This is my story. 

In middle school people called me a whore, slut and diseased. :( I'd never even kissed anyone at the time and they still said it. Pretty soon I got scared, I thought everyone was talking about me behind my back and I started cutting... I was in I think 7th grade when I started, and im in 11th now. I stopped on my wrist just a lil bit ago so I could cut where no one sees. Also in middle school I got called the fish clique. :( I didn't even understand till I reported it to the school board and they didn't do anything. Who sits back and lets that happen? Ugh. 

Last year my dad hit me so hard I bruised on the face for a long time. I tried to run away. I tried to hurt myself.

But I'm here and I still cut myself, never to deep though. I realized those kids in middle school made fun of me not cause of who I was but the people I was with. I also realized dad felt bad for it and to forgive him. If I didn't forgive him it wouldn't make me a better person just down on his level.

Still its not right, we need to stop this. 

-Anonymous

I don't really know where to start. I guess I never really fit in anywhere and I never knew how to talk to other people. I grew up on the cape and most of my time at school was miserable. The other kids didn't like me, I was too ugly or fat or dumb. It was a new thing everyday I never knew what I had done to make them so angry. Ever since I can remember the girls would tease me and the boys would ignore me. Going into seventh grade I had three close friends, two moved away, and one is the reason Im alive today. It was terrible. People posted things about me on myspace, they would anon message me telling me how fat I was or how disgusted they were by me. I couldn't stop the voices telling me that they were right, I was nothing. I went throughout middle school like that continually not showing up to school crying all morning till I couldn't breath begging my mother not to make me go in. She quickly learned I wasn't sick just tormented and brought me to a therapist who I quickly attached to. I told her everything about how my parents fought, how I "accidently" got hurt, and how I wanted to be skinny even if it meant eating only every three days. I went to high school and things got worse. Peggy, my therapist got pregnant. The kids at school were now older and meaner and this time I brought it upon myself. It was the first year a boy had ever called me pretty. He used me. He told everyone I was a slut. Thats what the girls called me. I stopped going to school but the messages kept coming. I felt even uglier than before. Peggy went away. she never even said goodbye, I was just her job she didnt care. It broke my heart and so I hurt myself. The kids at my school made me not want to go to class, they made me want to hurt my own body, they made me not want to eat. My mom brought me to the hospital when I got really out of control. Growing up wasn't easy, even just a few days ago I was told how my repulsive presence was unacceptable by some boys in my grade but I didnt hurt myself like I used to because I got help. Its still hard to go to school, l I still skip sometimes, those days when people won't stop tormenting me I just want it all behind me. I will never understand why they have the right to make me want to drop out of school and just leave it all behind but some how they hold that power. 

-Anonymous

Chances are if anyone met me today they would have no idea I used to be the target of bullying throughout middle school. My current life is extremely different than it was when I was first in my pre- teenage, and eventually into my teenage years. Growing up in an extremely preppy town has taught me two things: I hate polo shirts and rich snobs. I have always been a little bit different, and by a little bit I mean a lot. I was picked on and left out of parties and lunch tables ever since I can remember, which is something most kids go through at least once in their lives. At the time, it hurt me but I knew I was better off without without the prissy girls who were more concerned about whether or not their lip gloss was poppin'. The bullying I experienced in middle school didn't really impact me much until I was a sophomore and junior in high school. 

     By my junior year, I lost two friends to unfortunate deaths, dated a boy who would only hang out with me if he was high, battling depression, suffering from an eating disorder without even being aware of it at the time, and had developed an obsession with cutting and burning myself- while being able to successfully fool everybody around me by being outgoing and happy when in people's company. My self image issues started after my boyfriend at the time and I broke up and he started dating a girl who weighed no more than 90 pounds. I kept having flashbacks to what the mean girls would say about me in high school about me being pudgy and short, and I think it eventually caught up to me. I would eat carrot sticks and soup, and go to the gym constantly and results quickly showed. I dropped a quick 15 pounds in a little over two weeks and I was haunted by the need to prove the bullies from the past 6 years wrong. Over time, I have struggled to realize the simple fact that some people are just mean- and just because they would call me fat, it didn't necessarily mean I was actually fat. To this day, I still am sometimes reminded of their cruel words, and they echo in the back of my head, and still lead to self harming tendencies. The best advice I could give to somebody who is being bullied is to step back from the situation, realize that one person or group of people can not dictate your whole life, and that inside yourself somewhere is the inner strength to stay strong. 

