Skeleton

Skeleton

Bullying affects almost everyone in some way at one point or another. Some people willingly and eagerly push others around and abuse them physically or verbally to make themselvesfeel more powerful or important, and others become their unfortunate victims.
It was the beginning of 10th grade in high school; this was the first time I was far from home in a distant city.Being a student in a new school, with new classmates, new rules, and unable to go back home, except on weekends, was frightening. My life had changed; I had a tight daily schedule in which classes,projects, labs, and physical education were alternated. I had settled into my new routine and I loved it because studying had always been one of my favorite hobbies. Among all the classes, physicaleducation was my weak point, and the last one on my list of priorities. Physical education classes had a structure, starting with a warm up and followed by a sport or activity chosen by the teacher. It wasa sunny September day. We were all exhausted, and the teacher allowed us to take off our shirts and we did. Suddenly everyone started laughing, and I realized that they were laughing at me. A student,Nestor, asked, “What is the skeleton from the biology lab doing here with us?” All the students were laughing even louder, all except me. The detonator had already been activated. From that day on Iwas called by my new nickname, "skeleton," not only was it used by Nestor, but also by everyone else I knew.
I was six feet tall and weighed 135 pounds. Skinny was an understatement; maybe theywere right to compare me with the laboratory model. My ribs could be counted, as well as other bones. I did not pay attention at first because I thought it was something stupid. Physical shape wasnot important to me; I was more interested in academic achievements.
The nickname did not bother me at first, but later it started to. I experienced frayed emotions and rattled nerves; my...