I returned he made sure I suffered for running away. It became so much that I hardly ever left the class so I could be close to my class teacher, and once the closing bell rang, I would run quickly to the bus and hide so he wouldn't find me or my little brother.
Preschool was hell, I once begged my Dad to change my school, when asked why, I couldn't say. I feel like there are some things parents should know without having to hear their kids utter any words but then again my parents were often busy.
This continued until one fateful day, I had had enough. He instructed me to do something and I refused.
"I didn't come to school to be a slave, I came to learn" - I told him.
He laughed and dragged my little brother closer and gave him a slap that saw him fall to the ground. I was completely outraged seeing my brother cry that I ran with all my might and threw my body on him which surprisingly sent him to the ground. With a series of blows and slaps, a crowd gathered to cheer my victory.
It was customary to force sand into the mouth of the defeated as a sign of victory, I did. When I was done, he was just there crying. I realized I was a lot stronger than he was and had nothing to fear. The other seniors never dared mess with me again, alas, I was free from the bully.
The Bully
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My reputation for standing up to the bully made me famous, I had discovered a hidden strength within me and was feared and respected for it. This lasted for years until I was now in Grade 6, my final year at Preschool, then came in a new student, he was recently admitted to Grade 5 and wasn't aware of the "rules".
One day, after the morning assembly, " we called him (my friends and I), we were planning to give him our idea of an initiation ceremony but he ignored us and walked away. I felt ashamed, we all did and we decided to teach him a lesson.
Pride comes before a fall my friends and I was about to learn of this lesson the only way it would sink in at the time. After closing hours, we managed to corner him in the classroom. We locked the doors and shut the windows, it was a typical 10 to 1 fight, we can't call this a fight, it was to be a beating.
The surprising thing happened, we were no match for this new guy judging from the way he practically tossed us away, we were caught in our own trap. We tried to run away but he kept on catching and giving us a beating, we did manage to land some punches which gave us just enough time to escape.
Okay, I didn't see that coming. I came back home with a busted lip, I lied I slipped and fell, you know, the usual lie we told to cover up the reason for the scars incurred on our delicate skin.
The following morning after the general assembly, no word was uttered as he walked past, we had to come to an understanding, it was a compromise.
Recently, I saw him again, he called out to me smiling and I wasn't even upset to see him, it was nice to see familiar faces from PreSchool, we even joked about the beatings. The scars may be gone but the memories will live on.
Closing notes
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It is wrong to make people hate themselves just so you can feel good about yourselves. Such practices should be condemned and students should not be afraid to go to the right authorities.
I wouldn't encourage you to fight it out, the bully might be stronger which might only leave you hurt unless of course, it's the last option. There are no denial bullies can be intimidating, but a time will come when you have to stand up and fight for yourself if no one will.
I was once bullied and I was once a bully, if there is anything I learned from both experiences, it's this, it doesn't last forever, even the bullies can get bullied. Having the courage to resist such people is the first step towards adulthood. The world is full of bullies, you have to be strong to fight back.
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Wow, sometimes some people can have mischievous behaviors from childhood. Well done to you for being so strong and brave, you were able to stand up to him.