-Anonymous

Hey Jayk, I am 100% against bullying and grew up being bullied by both boys and girls. I was the middle child with an older brother, sister and younger sister. Up until I was 5 yrs old I kept banging into walls and not seeing things on my left. My parents took me to MASS General Hospital to have me checked out to see what the problem was, the problem was I was blind out of my left eye and nothing could be done about it. My dad offered his eye for me but it would not do any good. My parents were told to bring me back at 18 yrs old and get a glass eye. After everyone found out I was blind I was treated different, I could just tell. The adults would whisper, oh the poor things and the kids would laugh at me and call me names, one eyed monster, cyclopse, egor and many more. It was tough, I had a few friends but always felt people stare at me, the eye stayed small red and the pupil was yellow, dead. For years I had no self consious and felt no one would ever want to be my friend. I used to compare myself to other boys my age and always felt ugly compared to them. My grandmother once told me if you were as good looking as your brother maybe you too could find a pretty girl to go out with you. I got called one eyed monster and other names by kids and used to get beaten up by kids through 8th grade, yes even girls. What was sucky is my brother was a jock and played every sport, very well. I am blind in my left eye and left handed, hand/eye coordination what is that? I have tried playing sports all through gradeschool and up, when it came time to pick sides for teams the last ones picked would be me and the kid on crutches and I was picked after him. My parents had 2 sons one who excelled at sports and the other who got laughed at and beat up because bacck then they said I threw and caught like a little girl. I used to envy so many popular kids for having friends and being liked. I had no self esteem didn't care what I wore or even if I combed my hair or took a bath sometimes. I dreaded going to school and even heard one teacher say, he is pretty pitiful and that damned eye doesn't help. I finally decided to fight back one night, not physically but by renewing myself. I wanted my Dad to be proud of me and so I persued new adventures. Believe me it took time, I still got called names but tried to ignore them and did for the most part. I joined the Drama Club and actually got a leading roll, wow they actually applauded me and I got an acting award. It wasn't easy but I moved on, in High school I joined a lot of clubs, talked to people, and made friends, the kids grew up also. I was still blind and the eye was looking worst and I still had some nasty people who made comments every now and then(they said they were joking) One moment that stands out in my mind is when I had a crush on a girl and my friend said he would introduce her to me. She was a cheerleader, smart, popular and beautiful, I knew I didn't stand a chance but still. The time came to meet her in the library and I was so nervous(almost like meeting Miss America) as we approached her my buddy said hi Joan I want you to meet George, she turned around and said hi, OH MY GOD!!!! look at his eye!!! Well that ended badly and I took off, never wanting to see her again. The story somehow got out and a lot of the jocks and jerks started with the Cyclopse name again, thank God it didn't last. Anyway I did get a glass eye at 21 yrs old got more confidence in my self and a lot of nice friends. I made my parents proud, In high school I was teenager of the month, Class Marshall for graduation, inlots of clubs and had fun. After my new eye I got confidence went to college, got picked out of 55 college students to do a summer Co/Op at DisneyWorld and attend Disney University and become a student Senator at 4 Cs. It took time for all this and I still feel self consious but you have to go on and help yourself. I still have days that I feel ugly and unwanted but that is just me and I just need to push those thoughts away. Being bullied sucks big time and I could tell so many,many more hurtful stories but lets end with something upbeat help yourself, get some help from trusted people and DO NOT give up on yourself because you can make it.
Life goes on and you're the driver. 

