One of the worst aspects of being in school is dealing with bullies. Students are simply there to get an education, but often, their thoughts are preoccupied with figuring out how to avoid tormentors between classes. And no matter how many times pupils fantasize about getting revenge on their cruel classmates, the reality is that few will ever get the chance.
However, some do get the opportunity to find out what their bullies are up to years after they’ve graduated. Reddit users have been sharing stories of encounters they had with their former bullies, so we’ve compiled a list of them below. Some are satisfying, others are heartbreaking, and some are surprisingly wholesome. But we hope they all inspire you to eventually forgive your own former bullies, as karma has probably punished them enough.
#1
I had one funny moment where me and my then GF walked into In N Out to grab a burger and standing behind the cash register was the guy who used to beat me up and steal my pogs in Jr high (i know, right?). First thing out of his mouth was “Heh Heh, remember when I beat you up in class that one time?”, I fake laughed and replied “Yeah totally. Remember that one time I walked into IN n Out 10 years later and you were flipping burgers…HILARIOUS!” I’m pretty sure he wanted to hit me again. Granted I only made fun of him because he was behind the register. If he were making my food – no way.
Image source: ThreeCharisma, Ximin Lin
#2
Actually, one of the kids who used to pick on me worst in grade school ended up becoming one of my best friends after several years of non-contact.
The first meeting after years, in a bar, went something like this.
Him: “Yeah,… sorry about that. Kind of a [jerk] move on my part.”
Me: “Kids are [jerks]. It happens.”
Him: “Cool. Let’s drink.”
Had another bully, incidentally, send a random Facebook message out-of-the-blue one day apologizing for his behaviour, owing to some kind of karmic debt he felt he owed.
Side-note: I don’t expect this story to go over particularly well, on account of everyone seems to want to hear a “look who came out ahead in the end” narrative, but I think my own is a nice story, and a reminder that at least some of those kids who picked on you in school were as young and stupid and confused as you were. Truth be told, my youth was pretty miserable. But in retrospect, I wouldn’t have changed much, because I think it shaped who I am. And, in the end, I’m pretty happy with who I am.
Image source: headlessparrot, Jed Villejo
#3
I met my old bully at my 10 year high-school reunion. The early puberty advantage he had on me in 6th grade had clearly run its course as I was a good 6 inches taller than him. He was divorced, sporting a goatee, had a well denied beer belly and spent the night bragging about his boat repair business.
Just seeing his pathetic-ness was reward enough for me.
Image source: AngusMustang, Jesman fabio
#4
Let just say I am the product of the Ugly Duckling syndrome. I was awful, but grew up into an attractive woman. A boy in highschool who I had a crush on used to pick on me, tease me, and make me feel awful. Flash forward to present day (7 years later), and I find him applying for a job at my employer. He was shocked to see me, thats for sure. We chatted it up, had a nice conversation and I learned that he was applying for a minimum wage job to make ends meet. He asks to take me out later that afternoon, and I simply said, “No thank you, I am taken. You haven’t apologized for bullying me in highschool either, you know.” And I smiled sweetly and left. The hiring manager called me later and asked what that was all about, because she was in earshot. I told her, “No hard feelings.”
He was hired on.
Image source: daniellejuice, Vitaly Gariev
#5
One of my bullies from grade school (oh, they were numerous) became my step brother. His dad married my mom and I “met” him for the first time at the wedding. Pretty weird to see your bully for the first time in ten year in a church and wearing the same tux as you. We shook hands and didn’t say anything about it because we were there for the family.
Then, it was such a good time; and our two families melded together well. I started to get his history: his mother [passed away] when he was very young and he was raised mostly by his father. I started to understand him as the person behind the childhood bully… and it made sense.
Bullies are people, too. And somebody’s brother.
Image source: FragrantFowl, Kylo
#6
Hey Mike How are you doing!
Oh hey Steve, I’m doing well how are you?
I’m doing gr…
Yea I’m going to need a half pound of ham, sliced extra thin, thanks buddy.
Image source: mikeboy81, Getty Images
#7
I was really popular early on in school until one day when this girl went around to all of my friends telling them that I “hated them”. Apparently that was enough to warrant 8 years of being teased and ignored by a class of only 70 something kids. At that point I was pretty badly teased. The worst thing that these kids tried to do to me (with this girl as their leader) was tell their parents that my dad [hurt] me, which created a whirlwind of police drama for my family for no good reason.
