I'm getting prepared for leaving high school. The person who bullied me still bothers me at times. So badly that when I found out my dad had to move to a new country because of the military, I didn't want to go because of having to start over in a new school, with possibly new bullies.

This person began bullying me in grade 6, and for a very stupid reason. Very, very silly. It was simply because I did not like gum. It would make me gag, get nauseous, or even throw up. Even if it wasn't me who was chewing it. I have only ever had one piece of gum in my life. And i threw up right after.

So of course, despite our pre-placed no gum rules in our school, they made a big deal of it because apparently, gum was their life.

But you're not allowed gum in our school anyway, so you'd think they'd listen and my arm wouldn't look like a sharp rake got dragged across it.

They'd constantly bother me about it. Sit on my desk during lunch, chew gum purposely every single day, and piss me off any way they could.

Grade 7 came, and they went to a different school. Thank god, because that year, my best friend moved away. I wouldn't have been able to deal with both at the same time.

But grade 8 came the next year, and it was even worse than grade 6. Nobody learned a thing that year, because halfway through it, we got a new teacher (who couldn't control the class at all) and everybody (minus a couple people, including me) treated them like a substitute teacher. the entire year. it was even worse for our French and Music teachers, because since they got away with 99.9% of what they did in their other classes, they thought they could do whatever they wanted during any other class to. And they got away with it.

But that's not the major point. Grade 8 came, and my bully was back. Now, don't get me wrong, i was stronger when they came back. The lines on my arm haven't come yet. Mix my bully being back with a teacher who can't teach because of the class, and you've got absolute chaos. Since our teacher never paid attention to everyone at the same time and tried to settle individual groups, that gave my bully an apportunity to bug me. I'd be sitting at MY desk, in MY space, minding my business, and they'd come over, huge wad of scented gum in their mouth, and sit on eithermy desk, a close desk, or a nearby desk/chair, and talk loudly to their friend, who was of course sitting between 1-4 desks away from me. always. my teacher thought that sitting the kisbehaving children near the behaving children would change their attitude. but it only changed mine.i dealt with the bully (meaning i was a doormat) the entire year.

Fast forward to mid-grade 9. My bully was gone, at a school in a different country. This is when I started struggling with my sexuality and not knowing who to tell or come out to. My boyfriend was first to know (he was very supporting) and so was everyone else who knew. Including my parents & sister. This is when the lines on my arm began to appear (before i came out to my parents. they're christian, so it was very nerve wracking to tell them, and i even ran away for a couple hours to a nearby friends house). and then (there's always an and then) rumours began to start that my bully was going to come back for the second semester of grade 9. what did this do to me? a lot of stress. freaking out to my friends, my boyfriend, only to be told that i'd be protected if my bully tried anything (one of my friends was big on beating people up. and they were very capable of doing so, as well). but the problem was, i wanted a guarantee that my bully wouldn't try to bother me or bully me or tease me or turn people against me SIMPLY BECAUSE I GOT SICK FROM THE SCENT/TASTE/SIGHT OF GUM. i'd been trying to ignore people chewing gum, for my benefit, but the possibility of my bully coming back was absolutely terrifying.

They didn't come back.

But then in grade 10, my bully's best friend (bbf? yes. bbf) asked me, for no reason at all, nothing leading up to it, no reason or cause for asking, they asked,

"Hey, do you STILL not like gum?"

Of course, many other people in my class did now of the events in elementary school, so they also did know know of my dislike of gum. So instantly people started popping questions about it. And bbf is just sitting their with a smug look on their face.

"You don't like gum? How do you live?!"

"I would die without my gum!"

"You're insane for not liking gum."

So instead of answering all these questions, i answered bbf's question.

"Let's not start this again, okay?"

All i said. nothing has occured since, and nothing will occur until my final year of high school. Because of my fear of being bullied again, I've decided to only endure one year of school in the states, and then I'll be living with my aunt and uncle back in my home country for grade 12. also, my French education depends on it, because the French is better in my home country than it is in the one i have moved to. I'm going to be a French teacher.

And there will be absolutely NO bullying in my classroom. I see you bullying someone, you're out to the office and i will call your parents on the second strike. Bullying is not to be condoned. Ever. Anywhere. Anytime. In any circumstance.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and if you ever need advice on dealing with a bully, go to a counsellor. My teacher never helped me, and kept telling me to give my bully another chance. Chance after chancr after chance. They shouldn't get more than 3, or lower if YOU deem fit.

-thanks-