Bullying is a large part of our society, even though it shouldn't be. It is seemingly in every home, in every classroom, in every job, in every team, in every community. It takes place in the form of physical, emotional, and/or social harm. Sometimes that harm is invisible on the outside, but in lingers internally forever. If you ask someone if they've been bullied, their answer would more than likely be yes. If you ask me if I've been bullied, my answer would be yes. What's funny is, even with bullying being as prominent as it is, bullies are blind. There are things the victim knows - what they feel, hear and learn - that the bullies never will.

What my bullies don't know is that my mother warned me about them. We often go on throughout our lives telling our parents "he's cool" or "she's nice", even if we don't believe it. We want to see the best in people. We want to believe that someone is genuine in their ways, and could never have a secret motive to harm you. Our parents or guardians act as our conscience. They tell us otherwise, and they're usually right.

What my bullies don't know is that I believed in them. I fought for their friendship even when I was told it would hurt me. I was given exact accounts about the person they truly were - the person I didn't see. It was more important to me to have that person in my life than it was for me to stand up for myself. No wonder they took advantage of me.

What my bullies don't know is that I lost a friendship - a friendship they were never really a part of. Friendship is built on trust. When you put your all in to someone, you believe they are there for you, you believe they will stand up for you, and you believe they love you. Losing a friendship is one of the most painful aspects of life. You lose yet another person you trust in times of pain. Maybe losing this friendship was better because it caused me pain itself.

What my bullies don't know is that I'm better because of them. It's easy to say that I was broken by my bullies. It's easy to say that I was in dire need of someone, or something, to piece me back together. Looking back now, I'm almost glad that those friendships ceased to exist. Even though they pushed me down into the deepest of pits, I somehow climbed out of them. Now I listen to my mother when she warns me. I no longer believe in someone who doesn't care for me the same. I finally feel at peace with letting go of friendships that do more harm than good. Thank you for helping me to find my strength. I let your demons - my demons - go.