So this is a quick one shot that I wrote about bullying. I've been hearing a lot about all these horrible things that bullying does and all these horrible stories that go with them. So, I decided to write this to help raise awareness about how horrible it is. Help stop bullying.

People say that when someone bullies you it's because they're" jealous" or because it makes them "feel better" about themselves. I don't believe this is true. I believe people do it to fit in or make themselves seem "cool". What is so "cool" about kicking someone when they're down? Or tearing someone down just because you can? Bullying leads to greater problems: cutting, anorexia, bulimia, depression, thoughts of suicide, and so much more. Here's my story, and let me just tell you now, it doesn't have a happy ending. Most of these stories don't.

I'll start from the beginning. My name is Demi Martin. I was just an average fourteen year old girl. I had friends, a good home life, and passing grades. I wouldn't say I was "popular" but I also wasn't what people would consider a "loser". I walked down the hall with my long dirty blonde hair lying flat down my back and shoulders and a big smile plastered on my face. I was feeling confident that day; little did I know what was going to occur. I found my best friend Selena by her locker and greeted her. She greeted me back with a hug and I started to tell her about the good feeling I had about the day. She politely listened then told me she had exciting news. "What is it?" I asked becoming eager, seeing her eager face.

"Nick asked me out!" She squealed. I hugged her excitedly. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you! I'm so happy. I've had a crush on him for so long."

"Yes, I know Sel." I said rolling my eyes.

Selena continued to tell me all about how happy she was and the details on how he asked her out.

For the rest of the day things were very awkward. Selena had seemed to completely forget I even existed and the only person who was alive was Nick. I wasn't mad of course, I mean they had just gotten together, it was to be expected.

I came home and saw my dad sitting at our kitchen table with his head in his hands. I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder and asked him what was wrong. He looked up at me with red puffy eyes and told me that my mom had left us for another man. I was taken aback by the news; this was so sudden and came out of nowhere. I couldn't help but sit down next to my dad and cry with him. She was my mom. She was supposed to always be there for us and always love my dad. She wasn't supposed to run off with someone else and forget about us.

I went to bed early that night and didn't bother trying to do any homework. I knew I wouldn't be able to focus. The next day I walked into the school feeling lower than low. I saw Selena and Nick by her locker so I went up to them and tried to greet them but they ignored me. I tapped on Selena's shoulder and she turned around looking almost angry. "What?" She hissed.

"Uh, hey." I said frightened of her reaction.

"Hi, can I help you? I'm talking to Nick."

I was shocked at the way she was acting toward me. "I just wanted to talk to you. Is it so wrong to want to talk to my best friend?"

She rolled her eyes clearing annoyed by my presence. "No, I guess not." She finally took at good look at me. "What's wrong with you?" Honestly, she sounded like she could have cared less. "My mom left us yesterday." I replied holding back tears.

"Oh," she paused awkwardly, "that really sucks."

I nodded. "So is that all?" She asked wanting to go back to talking to Nick. "Yeah, I guess so."

"OK, bye then." She turned her back to me and focused all her attention on Nick. So far I managed to lose my mom and best friend all in less than twenty four hours.

It seemed like no one wanted to talk to me today. It was as if I had some sort of disease and if anyone interacted with me they would die. Things only got worse from there, after my mom left my dad had a hard time staying sober and holding down a job. We had to move out of our nice two story house and into a cramped two bedroom apartment in a sketchy part of town and after that happened everyone started to treat me like dirt.

"Hey, bitch, what would you give me if I gave you a dollar?" A guy asked walking up to me. I tried to push past him but he shoved me up against the lockers. "I was talking to you bitch, it's not nice to walk away from someone when they're talking to you." I stayed silent and tried to free myself from his tight grip. "I'll let you go after you give me what I want. You'll even get a whole dollar out of it." He said pushing me harder against the lockers. "Leave me alone!" I screamed. "Aw, look guys, she's crying now." I kicked the guy in the balls and quickly ran down the hall and into the girls' bathroom where the group couldn't get me. At least, that group couldn't get me.

Not too long after I locked myself into a stall a group of girls I used to call my friends came in and forced the door open and pulled me up then pushed my head into the toilet holding me there. I thought they were going to kill me, but right before I was about to pass out they pulled me out of the toilet and let me get air before shoving my head back in and repeating this process over and over again. After ten long minutes the girls were satisfied with the humiliation they had caused me and left laughing. I tried to stand up but I was still lightheaded. I knew there was no point in trying to go on with the day so after the bell rang and everyone went to their classes I came out of the girls' bathroom and made a run for the schools front doors, only to be greeted by the same group of guys.

