Dear ___,

Thank you. I might not be here where I am today without you. Sure, you aren’t the reason why mom quit her job at our old school or the incredible friends I made after I left, but you are part of the reason I am so happy today. Because of you, I am able to see the world through better eyes. I know how it feels to be bullied, and I am more compassionate because of that.

Do you remember what you did to me? Because of you, I don’t have good memories from that torture chamber that some people liked to call a school. Because of you, my eighth and ninth years on this planet were the worst I could imagine. You have no idea what you put me through. I really want to say that you are the worst person, the most cruel, evil person I have ever met, and I would mean it; but saying that would make me just as bad as you, maybe even worse, and I don’t want to be like that. I don’t want to assume that you haven’t felt how you made me feel, but if you haven’t then I truly hope that you aren’t ignoring what I am saying. If you have, I hope you remember what that felt like. Now put all of that stress onto an eight-year-old whose mother was going through cancer treatments. Can you imagine? Did you have a reason to bully me? Please tell me, I truly want to know. Do you regret what you’ve done? Do you have any remorse? Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to forgive me if you tell me.

I want you to know that I have been wanting to forgive you, but I absolutely have no reason to. Remember the last two times I saw you? Our teams faced off in soccer, and we crushed you both times. Going into the matches, I knew that I would see you, and I told myself that I should have an open mind with you, maybe you had changed. But I was proven wrong the instant you saw me. I clearly remember what happened. You acted like you hadn’t made my life miserable. You said that you were only put on the “C” team because they needed someone with actual talent on it. I know I’m not the best soccer player, but I do know you fit right in with those people. You were so cocky up until the end when we crushed you. This is your third chance. Last chance, hopefully third times the charm.

I know that you’re not the kind of person that buys into “sappy” stuff like this, but I hope you’re not ignoring this. I know that you probably won’t care about what I’m saying. If you’re anything like you were in the past, I know you won’t care for what I am talking about, but I truly hope that you have changed. I don’t want to be your friend, believe me, I tried when I first met you, six years ago, and it took me three whole years to realize that you were not a good person, and you seemed determined to ruin my life.

I dare you to call me stupid. I dare you to tell me that you never bullied me. I dare you to throw every insult you can think of at me, because joke’s on you, every time you hurt me and tormented me in the past has given me twice the strength today. Nothing you throw at me will phase me. You want a reaction? You already got your reaction when you tortured me in elementary school.

So I just wanted to thank you. Thank you for making me stronger. Thank you for making my life miserable in elementary school so I could be happier today. Thank you for opening my eyes so I could think about my actions and how they impact others. Thank you for empowering me to stand up to you and bullying in general. Thank you for bullying me; because of your tormenting, I have become a better person.

Sincerely,

Your Empowered Victim