Anyway, I go to church once a year for the sake of my grandma and I guess this girl just happened to be there. She came up to me and apologized. She said she drove all of those people against me because at the time, everybody ignored her and she was jealous of my looks and popularity. I was mostly just astounded that anybody would even care at that age!
Anyway, I wish I could say I was vindictive and did something really cool, but I didn’t. I never really got my “revenge”. We exchanged facebooks and it sounds like she is having a pretty hard life as it is. Despite the fact that I got the brunt of some really bad teasing, I sort of feel bad for ex bullies. I think people underestimate how [bad] it feels knowing you have caused somebody pain.
Image source: anon, Oladimeji Odunsi
#8
In middle school, I was the quiet fat kid. This taught me that middle-school kids are evil in every way. Anyways, so this one stuck-up cheerleader did the whole mean girl routine almost daily, embarrassing me and my few friends at every chance she got. This built up so much that I HATED her. She was #1 on my hit-list that I’d never actually go through with, obviously.
Anyways, fast forward 10 years later. I’ve totally grown out of it. I’m at an average weight, look, etc. Not bad looking at all, but not a model either. I also got over every bit of my shyness in HS/college. I’m walking out of my dentist appointment and guess who is sitting there at the reception desk.
I don’t think she recognized me because I looked so different, but I recognized her… even though she had put on at least 100 pounds. I’m not kidding, she was HUGE, just sitting there eating a large bag of Doritos’s (while working no less). After I paid and was leaving, I said “I love karma, don’t you?” She looked at me all puzzled. She may or may not have figured it out later, but all I know is that at the time she didn’t seem to recognize me or my name, or at least didn’t show it.
Image source: Spud05, AllGo – An App For Plus Size People
#9
You know how they say that the bullies end up working for you? I got a job at a local sport store over the summer to help pay uni fees- and my supervisor is the kid who bullies me in school. He liked to laugh about he was in a superior position… except that’s his *career*, and just my summer job. I ended up quitting after that summer because it was so banal, and feel sorry that he’ll be doing that for the rest of his life. Bullies get what they deserve- I can’t imagine a worse punishment.
Image source: Pretzelprincess, Getty Images
#10
Saw one of my bullies several years back. She was fatter than she was in HS (which was pretty fat), married to white trash with kids, living the poor redneck life. I had a quiet little moment of smugness before going on about my day.
Image source: AuntieSocial, AllGo – An App For Plus Size People
#11
I guess this was wasn’t constant bullying, more of a one time thing.
In all honesty, I think this guy was just looking for someone to punch, as it happens that was me. I don’t even recall what exactly happened, my friend had gone in a shop while I waited outside and I just remember him walking up to me, saying something and then punching me in the face.
He was about 16 at the time and I was about 12. Not only did it hurt, it scared the [hell] out of me and I was scared to go out for quite a while afterwards.
Turns out he tried to rob an old man a few months later. The poor old guy tried to defend himself and in a panic, the guy who punched me stabbed him in the head with a screwdriver.
He’s serving a lengthy term in prison. It’s been about 7 or 8 years of his life he’s wasted now and I’m not afraid to say I hope he rots in there.
Image source: fade_like_a_sigh, Getty Images
#12
I used to get picked on and beat up by the same kid all the time when I was younger. I was overweight, and he treated me like a punching bag. Years later, I went to college and lost around 50 pounds. I started taking MMA classes to continue my journey towards not being a butterball.
Finally, I moved back home after I graduated. I joined a new MMA gym. My old bully was there to greet me, and hadn’t changed a bit. As soon as I walked in he said “Wow, so after all these years you’ve finally come to learn to defend yourself.” He was still a total [jerk]. Fortunately, he didn’t know that I’d spent a few years doing Ju Jitsu. At the end of class, when it was time for sparring, the teacher let two people at a time go and he would say what they did right and wrong at the end.
The bully asked if he could take me to the center. The teacher hesitated, but I told him I didn’t mind. I then proceeded to take the bully’s back and choke him out three times to the point of tapping in ten minutes. He got up quietly, got his gear, and never came back.
The crowning achievement of my post-college life.
Image source: zachsullivan, Letícia Fracalossi
#13
I remember in Middle School and into HS I used to look down because I was afraid of looking at people to be rejected (yeah it was serious).
He just took my [Subway] sandwich order, and didn’t once look up. Kind of funny, he knew it was me because I used my check card.
Image source: anon, Kéoma Oran
#14
In the second grade, while in the bathroom, I was pinned down onto the bathroom floor by the school bully and told to kiss the floor. I did, and he immediately let go of me. Once he had left, I ran to my teacher — this massive, mean woman who had a wart on her nose like a witch — and told her what happened. She went and got him from his class, took him into her room, spoke to him a very long time, and then had him come out and apologize to me.
