My name is Melita. I was and still am to a point an outsider. I had a few friends at Primary school, though not many. I was happy nevertheless. Then my closest friend (I'll call her Dawn) cruely ditched me and everyone else ignored me. I thought it'd get better when I got to High school. I thought I'd make friends right away when I got to high school.

I've always been academic and I've always been identified as a gifted and talented, respected in some ways, but despised in others. When I got to High school, no-one in my year hated me, but I didn't have any friends really. The real problem was from some year 8 girl's, Dawn's friends, who thought that it'd be a laugh to poke fun at me. And so it began....

Almost 60 days of pure torture began. The cries of 'boff', 'swot', 'little bitch' and 'loner' were a firey spark piercing my skin, but they didn't shred my soul or my spirit. I ignored them and thought 'Oh, they're just immature, can't think of anything better to do'. I thought that it couldn't get any worse. I was wrong.

One day I was walking along the corridor when some of the girls jumped out at me crying 'Look at the boffin, are you a boffin?' In my head I thought 'Oh God, here we go again!' And I braced myself for the onslaught. But it didn't come. Instead something came that I wasn't expecting. It was far worse than what I was expecting. One of the girls reached out and pushed me. Not immensly hard, but enough to make me stumble.

I saw red. I wanted to cry right there and then, but I am too proud for that. I marched to my tutor room and cried for what seemed like an age. It was strange with 10 of my classmates crowding round me and another 10 6th formers and year 11's as well. They comforted me and a teacher was told.

The teacher was understanding and gave the girls a suspension. But he wasn't that understanding. He pestered me as to why I hadn't told him about it beforehand. I was too scared. He made me feel like the bully.

I now have friends and no-one bullies me anymore, but the fear still shakes my heart. I may have been bullied only for a short time, some of you guys have been bullied for most of your life, but I have learnt some important lessons.

1. Don't bottle it up or if you do, it'll all come spilling out in a rush.
2. Classmates can get you through it, or anyone can really.
3. Sometimes adults are not the best option.
4. Schools often overlook the causes (ie the bully) and either focus on the actual incident (ie the push in my case) and punish the bullies for that or the seem to think that the bullying simply doesn't happen.
5. Remember that it's never your fault.
6. If all else fails, never forget that you are never alone, even if you feel that you are. Millions of people have gone through it and they still face the repocussions of it. Remember, we're stronger people than those who haven't been bullied. We've experianced torture that they'll never know. We know the truth that lurks in our education systems.