My bullying started in the fifth grade. I had a twin brother so I would always try to fit in with him and do guy stuff. But since I was a girl, I wasn't being treated fairly, and that's when a boy, that wasn't even my brother's friend, started bullying me. He would push me down when playing sports, he didn't treat me fairly, and none of the guys did anything about it. This boy would make fun of my grades, he called me weird, poor, no one liked me, and all of this other stuff. This continued when we went into the sixth grade and he was in 3 of my 7 classes. The bullying continued during class and my teachers didn't do anything about it. This boy would kick me and take my stuff because he thought that I was "too weak" since I was a girl. I eventually told my teachers and I was transferred to the other side of the room from him, but somehow he was always put near me. The teachers didn't remember, they didn't do anything about it when it started happening again. So, I finally told my parents and they emailed this boy's mother. They told the mom how he was treating me poorly and bullying me. We get a response with lies over lies over lies about how I caused it and how I "hit him first". I got in trouble too and the whole time, my family knew that this was a lie. This bullying has stopped because the boy has matured and moved on. I am much taller than him, so now instead of me being scared of him, he's scared of me. So, the moral of this whole story is that with whatever happens, stay strong and you will be able to fight it.

I was bullied when I was little. I hate that word, though. "Bullying" comes with it's own stereotype. I was picked on, called names like "b****," and shoved around by this one kid. I was like 9. I got help, and it got better. He still tries to insult and belittle me, but I don't let it bother me. Do you know why?

Because I don't want him to have any satisfaction.

If I wanted to, I could react, and I could get pissed off, and I could go tell a teacher, but he thrives on attention. So why let him be happy by hurting me? It doesn't bother me anymore because I don't care what he thinks. There's a poem by Dr. Seuss that I really like that sums up how bullying should be treated.

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." If someone doesn't like who you are, and you're not hurting others, then their opinion doesn't matter. 

It isn't always that simple, I know. A lot of the times it isn't. But that's my story, and I'm always available to talk. I'm on tumblr or email.

My name is Amanda, although I like to be called "Peaches" (it's been that way since 7th grade). I have PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder--Not Otherwise Specified), a high-functioning form of autism. I've been bullied since I first entered school. Kids wouldn't make friends with me, all because of my autism. But the worst was yet to come. One day, my 5th grade class had a fire drill, and we all had to stand in line outside. I was at the way front of it, and I accidentally touched a kid's arm. (Or was it hand? I'm not sure now.) He started screaming, "Ew! Amanda germs! Eww!" and rubbed his arm on another kid, who rubbed it on another kid, and so on. This went on for a while before the teacher had to round the whole class up. Eventually they apologized to me, and the year went on smoothly. But in the early months of middle school, it got worse. Kids avoided me yet again, all because I acted weird and...well, like ME. I soon developed the theory that kids only care about 3 things: friends, Facebook (or Twitter, or Instagram, or Snapchat, or whatever), and the opposite gender, which in my mind was true. But then, near the end of 7th grade, I had to move. And kids took pictures of me with their school laptops. It was nice to know that they cared enough about me to take pictures. Now, fast forward to 8th grade. I made a new friend: Katherine (or Katy for short), who has Asperger's (some of you might know what it is, others may not). She taught me how to be tough and aggressive. I also made a few more friends along the way. Now, I'm a sophomore in high school, and my freshman year hasn't been going well. Hopefully this year can be better. We also have an RSVP club at our school, but I don't think they make that big a difference. Hopefully I can stand up for myself--well, at least have the courage to do so--and tell everyone the truth about the REAL me. Because there's more to me than the acne-ridden face I have, the wrong-looking clothes I wear, my weird--looking actions I perform...I'm funny, random, full of ideas, and just all-around amazing!

When it comes to bullying, I am very familiar with the damage it causes. As I see others go through what I once did, but even worse, it breaks my heart and I wish I could just take a sword and shield and protect them from evil. I wish I knew what I do now, and had the strength and courage to had faced my bullies, but instead developed something that continues to swallow my life.