I didn’t see him again until the 5th grade, when he was suddenly *very* nice to me and acted as if nothing had happened at all. I’m forgiving to a fault, so I let his obnoxious behavior from three years previous slide.
It wasn’t until later that I learned that Mrs. Wartnose had basically just pointed out to him that I was way bigger than him (not sure how tall I was then but I’m 6′ 10″ and 325 lbs now) and that if he kept messing with me, I’d eventually figure out that I had a significant height/bulk/reach advantage and beat the s**t out of him. Scared him off well enough. No idea what he’s doing nowadays but I think I remember hearing that he kept getting into trouble all throughout high school.
Image source: RE_Chief, Andrej Lišakov
#15
I had a “friend’ in Jr High who joined the football team in High School and turned into the most smug try-hard jock piece of [work] in the world. Our little high school clique couldn’t stand [him], so we stopped hanging out with him. In one of my classes the topic of “regrets” came up, and I jokingly said that my biggest regret from Jr High was befriending Mike. (fake name) Of course the comment made its way back to him and he was furious.
Mike was a complete psycho; in Jr High I witnessed him turn a normal kid into a near-mute after a savage locker-room beating. He was the last guy you wanted on your bad side.
The ensuing 2 weeks were the worst of my life – daily confrontations, rumors being spread about me and my then-girlfriend, and worst of all none of my friends would back me up. (I don’t blame them either, as I said before you didn’t want to get mixed up with this lunatic) The entire [chaos] ended with him smacking a hamburger in my face in the lunch room in front of 600+ students. School ended a few days later, and the following year he enrolled at another school.
Fast forward 5 years, I see him at a bar and he’s drunk, curled up in a ball in the bathroom crying his eyes out. Turns out he had just lost his scholarship and been expelled from university a few days earlier for [attacking] a fellow football player trying-out for the same position as him. After this, his first girlfriend ever dumped him, kicked him out of her apartment and started [sleeping with] some other dude almost immediately. He spent the entire night in the bar crying, trying to call her as she was [sleeping with] some other dude.
…so it’s not exactly me getting revenge on the guy, but karma definitely caught up with him.
Image source: quality110, ablo Merchán Montes
#16
Yeah, and I was a real [jerk] about it. I don’t really feel that good about it. He was the prototypical bully: red hair, freckles, his father was the football coach and he raced cars on weekends. I detested the guy.
I ran into him in a really cool neighborhood bar, our bar, in Austin when I was going to UT; he was in town visiting from A&M. I was there with about 25 friends and he was there alone and seeming very quiet and subdued compared to his previous persona. I went over, said hi and sat down uninvited. I proceeded to buy him drinks and shots getting him drunk and all the while shouting to no one in particular but the entire bar in general,” Hey, EVERYBODY!!! THIS IS THE GUY THAT USED TO BE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BULLY!!! ISN’T THAT GREAT!!! HE USED TO TERRORIZE US AND KICK [US]!!!” Then addressing him,”BOY, YOU SURE WERE A [JERK]! HOW THE HELL ARE YA, MAN? IMAGINE YOU AND ME SITTING HERE DRINKING AFTER ALL THAT BAD BLOOD!!!”
On and on and on I went. Interminably using his childhood dominance as a way to dominate him through humiliation in, by definition only, adulthood (I was 20 years old). My strategy worked. He slunk out of there feeling awful and, though I probably deserved it, not even dreaming of fighting me because I was their with a platoon of mentally deranged friends not unlike me.
Mainly, though, he didn’t want to fight because life had taken him down roads I was unaware of until several years later at a Christmas party where I ran into his mother and his sister with whom I used to play “doctor”. I found out his father was a very violent man, a hard liquor drinker and a wife beater. We lived in a higher than middle class neighborhood considered pretty nice and nobody knew except the closest neighbors what kind of hell these people lived through. Nobody took more [harassment] from the father than the bully, though. I remember playing catch with a football one time and his father was really impressed by the fact that I had really great hands. He recruited me on the spot for his team of 5th graders all the while ridiculing his own son in MY presence chastising him for not having my ability with catching a ball.
Cal was his name and he didn’t go, though he WAS invited, to the neighborhood Christmas party. I was told he was a very kind, gentle man and an extremely devoted father, truly a good person… and he didn’t drink anymore at all. I feel so bad that I couldn’t see what in retrospect was so plain to see. I feel terrible for his suffering, but I’m glad he’s found some peace. I wish him well.
