Being picked on sucks. Whether you’re a kid or an adult, there’s nothing you want more than for the torment to stop. Sometimes this means reporting the culprit to a manager or teacher, but other times, you might be motivated to do something yourself. These 50 vengeful people share stories of when they were fed up and took matters into their own hands.
1. A Mechanical Solution
For years, this kid I knew kept harassing my little brother and me. As his idea of a "funny" prank, he threatened us during bus rides, mocked our family, and made fun of us. Since we were in the same grade, he particularly enjoyed mocking me and making inappropriate remarks during classes. In fifth grade, he amped up his cruel jokes, always teasing me when we sat together.
I finally had enough—and I was ready to take him down.
Ignoring my plea, he continued. But I'd had my fill of his antics. In response, I grabbed my mechanical pencil and poked him hard in the arm. Now, I wasn't a big, strong kid and the pencil was small and through his hoodie. So, there wasn't any major injury, just a bruise and a small mark that looked painful. When he questioned my seemingly rogue action, I coolly warned him of a repeat performance if he didn't lay off.
From that day onwards, he rarely bothered me and preferred to stay out of arms reach. I guess my bold move had struck a nerve with him—any pretense of bravery disappeared as soon as I took a step towards him.
2. The Best Valentine’s Day
During my fifth and sixth-grade years, I found myself the primary focus of a group of nasty kids in my class. Despite their countless attempts to provoke me, I never physically retaliated. This obnoxious bunch, self-branded as 'the squad', took great pleasure in trying to make my life miserable. They would steal, wreck my belongings, threatened, and sometimes even initiated physical confrontations.
My situation got so out of hand that I had to shift from the fifth-grade to the sixth-grade class ahead of time. However, I was shocked to discover that 'the squad' had representatives in the sixth-grade as well. A little before Valentine's Day, we all had to create greeting cards for our classmates. To my astonishment, I received the highest number of cards in the class.
But instead of warm wishes, each card was filled with derogatory comments, all decorated with hearts. Far from being upset, I found the situation hilariously absurd. Some of these guys had been clueless enough to sign their real names on the cards. Moreover, I could identify the handwriting of those who hadn't and casually added their names for them.
I passed this pile of cards to our teacher, who swiftly brought in several 'safeties' to escort almost the entire class out! It was suggested that I leave a little early that day, so while waiting in the school office for my mom, I had the satisfaction of hearing the parents of these mischievous guys being informed about their children's long-term suspension.
3. Ending It Myself
At the school playground, a game of 'Tackle the Carrier' ensued. There I was in fourth grade taking down a sixth grader, which resulted in him being irked and starting to kick me. I patiently endured this for a bit, all the while a teacher was watching this unfold right before her eyes. After enduring about the fourth kick, I took control. I seized his leg, resulting in him toppling backwards, and then, I hit him in the face twice. Other than a bloodied nose and bruised ego, he was fine.
Both of us ended up with a three-day suspension. Upon hearing the event from the school, my mom was livid. But after viewing the surveillance video, she had some choice words for the principal. She turned to me in front of him and asked if there was a new video game I had an eye on.
This left the principal upset, but my mom defended me saying, "I never educate my boys to instigate fights. However, when the concerned teacher did nothing to stop it, he had no choice but to protect himself". That three-day suspension was the most enjoyable long weekend ever.
4. Written Off
Back in middle school, it was a tradition to have your school uniform shirt signed by everyone on the last day. We also had the freedom to wear our own clothes for the last few days. So, one day, a student, clearly influenced by 80s sports fashion, showed up with a permanent marker. Instead of signing the shirts of the students about to leave, he began scribbling on the shirts of the younger kids.
You have to understand, we weren't well off, so ruining our uniforms was a big deal as we couldn't afford new ones. Sure enough, he targeted me and went to town on my shirt. But I got him back real good—I still don't know how, but I managed to grab the marker from him and, in a moment of sweet revenge, I not only scribbled all over his flashy Sergio jacket, but also all over his face and neck.
Yes, he did punch me, but the satisfaction made it totally worthwhile.
5. The Smell Of Trash
There was a guy who used to live next to me who, for some strange reason, thought it was perfectly fine to throw his trash in my yard. Even worse, he allowed his buddies to use my property as their personal waste dump. I tried getting the authorities involved several times, but they were no help.
