Yesterday, Lady Gaga launched her anti-bullying foundation, Born This Way, at Harvard University. This got me thinking of my own days as a bullied pre-teen—and the sweet revenge I was able to exact on my young male tormenter.
Halfway through sixth grade, I switched schools. I’d been living on Cape Cod with my sister, mother, and stepfather. Then my sister and I moved to Connecticut to live with my grandmother. It was a hellishly confusing time. My mother had left for what was supposed to be a week-long trip to visit friends in California. But she decided to escape her bad marriage by simply not returning.
In the suburban oasis where my grandmother lived, I was enrolled in the local junior high. Then, just in case my 11-year-old self hadn’t suffered enough that year, a young thug by the name of David made it his life’s mission to compound my misery. Keep reading »
