One morning in ninth or tenth grade, I was sitting in the stands in the gym waiting for PE class to start. Behind me, the guy who bullied me relentlessly was egging someone else on to throw crumpled balls of paper at me. Eventually, I picked one up and threw it at the bully. Moments later, he was choking me and banging my head on the concrete stands. Minutes later, we were in the Vice Principal's office. After having been choked, I could barely speak, and the Vice Principal said it was my fault for having reacted to the bully. As always, the bullies protect each other and blame their victims. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 7 October 2026)