My
freshman year of college was the first time since high school that I was
bullied.
I was
placed on the eighth floor of what I considered, at the time, the worst dormitory
to be placed in. I had two neighbors: one to my left and across the hall.
Instantly, I made a friend with my neighbor across the hall. Vicki was
confident and fearless, everything I thought I wanted to be. She always talked
about all the guy friends she had back home, rubbing it in my face that she
could talk to guys, when my face goes up in flames when a guy is mentioned. She
was everything I wanted to be . . . or so I thought.
It got
to the point in our friendship that I trusted her. It was late September when I
told her about the guy I liked. He attended BSU, and I had learned about him
through Facebook. At this same time, she went off, making new friends and
integrating them into our little circle. Let’s just say, I didn’t like one of
her new friends that stuck around. Why, you ask? Because my Vicki changed when
the other Tina was around, ditching me to go take selfies with her in the
bathroom, while I waited by myself in a crowded place. But all that fails in comparison
to what she did to me later in the month.
His
name was Tommy. He had gorgeous blue eyes that made me feel like I was on a
beach. His smile was the definition of perfection. And I was infatuated with
him. Vicki knew. Tina knew. And they used it against me. One night, while we
were all enjoying dinner, Vicki and Tina went to the bathroom. 15 minutes
later, they came trotting back with smiles on their faces. “We gave Tommy your
number.” Vicki told me. “Yeah, he said he would text you after his basketball
game.” Tina smiled. I felt sick to my stomach. I feel sick to my stomach as I
write this. I didn’t think anything of it. They were my friends after all,
right? WRONG.
9:00
p.m. rolled around and I got a text. My stomach dropped. I had been hoping that
he would forget and not text me. I didn’t know what to do or say, so I gave
Vicki my phone. “You need to flirt, Caroline!” She told me, but ended up doing
the flirting for me. Text after text, flirt after flirt, I started to get the
feeling that it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. I walked over to Vicki’s
dorm, “Hey, I don’t feel right about this. Something’s not right. It’s probably
a bet or something.” I shut the door and turned around only to hear Tina yell “Caroline,
wait!” I walked back over and I knew I was right.
“Before
you get mad, listen to me.” Vicki said.
“What?”
I asked.
“It’s not
really Tommy texting you. We gave your number to my friend Logan, and he’s the
one that’s been texting you.” Tina laughed.
The
rest of the night was a blur. Vicki and Tina came over to apologize, not quite
understanding why I was so upset. Vicki was actually mad at me for being upset
with her. HA. I cried myself to sleep that night, wondering what I could have
possibly done to deserve such terrible treatment from two people I thought were
my friends. I couldn't get their laughing at me out of my mind. It was torture. After that, I saw Tommy everywhere. Even after it was over, it wasn't over.
Please don't allow yourself, or a friend, to go through something like this. If you know of someone being bullied, tell someone. Don't be a bystander. Thank you.
**names were changed to protect identities**
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