So I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine—I began bagging up the garbage and tossing it right back onto his porch. But, his next move was something straight out of a horror movie: He started lacing hot dogs with rat poison and tossing them into my yard for my German Shepherd mix.
I came home to find her having seizures, and upon investigating, I found three packages of hot dogs riddled with poison, right next to my fence. Luckily, she survived this horrific ordeal, but the authorities informed me that I couldn't pin the blame on my neighbor. But when he started throwing his hunting and fishing offal into my yard, I devised a plan.
On a day he was out, I gathered all the fish innards in a bag and stashed them in his porch's rafters, under his yard's hedges, and snuck them into his air conditioning unit as a finishing touch. After about three days, I noticed him airing out his house with all the windows and doors wide open.
The next week, he had the carpets replaced throughout the house. The rotten smell eventually disappeared, but I think he got the message. I never found any trash in my yard after that.
Moral of the story: Don't mess with my dogs.
6. Announcing My Presence
Back in my elementary days, our school had an internal TV system. The headteacher would impart his daily messages through this setup. Each week, two pupils got the opportunity to present these broadcasts before passing it on to him. Lucky me, I got chosen alongside a buddy in 6th grade and, frankly, it was a blast.
Unexpectedly, this exposure sparked a dispute with three unruly boys who I'd never met before. Presumably, seeing me on these broadcasts rubbed them the wrong way. These boys moved around our school as a trio, and whenever they spotted me, they'd subject me to verbal and physical abuse. And the teachers? Not a peep. One lunch hour, as I was hanging out with my friends, they targeted me yet again.
Reached my boiling point, I spun around and clutched one of them by his neck, using both hands. In response, he started raining blows onto my head but I didn't let go. Eventually, I pushed him away. The troublesome trio dispersed, but I was under the impression this squabble had met its end. But by the end of that week, the headteacher had summoned me. Apparently, they'd pinned a vandalism act on me—defacing a school restroom with graffiti and urinating on its walls.
Luckily, I'd been busy playing basketball with friends at the time, allowing me to square my alibi. But the fact they'd resort to such tactics, seeing I could defend myself physically, was unnerving. I remained vigilant around them until their expulsion from school years later.
7. Here’s Your Fight!
There was this kid who somehow had it in his mind that he could take me down in a fight. I'm not sure where he got that idea from, but he was eager to test his theory. Honestly, I wasn't bothered if he could best me in a fight or not. It simply wasn't something I cared about. For over a week, he would taunt me on the school bus, wondering who would triumph in a braw.
I had no desire to engage in fights nor was I concerned about what he or others might think. He'd come up to me a few times after getting off the bus, trying to initiate a fight, but I consistently asked him to back off and walked away. After many days of his unsuccessful attempts, one day when I was chatting with a friend, he sneaked up behind me and belted me at the back of my head. That's when I'd had enough.
With a cool composure, I handed my friend my bag. I then approached the kid, latched onto him, threw him to the floor, landed a punch in his eye, got up, and just walked away. I kept quiet, reclaimed my bag from my friend, and continued my walk. I didn't spot this kid for the next few days, and unsurprisingly, he gave me no trouble after that.
8. The Hair Harrier
When I was around seven, there was this girl on the school bus who would yank my hair and tease me during our rides to and from school, leaving me in tears almost every day. Despite my parents' requests, the bus driver wouldn't change our assigned seats. One day, my dad asked me how I thought I could handle the situation. In frustration, I replied, "What can I do if I'm not allowed to fight back?"
My dad reassured me, "You may not be allowed to strike, but you're certainly allowed to protect yourself". He then laid out a devious plan for me—and I followed it to the letter. The next time the girl took a seat next to me, I was to lean against the wall, place my feet on her thigh, and gently shove her off the seat. Sure enough, she tumbled, began to cry, and despite the fact that I got in a bit of hot water, our seats were eventually reassigned. Issue resolved.
9. Locker Room Row
During my initial year at high school, I had physical education classes. Being slender and noticeably taller than most, for some reason, I was often singled out. Our locker room had a unique set-up—there were lockers on the top, and another set on the bottom. Amidst the lower set was my assigned locker.
A classmate who also had a locker near mine had a frustrating habit—he would consistently slam my locker shut. Given it was a combination locker, I had to enter the code each time he did this to reopen it. Let's just say, it was quite an irritant.