Image source: anon
#17
When I was a teenager, someone stole a camp stove and lantern from our garage. For various reasons, I knew it pretty well had to have been one of my ‘friends’. We used to secretly hang out there and drink. I later overheard a comment from someone that confirmed that it was him who was the thief, but because he was a bit of a bully, I was afraid to confront him.
Fast forward… post college, I had a very good job at a desirable employer. I ran into the thief at the wedding of a mutual acquaintance. In the course of small talk I mentioned where I was working and he said that he was interviewing for a job there the next week. I told him that he should be sure to mention that he knew me in the interview. I already knew that he was under-qualified for the job and would not get hired. When I next saw him at a tailgate party about a month later, he told me that he was not hired. I put on an evil smirk and said.. “I guess you regret stealing my camp stove now” and walked away.
In reality, I did nothing to interfere with his job application, but he doesn’t know that. Revenge is just as sweet even when you don’t actually do anything.
Image source: dd4y
#18
There was this bully (he was a few years older) that used to ride the same bus as me in elementary school. Once, when I was in either pre-school or kindergarten, he tied my shoe strings together while I was sleeping. I was awoken by my brother because our stop was coming up. I got up, tripped over myself, busted my nose, and shuffled my way off of the bus (he tied the shoe strings so tight, I couldn’t undo them) all the way down the driveway, crying from the pain and embarrassment.
A few years later, he got leukemia and [passed away].
Image source: anon
#19
I ran into my shcool’s bully a few years after high school. In high school he was a total [jerk]. Spit on me, punched me a few times, definitely not a nice person to be around.
Five or six years later I ran into him working at a 7-11. He said hi, asked me what I was up to these days. I told him I was an artist for LucasArts, working on Star Wars games (which was true). He said
“oh, I … work here.”
Image source: HLHLHL
#20
I ran into a guy that I got into 3 fist fights with (note: I was fat and he was not hence the fighting and general bullying). During my last year of high school I had lost all my extra weight, and then during college I went to the gym a lot so I’m in pretty good shape now.
Either way, when I ran into him, he first acted like nothing had ever happened and just started chatting it up. When he saw the “wth” look on my face he gave me the, I was a [jerk], look. I gave him the benefit of a doubt and ended up talking to him for a bit.
About 3 hours later, me, him, and about 5 other guys went on a motorcycle ride for about 4 hours and I realized something: he truly was sorry, had changed, and wasn’t a completely bad person now.
I don’t go out of my way to see the guy, but if we see each other we’ll talk a bit.
My general point is that people can and do change over time. The bully of yesteryear might not be a bad person nowadays. Give them the benefit of a doubt.
Image source: anon
#21
This happened to me. In elementary school, this kid punched me in the chest. It was like 2nd grade, but I never forgot it. Apparently, he didn’t either.
Around highschool age (16 or so), I ran into him at a local minor league game. As soon as I saw him, I had a flashback to that moment. I said hey to him, asked how he had been, and then HE says “Do you remember that time I punched you in Ms. Woody’s class?”. I replied “Yeah, actually. I do.” Then he blew my mind with “That was a [terrible] thing of me to do, and I want you to punch me back right now. I deserve it.”
Now, adult me would have said no and just accepted the apology. But, 16 year old me thought it sounded like an excellent idea. I agreed and punched him square in the chest. It hurt him a bit.
I immediately felt like a huge [jerk]. Like, all of a sudden, I was the bully. I was down to the level he was back in 2nd grade. With that one punch, he became the bigger man. I immediately apologized to him. He accepted and we went on our separate ways.
I really think I learned a couple of life lessons in that one moment. People grow up and revenge isn’t always sweet.
Image source: flyryan
#22
A kid 2 years older used to pick on me all the time growing up, and was always bigger than me. Went with him to school from Kindergarten through highschool. I guess we got along at times, but for the most part he was a bully.
Years later, in first-year college, we had a house party and he showed up, which I was none to happy about. I knew the [jerk] would steal something. Next day, I couldn’t find my jacket, and I knew he’d taken it. The jacket was special to me, because my girlfriend at the time (now wife) had bought it for me.