"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to come out and give me what I paid for." The leader said smirking. I turned to run but smacked into two large guys and they grabbed both my arms and the leader started to put his hands on me. I was praying that I would just die right then and there. Before the leader could do any serious damage, a hall monitor turned the corner and saw what was going on. The boys ran immediately and I fell to the ground sobbing. The hall monitor kneeled down next to me and asked me what had happened. I ignored the question and asked if I could go home. He nodded his head and led me to the main office. The school policy was in order to leave I had to call a parent to come pick me up. I knew my dad wouldn't be sober enough to come pick me. I tried to talk him out of just letting me leave but he wouldn't hear it.

To my surprise my dad was home and half conscious. He told the school that he was sick and couldn't come pick me up but it would be OK for me to walk home. The man that had saved me from the group of assholes looked at me with sullen eyes and signed the slip allowing me to leave. I gave him a small smile and said thank you then ran out of the school faster than a speeding bullet. I kept running until I got home. I didn't look back.

My dad was passed out by the time I made it home. I put a blanket over him and locked myself into my tiny room, curling up into a ball on my bed. It finally sunk in that those guys were going to rape me. I hated everything and everyone. I hated life. I honestly wished I was dead.

After hours of staying curled up, I found the strength to get up and take a shower. I stood there letting the cool water hit my skin and closed my eyes trying to relax. I opened them again after a few moments and something caught my eye. It was my razor. I picked it up and took what was covering the blade off and held it in my hand. I put it to my wrist and slowly dragged it across my wet skin. I felt so numb that it didn't even hurt. Blood drew instantly and rolled down my arm and onto the shower floor. I ran my finger over the cut and cringed at the pain. I dropped the blade and turned off the water. I must admit, even though the cut hurt, it made me feel better. I like the feel of the physical pain other than the emotional pain. By the end of the night I had more cuts on my wrists than I could count.

The next day I walked to school and pulled on my sleeves making sure my cuts were covered. They hurt to the touch but I needed to keep the hidden. I walked into school and was immediately greeted by the idiots from yesterday, but before they could say or do anything to me the man that saved me from them grabbed my be the wrist, which hurt to the point where there we tears in my eyes and it took all my strength not to scream, and led me to his office. It turns out he was the school's councilor. He told me to take a seat in the chair in front of his desk and I reluctantly sat down. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday." He said intertwining his fingers and staring me dead in the eyes.

"What about it?" I said in a small voice.

"Why were those guys harassing you?"

"They weren't harassing me." I said staring at my hands. "Can I please go?"

"We don't except that kind of behavior at this school."

"There was no harm done, really. Can you please just drop it?"

"Don't you want to talk about it?"

"There is nothing to talk about."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Fine," he said "you may go, but just know this is a safe place. You can talk to me." I said thank you and ran out of his office.

The day seemed to drag on like it was never going to end, but finally when it was the last period of the day, class happened to be cancelled that day so we were let out to wonder the school, but we weren't allowed to leave. I went to my usual stall in the bathroom and prayed that no one would come in and hurt me. I just wanted to go at least one day without harassment. I must have jinxed it because not long after, the same group of girls from the day before came in and pulled me out of the stall and started punching me hard in the stomach. I finally fell to the ground after the sixth punch and they proceeded to kick me in the stomach, face, arms, and anywhere they could. I learned a long time ago it was impossible to try and fight back so I took it, praying that I would pass out or that something would happen so I wouldn't feel the pain anymore. Apparently, the kicking wasn't enough, they picked up my limp and bruising body and took me over to the toilet and proceeded to dunk my head in over and over again just like the day before.

I stayed hanging over the toilet until the bell to leave finally rung and waited fifteen minutes more before leaving the bathroom in hopes that most everyone would be gone. I don't know why I even try, of course someone would still be there and just waiting to add to what has already been done. I ran out and smacked right into the leader of guys. "Well, well, well, look who came running to me." My eyes widened in fear and I tried to break away but he already had a grip on me. "Where do you think you're going? We haven't even had any fun yet. " He said smirking evilly.

The next thing I know I'm laying on the floor of the janitors' closet writhing in pain. I wish I was dead. I felt my body slowly being lifted up and I felt two strong arms holding me bridal style. I opened my eyes and saw the councilor. I closed my eyes again feeling embarrassed and weak. He took me to the school nurse only to have her say that I needed a hospital. I tried to protest knowing that my dad couldn't afford the bill, but they wouldn't hear it.

