The Bully is a creature of legend shrouded in myths.

There are stories of what to do should you encounter one.

But what are the odds of that, right?

The Bully is a being of lore, at worst, of history.

Bullies don't exist at this school.

 

We have harassers, trouble-makers, hooligans, fools.

We have boys trying to act butch. We have girls who are catty.

We don't have bullies.

Not here.

Not us.

 

We're against bullying.

Don't you see our posters?

Would you like a button?

Our school is different.

We're friendly.

Every one is accepted here.

 

Except...

 

Do you remember that boy from elementary school? The one that made me cry?

Do you remember the words he used to stab me with?

I do, years later. They're still in my head.

Maybe you'd remember him as the boy who had a crush on me, that's what you said it was.

If he liked me, he must have had an affair with half of the school.

If he liked me, he must have loved the boy he hospitalized.

Do you remember that you never expelled him?

Maybe you remember the checks his test scores brought the school.

Maybe you forgot the other children who hit rock bottom before they hit puberty.

Maybe you forgot the fourth grade drop out who was too afraid to come to class.

 

Do you remember the girl who skipped Spanish class and forgot to declinate?

He remembered just fine.

He just avoided class because you would never call him by his preferred name or pronoun.

He "forgot" feminine adjectives about as much as he "forgot" to come to class.

Do you remember how reluctant he was to turn in any assignment?

How little he wanted to share at all?

You wouldn't remember the insults he got on an hourly basis in the hallways.

You never knew the trouble he had just walking into a restroom.

You probably didn't notice when he transferred.

 

Do you remember the talk we had after the anti-bullying movie?

Do you remember the class lamenting the poor people they had seen on screen?

Do you remember denying the existence of victims who sat with them in class?

Do you remember how everyone patted themselves on the backs for their good intentions?

Do you remember how I stayed restless?

 

But I guess we don't have bullies at our school.

Not here.

Not us.

 

There isn't a drop of racism, sexism, homophobia or any other bigotry.

No one was ever slut-shamed.

No one was ever mocked for their virginity.

No one was ever seen as dirty for their poverty.

No one was ever seen as snooty for their prosperity.

No one ever pressured anyone to do something they were morally against.

No one was ever shunned for their convictions.

 

No one was ever called anything other than their name.

Anything else is just $h!+ you can't say.