While I was with a friend, I saw him in the mall a couple weeks later and he was wearing it. I guess he hadn’t realized that in the time since elementary school, I had actually become a pretty big guy (around 6’0, and 180lbs or so) while he was hovering around 5’6 and maybe 160lbs. I walked right up to him, and told him bluntly “give me my jacket…” He just stared at me and tried to blow it off by saying something like “this is mine, I bought this” (small town in backwoods Canada, and it was Old Navy brand. There isn’t an Old Navy within 300 miles of there). I told him once more, “give it to me, now.” He slowly took it off, and handed it over to me. As he did, I said “yeah, that’s right”, which he uncomfortably chuckled at. Then I just walked away.
Best part, his girlfriend was standing there the entire time just watching.
Image source: trnelson
#23
In middle school I had a kid a grade older than me harass me all the time in one of my classes. He made me dread going to that class, and I was still young enough to keep going. My senior year of high school I get a job at the local dinner theatre, and it just happened that he worked as a waiter there as well. All of my memories of him trying to grab my junk and demean me in front of the other kids in our class came welling up. I avoided him the first two weeks until finally he confronts me and says “Hi, I’m Jerimiah, I don’t think we’ve met yet”. I tell him are you kidding me? You made my life a living hell for a full year. He gets this look of sincere pain on his face and says “I am so sorry man. I was a total jerk at that age and I fully apologize, what can I do to make it better?” We worked together for about a year and got along great, we still see each other from time to time to. So I’d say it went pretty well!
Image source: nickolai21
#24
Yes.
Went to high school with a guy who was viciously antagonistic. Not a physical bully so much as just constantly mocking certain people who he perceived to be below him in the social hierarchy. Like, cruel mockery. Unending, constant, every second of every day. You just knew every time you passed him in the hallway you were going to hear the same [things], insults, etc.
Ten or so years later I pull in to my car dealership to get some service work done. The guy who comes out to greet me has a very familiar face. I wonder if it could be him. The name tag doesn’t have his name on it, but the name it does have on it is something like “Buddy” or something like that, a nickname.
So, I’m walking to the desk trying to decide if it’s him or not. Then I see it. The hand. He has a very obvious birth defect related to his hand, and now I’m certain it’s him.
I don’t even bother to bring it up. But I certainly savored ever moment of him calling me “sir” and offering me coffee and a free ride to work.
Image source: CaptainFeebheart
#25
I was an elementary school bully.. I was the biggest kid in class and a complete jerk up til the 6th grade;
my jr-high years sucked, for some reason i was now the smallest kid and paid dearly for my years of [harassment]. i got beat up several times, and was once hooked to the flagpole by my UNDERWEAR and dragged up approximately 15 feet before the principal came out and ran the other kids off. lesson learned, i bled. i deserved it. changed me.
Image source: xanthine_junkie
#26
When I was little I was an absolute train wreck. Overweight, glasses, braces i.e. a chubby little target. When I was in First grade these 2 Eighth graders (Larry and whatever-the-other-guys-name-was) used to [harass] the hell out of me. The nuns were useless and ignored my broken stuff and general freaked out state no matter what I said.
Fast forward about 15 years and I’m with this group of people and who happens to be there? Larry. I sort of recognize him but now he’s about 5’9″ and maybe 160lbs. Certainly not the giant he was in the playground. Anyway I sort of steer the conversation to where are you from, where did you go to school etc and I can see the light bulb go on in his head. He’s standing there staring at me. I should mention I’m now 6’4″ and about 230lbs (minus the glasses and braces of course :P).
After a few really awkward seconds, the guy he was hanging out with says “Hey, Larry; isn’t it really funny that you used to [harass] this dude and now he could snap you like a twig? That’s pretty funny, right? I’d really like to see that!”
He said he was sorry. I said no worries.
Sorry that wasn’t very exciting but you would have needed to see the look on Larry’s face…
Image source: cultoftheindividual
#27
I was one of the only non-italian kids at my elementary school. To make things worse, I have a name(Brooke) that’s normally given to females (I’m male). A love for books, and classical training in violin/vocals with that? I was kicked daily by almost the entire class. (Reason? I wasn’t Italian).
I hit highschool and my social circle exploded. I became known by virtually everyone in my age group in the entire city. (Population 73,000, with another 300 to 400k across the border in the USA). Soon after I started throwing Raves (First in the city), and producing live Techno on stage. (Also, a first in my city)
I ignored all the [jerks] that picked on me in elementary school, however they would frequently show up at events I organized or be present at bars/clubs I was drinking at.
Years later (When I was 25 or so), I was approached by the first of the group mainly responsible for the bullying. He apologized profusely, and asked for my forgiveness. I gave it.
Shortly after that point, a second and third member of that group did the same. The main offenders all made peace with me, and even though I really wanted to refuse it .. I accepted it each time.
