A sad situation all 'round. I'd always wondered what the "other side" of the story was.
I was tormented by someone throughout my earlier high school years. And I'm ashamed to admit that it got the point where I actually started plotting how to make it stop. It's frightening to write and admit that now, even thirty years later, but I did.
And it wasn't from being called names or being teased... that's typical of growing up. It happens. But no, this person simply became obsessed with proving how he could control me and my life, the people in it, the friends I had, what people thought of me, and my concept of reality and who I was. It wasn't what he DID so much as the fact that he'd DO it, if that makes sense? I just couldn't believe anyone would be THAT obsessed with me specifically, that sadistic, that bent on proving that he had some sort of "power over" me. Piece by piece, he'd remove the things from my life... people, friends, assumptions, confidence, trust... and any sense of self-determination I had left.
In the end, something in me snapped, but instead of reacting with violence, I simply lost interest in it all. I just crashed emotionally, became cold, stopped caring, just focused on schoolwork and enjoying my time alone, and over time the "high" he was getting from watching me squirm faded, the people he'd turned against me ended up laughing at HIM, and life went back to normal for me.
But it's frightening to think how close I was to becoming a "Brandon" myself.
~Kate~
