I was bullied all through school—at my 10-year reunion, no one recognized me, and I used that moment to reveal exactly who I had become.

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“Oh, it was tragic. Braces, frizz, always red in the face. You barely had to say anything, and she’d panic.”

Ashley looked down. “We were awful.”

Madison rolled her eyes. “It was high school. Everybody got teased.”

“Not everybody went home crying,” I said.

The table went quiet.

Madison narrowed her eyes. “Did you know her?”

I smiled, but my chest ached.continue reading …