Bullying in high school isn’t everything you see in the movies. Yes, sometimes it’s getting beaten up in the school parking lot or being thrown into lockers, but many incidents are simply hateful words thrown out of spite. Being bullied isn’t a glorious story that victims throw around; rather, it’s a sensitive subject that many people don’t like to talk about or reflect upon. Although, it is glorious to meet those individuals that have survived the pain and suffering that is being bullied and have moved on.

I am a teenager that was bullied for two years in high school.

It may not seem like much, but those were the worst two years of my life. I met the girl in my freshman global class, and we sat next to each other, later becoming great friends and participating in musicals and chorus together. Two years later, there arose classic high school drama in the music department, specifically involving romantic relationships. Of course, I was in the middle of it, and there began the hateful words.

She had a Twitter and often said terrible things about me. Soon I blocked her on every social media account I had and erased her from my everyday life altogether. In the movies, they tell you to just walk away. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter how much I ignored the situation, or her for that matter. She always found a way to make my life even more miserable.

This spat went on for a year after, as I tried to take the high road and not let it bother me. Of course, what they do show in the movies is the bully trying to play nice and pretending to be friends with the victim. Yes, there were times when she texted me apologizing, and I believed her. It didn’t take two days after an apology for her to immediately make fun of me again. It was nonstop cyber bullying about what I was wearing, my personal life and choices, and whom I was friends with. She even went so far as to tell my friends they must choose between us.

I had a few friends that stuck by me throughout these two years, and I had teachers offer help. What struck me the most was how often these teachers spoke up to ask me if I was alright.

Senior year, my chorus planned an out of state trip in which around 40 of us would travel and sing in various venues and go sightseeing. My chorus teacher pulled me aside one day after rehearsal to ask if I was going, and I said I wasn’t sure. He said he would love it if I went, but it was ultimately my decision.

There will always be someone worried about you whether it’s been two weeks or two years of difficulty. The movies show victims of bullying as powerless, and indeed, sometimes it feels that way. But in reality, the victims I’ve met are some of the strongest people I’ve known. You wouldn’t be able to recognize someone has been bullied just by meeting them. It’s deep in their skin, and every moment of fighting back can make them that much stronger.