Now years later I’m glad I accepted the apologies. It certainly will never make up for the [bad] 8 years I spent in elementary school, but I consider that time well spent. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without that.
Image source: anon
#28
I picked on a kid for a while in 8th grade (our middle school was 6-8 so I guess I was finally on the top of the s**t pile for once). I felt terrible about it later on in life.
I ran into that kid about 10 years later at a bar. He was still nerdy and awkward. I bought him a drink, said “Yeah, I was a [jerk] back then”, and we had a good evening of it all. Now he’s one of my closest friends and he even let me know he was going to ask his GF to marry him before anyone else knew.
TLDR; It’s never too late to make things right.
Image source: throwawayaccount9489
#29
One of the many bullies that picked on me in high school ended up dating my cousin a few years after college. He never put two and two together (me and my cousin have the same last names), so when we met again for the first time at a bar he looked pretty horrified.
After exchanging pleasantries for awhile – I honestly didn’t really care about the bullying anymore – he took me aside and explained how deeply sorry he was and how he really loved my cousin. The man was practically begging for my approval. To be fair, he seemed like a reformed dude, so I kept reassuring him that it was all cool.
This should have given me a ton of satisfaction, but for some reason it didn’t. Like I said, I just didn’t care anymore. I honestly believe that I got over the traumatizing bullying I went through in high school once I got to college.
Image source: karlmageddon
#30
In middle school there was this kid who used to bully me. At one point I got a call from him asking me for homework help, at 10pm at night or some such hour (bed time for middle school me). I told him no. He calls me back, not 2 minutes later, saying his mom wants to speak to me. She asked me why I wouldn’t help him. I told her that she wouldn’t have helped him either if he treated her like he treated me in school. She said thanks and hung up the phone. I never had problems with him again.
Image source: fetusl
#31
Back in elementary I had a couple of guys who tried to beat me up with a bike chain. After diving under a pine tree and being saved by the person who owned the house (hey it was grade 5 and I was no fighter) I still harbour just a twinge of schadenfreude now.
Guy 1: Became a mechanic, lost his job due to downsizing, lost his house from loosing his job, now lives in an apartment in the nastiest area of town. Still has enough money to have an internet connection (facebook tells all) and drink with his buddies. Also now sports a potbelly.
Guy 2: Was living on debt for too long (as far as I can gather) and has been progressively selling his stuff for the last six months. He never stopped living with with his parents. The guy used to have a beautiful BMW which he had to sell. Also used to have a beautiful fiance who dumped him.
I feel a little guilty every time I look at their facebook pages to check and make sure I’m still winning the game of life compared to them.
Bonus: The other guy who didn’t do much (he actually was a good guy) but stood there and watched is now a businessman. He’s got a bunch of subways and is making pretty good coin. I ran into him and his fiance a few weeks back and they were really friendly. Neither one of us mentioned the incident, it really wasn’t relevant.
Moral of the story, privacy setting on facebook *thumbs up*.
Image source: gburron
#32
There was a kid who used to bully me (and everyone else) when I was in preschool. We were about 18 years old when I saw him again. At 18, he was 6’9″ and an excellent basketball player. I kept my distance and didn’t let him know who I was. I overheard him threatening to beat up his girlfriend if she didn’t STFU. I was satisfied that he was headed for a long, miserable life, and immediately forgot about him.
Image source: briarios
#33
Yes I have and it went rather well.
In the 5th grade there was this kid who was popular with all the cool guys and girls. He wore cool clothes and had all the newest stuff. He was well liked. This was my first year at the school, and as a result, was a total loner.
One day after school is out, I’m walking to my bus. I was walking completely absent mindedly when I walked into cool-kid and knocked him over. He gets up, embarassed, and pushes me as hard as he can to the ground. He then says, “Hey, look at this kid! Everyone point and laugh at this kid!!” Of course everyone in the immediate area points and laughs because of cool-kid’s reputation. Humiliating.
Anyways, fast forward one year and a new neighborhood later and I’m at the bus stop waiting to go to school for my first day of middle school. Sure enough, the first person to round the corner and make his way to the bus stop is none other than cool-kid himself. I remember glaring at him and thinking, “I hate this guy” when he walks up to me and politely asks me my name. I let him know, and he says, “I’m cool-kid. Wan’t a Dr.Pepper?”
The kid busts out a Dr.Pepper and we drink them togeather in the early morning waiting for the bus. Cool-kid turned out to be one of my closest friends through middle school and high school. I remember bringing the intital meeting up in conversation, and he honestly did not remember the incident. Sometimes, kids can just be cruel.
