Beginning in middle school, an area high school teen found herself the target of bullying from classmates. When confronted with a very limited amount of physical bullying in eighth grade, she retaliated in kind and was punished for it. When dealing with a far more substantial amount of verbal abuse, ridicule, rumor mongering and social media attacks — she became a shell of herself. She shrank from society, limiting her social interaction, self medicating, turning to self harm methods, planning to end her life and subsequently landing in medical care which helped her begin to turn her life around.

The circumstances haven’t necessarily changed. The bullying continues, however she believes she has walked through the darkness and come out the other side and into the light as she stands just months from graduation.

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