By A woman who was bullied mercilessly in high school 25 years ago posted a heartbreaking poem about her experience on a Facebook page for her class reunion.
Lynda Frederick, a graduate of Orange Glen High in Escondido, Calif., in 1987, posted the poem ahead of the reunion.
Some excerpts:
that little girl who came to school with the clothes she wore the day before
instead of asking why.. you picked on her...
the little girl who had bruises and was dirty
instead of asking why.. you picked on her
that little girl was me...
that little girl had love in her heart to share with all but no one wanted it...
this WOMEN has grown up now
however the little girl inside still crys [sic]
because her childhood was shattered
The post resulted in an outpouring of support and regret from former classmates.
"This poem touched me so bad I could not sleep--I cried," Lisa Wallace told NBC San Diego. Wallace and many others contacted Frederick to apologize for those years. They've created a scholarship fund in her name and raised money to fly Frederick to the reunion, and she has agreed to go.
Frederick says she has forgiven her classmates.
Former classmate Kristi Malone remembers the bullying incidents but felt powerless to stop them. "I felt so bad for her. But never thinking in my head that I could stand up for her," she told NBC.
Frederick says she had a troubled home life and graduated a semester early, moving across the country to Seneca Falls, N.Y. She now has three children of her own, including a 14-year-old daughter who is now dealing with bullies at school.
"I tell her to look at the people and say, 'Listen,'" Frederick said. "'If you don't like what I'm wearing, if you don't like the way I look—don't look!'"
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