TL;DR: Kid bullied me one day. Chance meeting at bus stop a year later after I moved to a new neighborhood. Kid turned out to be an awesome guy that became one of my closest friends through school.
Image source: Edmuresay
#34
A friend of mine was made fun of horribly in middle school for his nerdy looks. He moved away for the summer and the 9th grade year. He came back in 10th grade with contacts, a haircut, an acne free face, and a cool (retro) car. No one recognized him as the same kid they all mocked. His revenge? He slept with all the football players girlfriends.
TL;DR: revenge nooky ftw.
Image source: drakin
#35
There was this guy. He was 14, I was 11. We were in the same grade, 5th. He used to push me around. This was a small town and he was the son a rich guy. Ten years later, I was a 1st LT and I get a bunch of fresh meat. He was there. He tried to be friendly but I stopped him short I was the Platoon commander, he was just a lowly private. He died a hero two days later.
Image source: anon
#36
I had one in high school when I played on the football team who used to berate me to no end. I understand football has a lot of trash talking but this kid used to do it purposely to get under my skin. I was twice as big as him and could have easily paralyzed him for life, but I never cracked.
A few years later I saw him at a college football game and found out his girlfriend had just left him and he was thinking about dropping out of college. I bought him a drink and convinced him to stick it out. Now he owns a start up small business and if I ever need some work done on my house for cheap, I know who to call.
Revenge doesn’t pay folks, no matter what they did to you.
Image source: anon
#37
A girl picked on me at my first camping trip as a girl scout. I ran away and hid behind a tent to cry.
Last week she sent me a friend request on Facebook. I ignored it.
Image source: sas1717
#38
I was bullied in elementry school and HS. Around the time I got glasses. Because of this there was this one guy I ended up bullying in HS. He was weaker and didn’t really have any friends to help him. I never beat him up or anything, just scare him a little, let him think I was going to hurt him, maybe even chase him around. This was about 18 years ago.
If I ever had the chance I would certainly apologize to him. Having been bullied myself I knew how wrong it was. I just didn’t want to be the lowest man on the totem pole. I’ve tried looking him up on Facebook, hoping to apologize, but he has one of those very common names that gives you a thousand results. I frequently think of him and hope he’s lead a fulfilling life.
If you’re out there Jason, I am sorry.
Image source: DownWithTheShip
#39
There was a boy who used to pick on me in middle school and high school until he [passed away] in a flaming car wreck (Of course, he was the driver, drinking, and two others in the vehicle were injured. One of those is now pregnant, the other was in the hospital for 10 months.)
Anyway, All I could think about was that I didn’t feel bad that he [passed away]. I didn’t feel any remorse or sympathy for the still-living family he had. I read in the papers that he was such a great kid and was so friendly and cheerful.
No he wasn’t. He was not great and he certainly wasn’t friendly. He was a [jerk] and, though I’m not glad that he’s [gone], I’m not discontented with the fact that he’s not alive.
A confusing emotion.
Image source: anon
#40
She wound up going to the same college as me. She apologized to me for [things] that was pulled years ago when she saw me on campus three years ago. This semester we awkwardly sit next to each other in Con Law class. I don’t really speak to her.
Image source: autumnus
#41
I was the bully, and the guy I bullied is one of the strongest, most self-confident guys I know, and holds no ill will towards me. In fact, he’s one of my best friends now. He is an amazing dude, and I am a [jerk].
Image source: upvote_for_dissent
#42
I had a few bullies, but I converted all but one into friends with patience and a fake confidence + nice guy routine. The one that got away, ended up fighting me and losing in 7th grade.
I guess I’m lucky.
Image source: anon
#43
I went to a military school where bullying was literally everywhere.
One of the worst offenders was this huge, corn-fed linebacker the coach dubbed ‘beast’. Beast was probably the biggest [jerk] alive on Earth at the time.
He would randomly walk through the halls of our dorms and just flat sucker punch whomever he wished. It was horribly common. And there wasn’t anything anyone (or any group even) could do because he was 6’5″, 250 lbs and solid muscle.
Anyway, about 6 months ago I caught a FB friend request from him. Astonished, I verified this was actually him and that he had the gall to ‘friend’ me. Mind you, I’m now a pretty big guy myself and he had morphed into a globular mess.
So I simply typed, “No thank you.” and denied him.