When I got to the hospital, a group of nurses came immediately to take care of me. The doctor told me I had four broken ribs and severe bruising almost everywhere and that I needed two stitches on my face. I was more beat up than I had thought. After I was all bandaged up and lying in the hospital bed, the councilor came in. "Hey, how are you doing?" He asked sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"I'm great, can I leave now?" I asked as convincing as I could. He shook his head at me and told me no. "I can't afford to be here."

"Don't worry about it, I took care of it." I looked at him shocked. "What? Why?"

"Don't worry about it, okay?"

"I can't let you pay for this."

"Well you don't have a choice now do you?" He said smiling. "I'll find a way to pay you back I promise."

"Really, don't worry about it Demi ." It was a weird thing, hearing my name. It's been a long time since anyone has spoken it, or even been this kind to me. "Thank you, for everything." He smiled and covered my hand with his.

I was really glad he didn't push me with a lot of questions about everything that had happened. He visited me every day I was in the hospital, which ended up being a week. He kept me caught up on all my school work. After everything this man has done to help me, I still didn't know his name. So, as he helped me out of the hospital on the day I was released, I looked up at him. "How is it that after everything you have done for me I still don't know what to call you? Other than councilor or God?" I said smiling slightly. "Call me Joe." He said smiling back. "Are you sure? Shouldn't I call you mister something or other?"

"No, I like students to think of me as a friend so I let them call me by my first name."

"Well, thank you again, Joe, for everything. I owe you big time."

"I'm just doing my job."

I got home and my dad was right where I had left him a week ago. He must not have noticed I was gone for a whole week. I started to miss the hospital more and more. At least there I was cared for and treated as a human being. Tomorrow was my first day back to school. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I had nightmares that night about the guy who raped me. I wouldn't be able to put on a brave face and face him. We both know what he did to me and he held that over my head.

That night, when I was showering I found the blade I had used to cut myself on the shower floor where I had left it a week ago. I picked it up and looked at my wrists. The cuts were starting to turn into scars, but they were still opening able. I slowly drew the blade over every single cut and watched fresh blood pour from my wrist. I no longer felt as nervous about the day to come.

My ribs still felt soar walking into school the next day, not that that stopped anyone from punching me. I must have looked like a monster; all my teachers asked me if I was alright after seeing my horrible bruised face. I told them that I had fallen while cleaning out my garage, which was a huge lie, considering I don't even have a garage. They didn't push the issue anymore.

I walked down the hall on my way to the bathroom to hide when I saw Joe. After what I did last night I was a little ashamed to face him. He had done so much to help me and then I turn around and hurt myself. I turned in the opposite direction but he caught up to me and stopped me. "Hey, how are you doing?" I turned my head away from him, trying to avoid eye contact and told him I was fine. He didn't believe me. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong." I said trying to walk past him. He caught me by the wrist and I let out a small yelp of pain. He let go instantly and looked at me confused and sorrowful. I looked down at my sleeve which was now starting to show blood. Joe looked horrified at what he was seeing as he lifted my sleeve revealing the cuts. "Demi , why did you do this?" I pulled my wrist back and ran past him to the girls' bathroom.

I was so ashamed of myself. The look Joe gave me as I ran away from him got to me. It made me feel like even more of a disappointment to the world than usual. I know what I did was wrong, but it made me feel better.

I avoided Joe after that day. I couldn't face him anymore, and not talking to him only made me cut more. I now had cuts all up and down my arms, legs, and hips. My life went down the drain all in less than a year. I lost my mom, best friend, was beat, tortured, and raped almost daily. I was tired of all the pain. I couldn't live life anymore. I knew it was all over so why even bother trying to go on?

I had it all planned out. I wrote my dad a note and put it on his chest telling him that even though he wasn't there for me or even knew what was going on that I still loved him and that it wasn't his fault. I went to school the next day with everything in place. I put a note on Joe's desk after school was out letting him know I was grateful for everything but I couldn't pretend anymore. After that I ran to the lake that was a few miles away from the school and climbed to the top of the bridge that stood over it. I counted to ten then as I jumped I heard someone yelling at me telling me to stop but it was too late. I was gone. Hitting the water felt like a thousand knives stabbing me all at once, then I slowly starting to sink into the water unable to move. Right as I was seconds away from death, I felt myself being pulled out of the water. I heard Joe's voice screaming for help and crying. It was still too late to save me. He let out a long cry when I took my last breath and was finally at peace.

So, that's my story. In the end I found my happy ending, though it wasn't a happy one for the very few people who cared about me. My dad sobered up after my death and he is finally doing well. I'm so happy for him. He even sued the school for lack of protection and then started a teen suicide prevention charity in hopes that there isn't another story like mine to be told.

Bullying isn't "cool". So don't do it.