Bully Takes A Beating

There was a bully by the name of Gary who transferred to our grammar school when we were twelve. I saw him and immediately my sense of well being was threatened. I sensed trouble. I became vigilant about him knowing my own vulnerability for being bullied. I was a chicken plain and simple and dreaded bullies.
Gary was the type of kid who tried to intimidate anyone who would show any weakness or fear toward him. The bullying could take place in the classroom when the teacher was not looking, in the bathroom, the lunchroom, in the park, or the playground. No place in the neighborhood was safe for me. He would assault any boy he sensed would be a victim. It seems that bullies can tell who will be their prey.

I met Gary in grade school when we were both twelve years old. He looked at me in the bathroom and said "what are you?” I said" what do you mean"? He looked straight in my face and I knew he had my number. Fear and dread ran through my stomach. He said "stays away from me man" "I don't like you already" "What's your name?" "David", I answered. "You a tough guy?" he asked. "I'm OK" I answered fearfully. "No, your not" he answered and walked away. He smelled me.

One day he was pitching softball in gym class. He made the slow pitch game into his own fast pitch game and started throwing balls at the head of everyone who came up to bat.
He had a lot of the kids who were playing scared to death. He hit me in the face with the ball and I did nothing in response. After the game, as we walked back to class, He pushed and slapped several kids to see who would be his marks. He hit me in the gut and I doubled over in pain. My friends watched me try to catch my breath.

It was the same situation at recess. Gary would just walk around bullying people he already had intimidated and looking for new victims. I was constantly sick to my stomach with fear just being near him. He had humiliated me several more times by knocking me around in front of all my friends. I did not have the guts to fight back so I just took his abuse and hated myself for cowardliness.

He was a blond haired, skinny monster who kept getting scarier and scarier as the school year went on. He fought several older boys and won the fights enhancing his reputation. Gary had no friends but only acquaintances who tried to avoid his wrath by patronizing him.

The day of reckoning did come for Gary. He decided to challenge a very tough kid with a big reputation as a ferocious fighter. The guys name was Jerry and he was actually a nice guy who was studious but was mean and could fight. I had seen him demolish a high school kid who he fought in front of the the school one day. The fight between Gary and Jerry was scheduled at the park.

Fight day came and it seemed that about 200 kids showed up to watch. I was there. The fight was a wipe out. Gary went at Jerry fists flying swinging them wildly. Jerry just stood still, blocked a few punches and then hit Gary in the nose with a hay maker. Gary's nose cracked like a twig that had been snapped. Blood poured out like a broken pipe. Gary was finished immediately. He pulled away and buried his face in his shirt to absorb the blood. He held up his hands in a defensive position looking at Jerry for mercy as he backed up.. Jerry grinned. He moved slowly toward the hurt and scared Gary. He knew he owned Gary now.
Jerry said
I don’t like you” Jerry said to Gary.
 Then, ,Jerry grabbed him and then put him in a headlock and hit him in his bloody face with four brutally hard, perfectly placed uppercuts. Gary's face looked like it had gone through a meet grinder. His mouth was bleeding heavily as Jerry finally let screaming Gary out of the headlock. It was a slaughter and now it was over.
Jerry stood there, having hardly gotten a workout. He merely grinned at all the kids watching.  He had made himself an instant legend. Jerry did not gloat or stick around to celebrate. He walked back to where he had put his books down, picked them up and walked away without looking back...

Gary was sitting on a bench several feet away trying to wipe his bloody face off and holding his broken nose He had no supporters.

I looked at him and started to loathe myself for not having what it took to stand up to him.
Why had I let him humiliate me? Even if he would have beaten me if I had fought him I would still have had my dignity. Instead, I was just another chicken. Feelings of inadequacy overcame me

The kids all walked away mumbling about how really tough Jerry was and also mumbling I told you so to each other about what piece of crap Gary really was and that he wasn’t tough.

The question was why had anyone ever let Gary shove them around? The answer was obvious.
Everyone was afraid too stand up to Gary. Everyone is always afraid in our society. It's natural to be.. But, not for everyone. Not for guys like Jerry.That's why we respect tough guys. Because they are willing to face the fear we are not willing or able to

Bullies are only bullies because they can be. Beware of the Jerry's bullies..