Image source: Agnostix
#44
Knew a guy in middle school who got bullied mercilessly in the locker room. The stuff that nightmares are made of. Cut to thirty years later: Bully? Working as a guard in a max security prison, presumably with attendant stress and daily horror. Guy who got bullied? Just retired after highly successful career as a programmer with a BIG company, nice pension, etc. Happy home life, great kids. Starting second career. He’s a great guy.
Image source: anon
#45
There was a kid named Ben that was a jerk to me from 7th grade to 11th. I was a very awkward looking young teenager that turned into the super hot girl at 16. Seriously, it was like out of a movie. This guy Ben made my life miserable for years, but by 11th grade his teasing was just kind of pathetic. Ben was in the upper crust of popular in highschool.
When I was about 20, I started dating a guy named John. John wouldve been way out of my league in HS, he was extremely popular. I used to watch from a distance but never had a chance til I was older and more confident. One day John and I were sitting at a park when Ben the bully showed up.
He looked at me with complete recognition but ignored me. He started gushing at my bf John. “Hey buddy, it’s great to see you! How’s it been?” John my bf just stared at him and in complete honesty said, “Do I know you?” Ben the bully got very flustered and started stammering, “Its me, Ben…don’t you remember me?” John just shook his head and said no. Ben looked at me again in complete shock and walked away while I cracked up laughing at him. Quess he was never as cool as he thought.
Image source: Zippytuna
#46
In the 7th grade there was a kid that always picked on me to the point where where my parents felt it necessary to get the school officials involved. He ended up getting in-school suspension or something and stopped picking on me. We didn’t see much of each other up until sophomore year of high school, and by the end of senior year we had actually become pretty good friends. He’s got some mental problems of his own that I think affected his actions, and he’s surprised whenever people bring up the fact that he used to pick on me because he doesn’t even remember doing it.
Image source: thehatter918
#47
I met a guy who was a complete [jerk] in school at a party. I talked to him about his time in school and he said he feels like a [jerk] for the way he treated people he also apologised to my friend as he came out while in school and the guy made his life hell. He said he actually has a great respect for him being so brave and coming out at school and that he has no problems with gay people. Was nice to see he has turned his life around … he is still doing [trashy] jobs while I’m off to University which is funny.
Image source: testicularmilk
#48
Encountered a guy who used to beat me up in high school years after the fact. He said something to me that he recognized me, and I told him he used to beat me up in the bathroom. He *hugged* me (weird), and told me he was sorry with kind of a half laugh, then proceeded to tell me his life story. He had gotten thrown out of his dad’s house and had to live under a bridge, til he ‘found Jesus’ and then tried to convert me. At the end of all of it I didn’t hate this guy anymore, I felt really bad that he was so codependent, either on [illegal substances] or belief in a god. whatever gets people through the day I guess…
Image source: anon
#49
My high school bully runs a sucessful landscaping business, is uber buff and has a smoking hot girlfriend. They own a condo together.
Meanwhile I`m single and have 36k in university debts. :(
How do I compete with that…
Image source: PPhelp
#50
My incident took place nearly a decade ago, and there was only a a 5 year difference before first meeting said bully, and running into him again later.
I was in elementary school, and there was this bully who threw a rock at my head shortly after we got dropped off at the bus stop. I end up lying on the sidewalk in a growing pool of blood, which scared the bully so much that he runs home. A friend of mine gets help, I get stitched up, bully’s parents hear about the situation, and said bully becomes nice to me in that groveling sort of way (think Biff from Back to the Future).
Fast forward a few years. I moved back after having lived in a different city for middle school. Now it’s high school, and the bully is a [jerk] again. He had evolved into dealing [illegal substances] on the side, and actively joked about how funny it was that he made me bleed. Even so, he never really bothered me again.
Image source: eluude
#51
Yeah, a few of my ex-bullies are now my friends on Facebook. I have a hard time holding grudges about things that happened when we were 8. Most of them did the same thing I did after elementary school: Grew up, got a job, and raised a family.
Image source: zerbey
#52
The most egregious bully from my childhood years and I parted ways after grade school and reunited in high school.
The first thing he did was apologize.
Image source: schoofer
#53
Yep. 4 years after high school I ran into an old bully at Kings Island, Dan Pike. He burped in my ear as I walked past him but I didn’t pay it any attention. So he yelled out my name which did make me pause and look. He wanted me to gather all my friends and meet him and his friends for some kind of battle-royale. I laughed and went about my day.
Now when I see him working at the food court at the mall I go place an order then walk away without taking it or paying for it. Ah, life’s little pleasures.
Image source: ThufirrHawat
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