It was a strange time for me. I had just switched schools to enter into a gifted education program in the 3rd grade and I had no friends. Soon after, I grew to like my new school. The work was hard but the people were friendly and I felt safe.

At home, it was a different story. My cousin would come over to play with my sister. She was my age but she always went to my sister to play. When they were together, they'd call me fat, nerd, annoying, pig and make all sorts of noises when I walked by. She would also constantly scare me and throw my books around saying 'you always have homework spot being so nerdy.' At times she would even get physical with me. On numerous occasions we would fight out on the street until she had successfully pinned me down. I waited for it to end but we ended up in the same middle school. She didn't bother me much in school but people their always called me ugly or emo or weird. It brought my self-esteem just a bit more lower.

At home, the bullying my cousin did got worse during this time. She would strut around the mall with me and criticise the way I walked the entire time. When it was time for her to order food, she'd force me to order for her because she said it was funny to watch how nervous i got. I had social anxiety and her laughing just made it worse. It was utter hell to be near her. Not only because she bullied me, but because she was much more attractive and she knew it. She acted as if i were her little servant and i easily complied. That was my mistake.

The bullying stopped when I made it stop. I put my foot down and showed her my confidence. As it radiated out of me, I felt her growing less into a bully and more of my friend. The only thing i regret about this experience is that I lost myself. I stopped focussing on studies and spent more time on my hair and make up. I quit reading altogether and picked up a few of her bad habits. I conformed.

If i could give anyone any advise when dealing with a bully I'd say dont changer yourself for ANYONE and be confident. Their ignorance is not your downfall. You aren't worthless, you're everything.