I've never been popular, just an average girl, ever since grade school. But I wasn't really ever a loner, I had friends and all so it wasn't too bad. In middle school is where my story takes place. Now at this time, I had just moved to Big Bear, and I knew nobody, this was all new to me. I have moved from my hometown, leaving behind what I knew when my father passed away. I made a very small handful of friends, some I'm still friends with till this day. But usually I was a loner, minding my own business and not really having anyone to socialize with. I just remember middle school being very lonely but when I did have the friends I had to hang with, I would. But, the bullying started when I was targeted as the "new girl" for this group of boys. I was in 7th grade, a little chubby, an easy, easy target you could say. For whatever reason I thought these group of 8th graders were being friendly when they started talking to me, but then they started calling me "Johnathan" for what reason I have no damn clue. At first, I laughed, but then realized they were teasing me and giving me a name that clearly was to mess with me. So throughout the school year I was "Johnathan" to them. I would shrug it off as best I could, but the troubling part is where a lot of the bullying takes place, on the bus. My main bully, which I will not name, unfortunately rode the same bus I did to get home. The one day he pushed me over the edge and has forever changed my life since. I was sitting in a seat, and "the bully" a seat behind me. Heading home, "The bully" started poking me and saying" Look at Johnathan, hit Johnathan and see how fat he is, look how fat Johnathan is!" I just ignored him, sitting there humiliated as he carried on, tears filling my eyes, holding my breath, as I finally jumped from my seat to another, not looking back and just feeling completely broken. Getting off the bus at my stop, I let it all out, everything I was holding back when on the bus, it all came out the very moment I stepped off that bus. That was the first time I ever realized that I was "chubby" or "fat", before that I never ever thought or saw myself that way, I was okay and happy with myself till then. After school let out for the summer, and after a year of feeling horrible about myself in 8th grade, the summer after 8th grade that's when I was at home and put together the idea that if I'm eating so much food..I'm gaining weight..I don't want to be fat. . I don't want to be picked on anymore, so I became bulimic. I did it for the summer and had lost like 20 or 30 pounds. I was stoked, but didn't realize this supposed to be temporary fix would haunt my life till this day. Ever since the age of 15 I've been bulimic, I'll be 23 in August. Never in a million years did I think this would have happened to me, but never did I think I would have been bullied, or never did I think my father would have passed away. All in all, bullying is a problem, and it has affected my life by creating a problem I live with going on 7 years and counting.

It really is a lie when everyone says that high school is the best four years of your life. 

In elementary school, I was the weird kid. I was the kid who was always hyper, bouncing around, trying to fit in. I would have done any thing to be the girl that everybody wanted to be friends with, even if that meant being rude to others. 

In middle school, things weren't much better. I was constantly treated differently and I would often hear, "Oh, Kayla is too hyper. She is annoying." 

In high school I vowed to stand up for the underdogs. I finally started to grow into my energetic self and started making friends. I joined every club I could, talked to every person that I could. If I ever saw anyone that look down, I wouldn't ever hesitate to go over and ask them what was up. No matter how many times I was put down, I would get back up one more time to prove that I was stronger than them. 

When I graduated, I wasn't top of the class, or best dressed, or anything. But I was me. The real me, and that's all I ever wanted to be. But everyone cheered when I got my diploma (or so it seemed to me) because I had tried to make friends with everyone and I had done a good job. 

I would say that I was a friend to all. 

I'm moving to college soon and I know that there is only up for me. Nobody is going to stop me from taking my dream and making it real.

To anyone going through anything rough, just know you aren't alone. 

If anyone EVER wants to talk, people will be here. I will be here.

My name is Melissa, some people call me Mels. I'm 17. I have been bullied ever since elementary school. It started out with this boy I rode the bus with calling me a lesbian in fifth grade. I didn't know what it meant and it's not really even an insult, but the fact that he made it sound like an insult hurts me now. I have been home schooled since 6th grade mostly because I was afraid of new people, and a bit scared of getting lost in a bigger school. Which brought me to the internet more. I have been internet bullied since 6th grade or before. I had Myspace, Formspring, and other website accounts. They parents don't see what all is there. I understand why the kids don't tell them either, even the kids say stuff back or they say stuff that gets them in trouble. That's how I had been. Since I was in 9-10 I cut myself. I would NEVER suggest that to ANYONE. It's addictive, like a perfect high for your feelings. I questioned my sexuality. I've been made fun of for almost everything I do or want to do. I dye my hair crazy colors because I like it. People stare and make fun of it. I've even had parents tell me I'm a bad influence because I looked "rebellious." Let me tell you, I am rebellious. I don't go by what society wants, I do by what is good for me and what I like. I haven't cut in about 2 months and I'm proud of myself, I did it all on my own. There were no therapists this time, no friends really helping me out. I could sit and talk to a complete stranger and they understand more than my friends would. Now, my 3 best friends know I've stopped. They know I wanted to stop. It's still no as easy. Sometimes I want to do it, but I stop myself and think, "what if my blade goes too deep?" "What if I die tonight?" I'm not someone to go and get help. In fact, all the time I've been bullied my parents didn't know anything about it except for once or twice. My parents don't know that I've cut as much as I have. They don't know I'm bisexual. They don't know a lot of things I do to be happy with myself because I'm afraid they will judge me. I'm not afraid of my church judging me, just my family. My friends know. 

