Bully (noun): A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.

Today's blog post was inspired by a very insightful post by Melissa @ Merryland Girl about bullying.

When I read about how nasty kids are to other kids, it makes me feel so awful.

I can't say I was really "bullied" in the traditional sense of the word. I was mostly excluded. I wasn't inordinately fat, or smelly. I never had any embarrassing mishaps that left a memory burned into the minds of everyone I went to school with.

I just was not popular.

In 8th grade, these two girls just ripped on me every day about my clothes being hand-me-downs, which they weren't (and not like that's a bad thing).

I don't know why they singled me out, but damn! It's 19 years later and it still chaps my ass!

Compounded by the fact that they were popular, but not in the popular sense. One looked like a man, she was a gymnast who was very toned and very masculine.

Her BFF, was dumpy and chubby and also quite masculine in appearance, she played softball.

I remember thinking "How can they pick on me for how I dress? All they wear are Umbro shorts and t-shirts! And they look like boys!"

I had a lot of friends in middle school, and I am not sure what happened the summer between 8th grade and freshman year, but whatever went down - I missed it.

All those girls became popular, and I was just a nobody.

I have gotten my (slight) revenge: one girl friend requested me on Facebook, and I acted like I didn't know her. She was one of my BFF's in 7th grade, and then in high school she spread a rumor that I...well, let's just say it wasn't very nice for my character...but I started getting attention from a lot of skeevy guys after that.

I responded to her request by saying "Sorry, I don't remember you."

She wrote me back 3 more times, telling me her life story, trying to jog my memory "Remember I used to live down the block from you? Remember that time we had the sleep-over?" to which I wish I had had the guts to say "Oh, that's right! You were the one who spread that nasty rumor about me!"

Instead I said "Sorry, I just don't remember you." And ignored her request.

It felt good.

I have since done that to about 10 of "Those Girls" and maintain that everyone I want to talk to from high school, I talk to. If the last interaction we had was you telling me that I look pregnant in front of our home ec class*, why the hell are you "friend" requesting me?

I have decided that they just want to see my business, and I say "Nope".

*To this day, I remember exactly what was said:

Her: "You're dating (so & so) right?"

Me: "Yeah"

Her: "And you're pregnant, right?"

Me: (exasperated) "NO!"

Her: "Heh, well...you look like it!"

(Which caused much laughter)

I always think of that part in the movie "For Keeps", when the popular girls are making fun of Darcy and the one popular girl says to the other "Oh Michaela! You're so bad!" cheering her on.

Also, the girl who said that to me had a very noticeable lazy eye and you could never tell where she was looking.