She walked down the hallway, eyes glued to her phone.
After arriving at her locker, she glanced up to put in her combination.
Then she saw her.
The girl who made her life a living hell just a few years ago.
And the memories all flooded back like it had just happened yesterday.
“I remember constantly being told to kill myself,” said junior Allie Szuba.
But why would they doing that?
But what did she do to deserve it?
But why her?
“It all started because I was standing up for a friend,” said Szuba.
What began as a petty disagreement quickly turned into something she could no longer handle.
However, she stood by her decision to stick up for her friend and together they struggled through their middle school years until the bullying stopped.
“It definitely made me stronger,” said Szuba. “But at the same time, it made me weaker.”
Building confidence is a struggle for any teenage girl, but it almost seemed impossible for her.
After years of being told she wasn’t good enough, she started to believed it.
Did she deserve to feel confident?
Did she deserve to happy?
Did she deserve to let go of the past?
Eventually she overcame her struggles and she now is a beacon of hope for others.
“The most important thing is to not go through it alone,” said Szuba. “That will only make it worse.”
After what seemed like forever, she dialed in her combination, grabbed her book, and went on her way with a smile.
Not a chance she was going to let that girl bother her anymore.