Some times I think about how even know I still get called names. I like to game like on xbox 360. I'll be in a Modern Warfare 3 lobby waiting for the game to start and all you hear is people talking bad about each other and how they are better than each other. Sometimes they will say my name and they'll ask if I'm a girl or a "squeaker" (Also known as a little boy which hasn't hit puberty get). When I tell them I'm a girl they will call me an "attention whore" because I like to play games or they will say "You're probably fat and ugly anyway." Anyone hearing things like that, it makes you just want to give up sometimes. Me being a girl and knowing that I want to look good and I want to be skinny, it just doesn't work that way with a low metabolism all the time. Having an under active thyroid makes it more difficult to lose fat. I've even had an eating disorder and my best friend, John, helped me out of it.

I've thought about not doing what I like to do because I get called these names. Even sometimes I hear people calling me a bitch or a faggot and I not even say a word to them. I will admit I'm guilty of calling names too because I get tired of it. All these people do is sit behind their screens and making fun of a girl because it makes them feel powerful.

I'm trying to be happy now, I'm not cutting anymore. I'm working out as much as I can and dieting. I'm so happy to have more friends and I just ignore the people on xbox because they don't know what I look like and the only one who can judge how I look is me and I am stunning. <3

i lived through it. i never had it as rough as some people, or that's how i saw it. i moved around schools alot. not long enough to make friends. i was always the outcast mainly due to my height. i am not little person i feel a bit worse in this sweet spot of small. i am 5'1" at the age of 24 now. i was always the smallest. even nowi get self conscious cause i can never find clothes that fit, they have to be modified cause i am too small to buy men's clothing but too big to buy kids. o own more shirts than pants cause of that reason. i was hated in every school i was enrolled in. everytime i thought i made a friend they showed who they really were and joined the crowd (save a few in each school). i used to get detention for fighting back...like it was my fault for being the way i was.... to this day the people who bully make me sick and those who let it continue and say they are doing something about are equally to blame if not more.... but after its all said in done and you get through that hell, it gets better. it so gets better. the pressure ends, its off you really just become another person, no one judges you the same way. your free....

My name is Thays, I'm from Brazil, some months ago I used to say "I have friends" but then I see when my boyfriend and I broke up that all my "friends" are gone, I mean, you know you suffer and no one will help? They spoke ill of me, called me a bitch and put the blame on me for everything. Then I remember that the first person that after all this came to help me was my own ex boyfriend, even after those "friends" came to apologize even though I know that behind that they wanted something, but why would not not help, because I do not equate them. Beware of appearances they really cheat, but do not let it shake you, because we are better than them.

When I started studying in a private school many people laughed at me because I do not dress well, in the beginning I did not care much until the taunts began to worsen, as I am beginning to lean call me skinny and such, with time I began to cut myself, I tried to kill myself many times, talked to my parents that this was happening and they did not believe me, but I realized that when I do not encomodava they ended up running out of what to say and then they stopped with the provocations and then I realized that they could be better, forever.

 My name is Bryan, I had been bullied for a long time off and on since kindergarten.  My first day of school ever I had to ride the bus, I was the only white kid in my neighborhood and the other kids called me names like "cracker" and "hick". I didn't know what any of this meant, I got held down and punched every day until we moved, almost a year later. Things got better, just the usual getting picked on every once in a while, most of the older kids that picked on me left when I was in second grade, all was well until 6th grade.

    In the sixth grade thats when I began to show symptoms of having turrets syndrome. No one knew what turrets was, there had not yet been any movies making fun of turrets yet, so when I started having head bobs and uncontrollably making noises, people caught on quite fast.  It was already bad enough that my family could not afford name brand shoes or clothing for me, now I was drawing attention to myself. I was a big kid, not fat, just tall and thick, so I did not get physically abused, but the talking behind my back and people pointing and laughing made me feel terrible. I hated myself, I did not know why I had to nod my head, or why I made sounds, my parents were not understanding, my dad was incredibly mean, yelling at me, calling me stupid (straight A student) and telling me to get out of the effing room because he was tired of hearing me. My doctor said I was acting out, I was just a burden to my parents and a weirdo at school.  I was the oldest of four, so I always felt the need to set an example, so I acted like it never bothered me. To be honest, this is the first time I have admitted that it bothered me. There was a lot more that happened, terrible moments I have always wanted to forget, but I can't forget.  Knowing how much it sucks helps me to be the person I am.  I am an adult now, almost thirty, I have an incredible career, make more money than I had imagined.  I just hope that someone who is going through what I went through can know, it gets better. Turrets is a curse, but it is controllable, it takes tons of practice and finding people that are true friends, not necessarily people that "understand", lets be honest, if you do not have turrets, you do not understand how it feels.