"I don’t know whether it has ever happened to you? It started
when Justine came into our class. I was friends with Joanne and
Justine wanted to hang round with us. It was OK at first but then
she and Jo began laughing about things and I didn’t know what was
funny. They had secrets they wouldn’t tell me. They started nicking
my things and pretending I had lost them. I stopped hanging around
with them and sat next to Lucy in English and Science. She was my
friend from primary school.
Then they started spreading rumours about me. They said I was a
slag and slept with Pete Smithson. They said I was pregnant. They
started sending me horrible text messages. They got everyone
against me. I didn’t want to tell her – but my Mum found out when I
told her because she found me crying in my room.
I wouldn’t go to school. Mum went to school and spoke to Miss
Ratcliffe but she said they, the teachers, hadn’t seen anything and
they couldn’t do anything about it. I got really down. My Mum went
to school and got angry because I was missing so much school. They
got everyone together and changed my form. They also gave me a
mentor. Things are better now but I still don’t speak to Jo and
Justine – although they aren’t friends anymore."