-George Duarte

I was a bully for many years, I would mentally bully, and physically bully. I have been literally crying about this for 2 days now, and God couldn't have told me louder that I have to put my 2 cents in here. I do not know how my bullying came to be, people say it was my home, growing up in a physically abused home - I don't know. I blame it on me, and me only. I don't want to go into details, nothing good in bullying at all,whether you're on the giving or receiving end. I believe I did it out of pure jealousy. Jealous because others were much smarter, had better parents, had better clothes, and the FEAR of going from grammar school, right into the high school. I just knew I had to toughen up..I targeted kids who sat alone in the class rooms, I targeted kids who walked alone in the hallways. I don't ever remember even ONE kid who spoke up,so sadly to say now, it continued on...I would suggest to anyone being bullied to tell a teacher you trust, tell your parents, SPEAK UP! Walk near a crowd in the hallways (use your judgement, don't sit alone in class.. also if you can, reach out to the bully, believe it or not, we were/are hurting inside too. It can't hurt to try whether you're alone with the bully in a class in the back,or with a few people around... I was not as tough as I thought I was, had any one of my targets stared me in the eye, or spoke up, I'd have been in fear F'REAL!!! I am learning that there is internet bullying too, so frigging sad... I am paying for my bullying to this day, I have made many amends on FB to all the ones I can remember mentally or physically bullied, and I am filled with SHAME!!!!!

I am lost for words right now, if anyone is being bullied PLEASE tell someone you trust, SPEAK UP, and please STAND UP for yourself, it's crucial! I became friends with the ONLY 2 people who ever stood up to me (don't ask why) in fact BESTIES with the both who did! Us bullies are just hiding our fears, we are scaredy cats, PERIOD!!! ( I was)

- Anonymous

My name is Alicia. I was bullied from 3rd grade to 10th, it probably would've been longer but it got so bad that I transferred schools. Other kids my age, older than me, and even younger made fun of me. I was overweight so I was called fat, whale, oompa loompa (I'm short too), midget. I also had a deadly cist in my nose since I was born, so my nose grew with it, making my nose too big for my face and for that I was called big nose, freak, squidward, elephant. I was very shy my 8th grade year because of the bullying, and I was surprised that a group of "popular girls" wanted to hang out with me, but I did because I thought it was my chance to be popular, turns out they were making fun of me behind my back. They would also find out who I liked, tell the person, then they'd make fun of me together. So in 10th grade I transfered to a new school where I didnt know anyone, and even though I didn't get made fun of there, I was depressed and ended up cutting for about a year. Things kept getting worse and I ended up locked up in a psychiatric hospital. Well they helped me there and gave me the medication I needed for depression and anxiety that I had developed from the bullying and I'm proud to say that now I'm all better, I'm completely happy with myself, and I know that I'm beautiful and nobody can tell me otherwise. Thank you for reading my story, and thank you Jayk for creating this site, it was an amazing idea.

- Alicia

I was severely bullied in elementary school, middle school, and my freshman year of high school. In elementary and middle school I sat alone on the bus. Most days the entire bus would be yelling insults and throwing things at me. Sometimes because I'm terrified of bugs, when they would find one they would kill it and smush it in my hair. When I rode my bike kids would spit on the seat, and when I walked they would drive by and yell at me to kill myself and sometimes they would throw things. I never had a friend in school and I didn't until I was a sophomore. When I was twelve I tried to kill myself, and I tried again several times in the next few years. I struggled with cutting for two years. During my sophomore year I went back to church... and there I met the people that changed everything. The people that were willing to walk into the darkness to pull me out. That summer I worked at SoulFest, and discovered the music of Phone Calls From Home and Aaron Gillespie. Not too long after that I found Beautiful Tuesday, the music of those bands got me through it. They have taught me so much about life and love that it's hard to imagine where I'd be without their music. They taught me that I am never alone and to never give up. That is my advice to anyone struggling, dont give up. Its harder than it sounds, but it's possible if you find the right people and music to fill your life. Music is much more powerful than most people believe. Keep holding on, keep hoping and please stay alive.

- Shelby