Hey guys, I usually don't talk about my personal life that much on Wattpad because I was worried that people would judge me. But I've finally decided to talk about something you have probably gone through yourself at some point in your life. And that is bullying.

Before I start, I want to give a quick Trigger Warning because I'm going to be talking about bullying, and people saying horrible things. I want to share my story and connect to people who have gone through these struggles. And quick disclaimer, no names will be dropped.

So, my life started pretty easy. I grew up in a loving home with my two amazing parents and multiple pets. But when I started school, I was not prepared for what people would say to me. For me, the bullying started in kindergarten. To be honest, I've always been a little bit of an oddball. I was into different things, and I had more boy friends instead of girls.

One girl took things too far and started to make fun of me for the way I dressed. I wore perfectly normal clothes, but she continued to harass and bully me. I tried to ignore it, but it continued. I tried to go to people for help, but they wouldn't even talk to her about her actions. After a while of nothing happening, I thought the bullying stopped and went on about my days. But then, I felt someone grab me by the back of my shirt and throw me to the ground. Then I started rolling down this hill that the rest of my class was walking on, and I kept rolling until I hit the bottom of the hill.

Luckily, I didn't have any broken bones, I just had some grass stains. And even then, the adults did almost nothing, and she got away with it. All she did was get a verbal warning. For most of that year, I was a loner. Another thing I've never told anyone before, but before I joined Wattpad, I was an introvert, and I didn't have many irl friends. And that was mostly because I was bullied.

As the years went on, the bullying continued, but it wasn't too severe, and at first, I thought that I was gonna be okay and that I would continue doing school and graduate. But by the time I got into middle school, the bullying got worse again. This time, three girls had started bullying me. These girls were not as aggressive as the girl in kindergarten, but regardless, what they said to me still sticks with me to this day, and I don't know if that's normal or not.

At the beginning of sixth grade, I was pulled out of my public school and placed into "an alternative school," you could say because I couldn't focus on my schoolwork. At first, I thought this school was a good idea, but when I started to get bullied for the way I did my work, things changed. When it comes to schoolwork, I liked to take my time and go at my own pace, and weirdly enough, the kids there didn't like it. In December, right around winter break, I asked this boy to get out of my way because he was standing right in from of the door to my classroom, he didn't and instead pushed me to the floor, knocking me flat on my back.

Now, you guys may be asking, "Dusk, did you ever tell your parents?" the answer is yes, I did tell my parents, and needless to say, they got angry and confronted him, his parents, and my counselor. In seventh grade, the three girls continued to bully me, and apparently, it was because I had "spilled out a secret saying that one of them liked a boy in our class," I never said anything and they kept telling me, "You're lying, you're just trying to save your own skin. You need to shut your fucking mouth," It was horrible, and that was the point where I had meltdowns at night, crying myself to sleep.

I eventually told my Mom about it, and we went to the school, and they said that there was nothing they could do without any evidence of bullying. This was when my Mom lost her mind and told them that they "Need to do their job, unless they want to see other kids harm themselves over being bullied," Keep in mind, guys, I wasn't harming myself, but you understand the point I'm trying to make.

The school ended up listening to her and ended up talking to the three girls, and we had these weird meetings every day at lunch, and we would talk about our problems (A bunch of kumbaya shit, but it worked for a while) At the end of the year, my parents and I decided not to go back to that school because of how toxic it was, and I ended up in homeschool, and I quite enjoy it.

And that was soon where I discovered Wattpad. At the time, I wasn't allowed to have social media, but I made an account just so I could read stories, but then eventually, I got into writing stories and posted them on the platform. Amidst the pandemic and years of bullying I have endured, I've found light in the darkness, and I'm happy again. And it helps that I have the support of my family, my boyfriend, and of course, you guys!

And if by some strange coincidence my old bullies are reading this, I have something to ask you.

Why? Why did you bully me? I never did anything to you. Was it a bad day that started it? If you were nice to me, I could've helped you. But instead, you chose to bully me over what? My clothes? My hair? My awkward personality? What was it? You'll never bring me down because what didn't kill me made me stronger.

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading my story. And if you're going through bullying right now, know that it will get better. It may not feel that way at that moment, but I promise you will get through it because you are strong. Don't let anyone take your strength.

With Love,

Dusk 💖☔