My high school was huge. It was more like a college campus than a high school. All of the junior high schools dumped into the public high school, so it had to be big. I can't remember how many buildings there were, but they were lettered and I think you had five minutes to change classes because sometimes you had quite a walk. The campus was really quite beautiful at certain times of year, and treacherous at others (i.e. winter when it was icy). It turns out I was also really terrible about leaving my umbrella under my chair in a class during the rainy season; it would quit raining during the day and it got left behind. Therefore, every Christmas I got something like five umbrellas. Ridiculous.
As you might imagine, the first day of school was intimidating. I was walking along looking for my homeroom building, and feeling very lost like 300+ other people, when the miracle happened. ::Wait for it:: Kellie popped up beside me. My first instinct was terror, but then she started chatting me up like we were best buddies. My next feeling was confusion. Then came understanding. My last name started with "R" and hers with "S." She, too, was lost and she believed that I was smarter, so she was sticking to me, so that I could help her get to her homeroom. That made me feel enormously better. That day I looked at Kellie for the first time with new eyes and I saw what she never wanted me to see: insecurity. The kicker was that she knew that I knew her secret. That day was the last she and I ever spoke.
I was free.
image found at www.weheartit.com
I ran into my bully a few years ago. Ms. richy rich who mocked everyone's clothes...was working at a convenience store, had three children from two different marriages (I think we were both 24 at the time...so the feat was pretty impressive) and I got the same thing.
ReplyDeletechitty chat...
I was shocked.
She said "You know, you were so laid back in high school you drove me crazy."
So I took great comfort that not only had life taught her some valuable lessons about who's money is whose....but that I, the peon, drove her insane.
It gave me enough warm fuzzies that I managed to be nice.
This post was perfect for my first day back in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think all bullies are enormously insecure, of course. Unfortunately, though, I hadn't read the manual on bullies when I myself felt bullied. Now, in hindsight, I bet I could write the manual - we all could! Couldn't we?
ReplyDeleteI was terribly bullied when I was in high school. I would never go back to those days, never.
ReplyDeleteFound you thru Mitzi! Loved your comment on "love" and i really like your blog!
ReplyDelete