SIDE-STEPPING VIOLENCE

I was never very tall, even as a kid. When I was in 8th grade, I had to go to a middle school for three months before beginning high school. One day I was in a music class. Being shy, I sat near the back of the room, which was like a miniature auditorium with stadium seating. Sitting next to me, on my left, was a large and much taller kid whom I did not know. He started taunting me. Something like: “Your mother sleeps around.” “See that girl over there, she thinks you are a turd.”

After a while I started shaking, which got worse when I noticed that kids near me had heard him. After about ten minutes of taunts, I was still shaking. Without conscious thought, I turned to my left and hit him in the head with my right fist. It was a loud noise, and the teacher ignored it even though he had an unobstructed view. A few seconds later he hit me back, and that was the end. He never bothered me again, and kids I did not know were congratulating me as I walked out of the classroom. He was a known bully.