Even though I knew nothing about reputation and the need to protect it, I understood the gruesome effect of those rumours on me when it gets out of the four walls of the boarding house, and especially to the ears of my parents.
The heartbreak they would feel, the sight of the disappointment on their face, the screams of my mum, the scoldings from my dad, and the need to continuously explain myself while trying not to slip into depression were not processes I saw myself go through, but there was little to nothing I could do to protect myself.
There was a group of girls who dictated who the hostel students could have conversations with and those they should run from. They also decided who they should bully and who should be free from the pangs of their bullying. And when they realized that someone was getting more attention than they think the person deserved, they activate rumour mongering which is the second on the list of the punishments they meted out.
It started with jealousy, and I watched their jealousy graduated into full-blown hatred, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
I wasn’t the very best in school, but I had my way with the teachers. I was outspoken, diligent, attended competitions, and I would always help the juniors with their assignments. What I didn’t know was that all those things angered them, and they had a plan to destroy me.
Funny is, I was not in any way close to being the richest kid in the dorm because my parents weren’t. In fact, I could say that I was one of the students that lacked financially, and was just contented with the little I had, but that was not enough.
It started when a new boy joined my class, and according to our class teacher, I needed to put him through all that he had missed since he resumed late. But what I didn’t know was that one of the girls had fallen for my new classmate at first sight.
That wasn’t my problem though. I was only willing to help someone out. Unfortunately for me, the guy and the girl hooked up, and they started a thing… and the battle began.
I was always together with him putting him through his maths and chemistry assignments, and this troubled the click of top girls greatly, and since all their strings had not worked earlier, they decided to do something new.
They spread rumours that
- I was a witch draining the brain of all students and adding it to mine and that’s why I was so brilliant.
- I hijacked people’s boyfriends pretending to teach them some lessons.
- I stole from one of them in the hostel.
These allegations were so huge, that one day, I confronted one of them who was their leader, and I was ready to fight to protect myself.
I had nothing, but my name, and if anything had soiled it in high school, it would affect me in the future peradventure I decided to run for a political post, or what if I got a job and one of my high school mates who heard the rumours was there?
If I had the means and understanding of how to take legal action against those girls who had made my life miserable, slandered my name because of their acts of hates, I definitely would’ve plied that route. That way, no one would dare to try to do it to me again except their parents were ready to spend a lot of money tending to the court case.
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Bullying starts from school, I can say it has high potential in school, and the best thing you could have done in that situation is to report them to the higher authority Maybe if they gave them the beating of their lives they would desist from such behavior.
Oh, report? Those ones were hardened bullies that even reporting would've done nothing to them.
Wow. Those allegations are so funny and I am just laughing here. Not everyone will like you for who you are or what you do, they start to find ways of damaging your name and reputation, in most cases, one needs to be careful, too in handling those things.
And that is why it is very important to use at least one person as a scape goat for others to learn. If I had the capacity, I really would've returned the hate with legal actions. Lol.
Thank you very much.