I’m sitting in my last class of the day, basically a study hall. And I see that one girl, the one who always gets picked on. And I see that one guy, the one who’s nasty to everybody. I sit there and watch him tease that poor girl and I don’t do anything. I know, I’m a horrible person. But I can’t help but feel sorry for the bully, not the victim. Because the girl who’s getting picked on has learned how to deal with it. She sits there, engrossed in her fascinating novels and she ignores everybody around her. I’m sure that the words she hears hurt her, and I’m sure they cut her deep, and I’m sorry for that. But I still can’t help but feel sorry for the boy who’s making fun of her.

I sit in my seat, thinking, there must be something that makes him this way. I mean, he’s the guy who doesn’t do anything in any of his classes. He has an F in every subject. Including art. When teachers yell at him for goofing off, he comes back with a smart aleck remark. When kids say something mean to him, he cusses them out. And when anybody tries to help him, he pushes them away.

I have an interest in him. I spend time thinking and brainstorming of reasons that he acts this way. And I hate how nobody tries to make it better. Guidance counselors, teachers, parent volunteers, substitutes, they all hate him. None of them try to help him with his grades or any other problems, because they don’t like how he behaves. All his so-called friends just urge him on and laugh when he gets into trouble. All this is doing for him is nothing.

All of this encouragement to act up in class, fail every assignment, and get sent to the principal’s office is making his behavior worse and worse. If there was a way I could help him, I would. Because his life at home probably has so many problems that none of us could even come close to understanding them. Who knows what goes on behind closed doors when he’s home? He might have alcoholic or abusive parents. His family might be living off of minimum wage’s pay. Who knows? It could be worse. I just know there has to be SOME kind of reason. People don’t act the way he does just to act that way.

I know you’re probably thinking that I’m crazy, that the girl getting picked on has a terrible life. Well, they do at school, and it’s possible they have a terrible life at home too. And I’m not writing this article to discourage people from standing up for kids who get picked on. I’m not writing this article to say you shouldn’t feel sorry for all the kids who are teased everyday. That’s not what I’m trying to say. They still need friends and they still need help.

But what I’m writing this article for is to tell people that the bullies need help too. Everyone thinks that they don’t deserve anyone’s sympathy, but they do. I’m writing this article to tell you that they are hurting somewhere deep inside. Everyone throws them aside, like they’re nothing. But everyone who does that just makes their pain worse. I’m writing this article to let you know that not only are the victims hurting, but so are the bullies. Help them.