I am very satisfied with the woman I have turned into. Those mean words that never failed to spew from your mouths will always linger in my mind, but I’m happy to say that they no longer affect me.

I’ve spent most of my life trying to be just like you. For some reason I idolized you. Why would I want to be like the people I feared most? Even after the numerous times you’ve made me cry I still wanted to be as cool as you. At least, that’s what I thought you were at the time. And that’s not all—You made me hate myself. I felt like I wasn't good enough for anything or anybody. I didn’t have any friends because your opinions of me spread to everyone else on the playground.

I didn’t get invited to your parties, even though I always invited you to mine. I tried sitting with you at lunch, but of course you wanted nothing to do with me. I sat there and endured your mockery just so maybe, by chance, someone would realize I wasn’t so weird after all.

Even in high school you still managed to make me underestimate myself. I walked through the halls feeling like I wasn’t good enough. I felt like others would judge me. Of course, I was old enough to know I was better than this. But when I spent most of my innocent years being tormented by peers I couldn’t escape, I couldn’t help but always worry. It got to the point where I hated being around strangers and didn’t go out in public because I feared being judged like the way you judged me.

I’m not here to tell you how much you have hurt me as a child, but to show you how far I have come as a young adult. You told me I didn’t have any friends and that I never would. I have friends from all over the world that I would do anything for. Not because they make me popular, but because they help make me a better person. You called me ugly. You told me the only boy in class that would ever like me was the kid who sat in the back of the classroom and picked his nose. Just in this past week three unbelievable guys have asked me out on a date. You called me stupid. I sit here finishing up my college homework and preparing myself for a quiz tomorrow. Not to mention I had an internship with one of the biggest companies in the world my sophomore year.

Luckily I was able to realize I have become the person you told me I’d never be. I proved to myself that everything you said about me wasn’t true. It took a lot for me to take my word for it over yours. Part of me wishes I never had to go through your bullying, but you’ve helped me understand that other people’s opinions don’t matter. Thank you for molding me into the beautiful woman I am today.