After tolerating this for several weeks and repeatedly asking him to stop, one day, I'd reached the limit of my patience. I decided to strike back if he tried again. But that day turned out to be unexpected. As we got ready for the PE class, surprisingly, he gave my locker a break. I spent the whole class rather edgy, dreading any sudden door-slams.
However, after the class as we were changing back to our usual outfits, the locker saga resumed. This time I reacted. As he slammed my locker shut again, I instantly opened it, snatched my backpack, and swung it at him with all my might.
With textbooks from three different subjects adding weight, it hit him hard and he fell down, shielding his face with his hands. At that moment, I was infuriated to the brink of tears. The commotion led the class to erupt in yells of "fight," attracting our teacher's attention. Eventually, both of us landed up in the principal's office.
As a consequence, we were suspended for three days each. When my dad inquired about the incident, I laid out the whole story. He was understanding and didn't reprimand me, as he believed I wasn't the instigator in this situation. When I resumed school post-suspension, there wasn't any further trouble from him. Though, the school did rearrange our lockers, ensuring we were separated in the locker room.
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10. My Breaking Point
During high school, I was subjected to continuous teasing, which involved name-calling, practical jokes, and interference with my belongings. My initial response was always passive; I would rarely retaliate.
However, one day, my tolerance snapped and I fought back, landing a punch on his face that left his nose bleeding. That incident marked the end of my torment. Looking back now, I believe my lack of resistance encouraged him; he knew he wouldn't face any backlash, so he kept on persecuting me.
11. Calling Names
I noticed a fellow my age bullying a younger kid, so I convinced everybody on the bus to chant "meanie, meanie" at him. It did stop him, however, he started crying. But there was a slight issue. My mom and his mom are close friends; this led to my mom taking me to his place to apologize, so that their friendship wouldn't get uncomfortable...
12. Round And Around
Back in my fourth-grade days, I got picked on a lot by a sixth grader named Rocky. He'd do things like trip me up, knock my books from my hands and even punch me. One afternoon while we were out on the playground, he shoved me into a spinning merry-go-round. I was rolled around inside it, with people trying to get it to stop, while Rocky stood there, laughing at my predicament.
Eventually, I was pulled out of the merry-go-round quite shaken and scraped up. I was then escorted to the office for some first-aid. When the teachers asked how I came to be in such a state, I made up a story about having fallen. When I returned to the schoolyard later, I saw Rocky there, hanging out with his friends.
I felt a surge of frustration and my reaction surprised even me—I ran straight at him. I swung at him, hitting him squarely in the face with all my might, breaking his nose. I stood my ground, ready for a fight if it came to that. His friends then turned on him, making him let me be. After that incident, I wasn't bothered anymore at school.
13. Sticking Up
There was this guy who was constantly attempting to make me stumble. In the end, I confronted him and he struck me—leading me to react. I took action, pushing him down and jumping on top of him. I ended up giving him a thrashing and he had to be assisted to the nurse's office.
Following this, I was called into the office with my parents, where a suspension was considered. However, all the other students in the scene defended me, insisting that I had merely been defending myself. Instead of a suspension, I received in-school punishment. From then onward, the guy stayed clear of me for our remaining time in school.
14. Not Just A Tattletale
A bunch of guys kept bothering me for a while. They were somewhat physical, knocking things from my hands and pushing me into lockers. I tried to get the teachers to put a stop to it, but their response was harsh. All they told me was to quit being a "snitch". Coupled with all the bullying, I had a dreadful day and ended up going home in tears. Upon seeing me upset, my dad asked what happened.
I explained everything to him. His response surprised me, "Son, I don't usually advocate for violence, but it seems like you've reached your limit. Let them know you'll fight back if they continue. And I won't be upset". Thus, the next day when the same thing occurred, I threatened them saying, "If you do it one more time, you'll see my fury". They just laughed it off, and the biggest among them hit me so hard on my head that my ear started ringing. Their laughter continued.
But this time, I retaliated. I spun around and landed an uppercut square on his jaw. Caught off-guard, he didn't have time to react. I hit him so hard that some of his braces came loose. Just when he was sprawled on the ground crying, a teacher decided to step in. As a result, I was suspended for a month. However, my dad was proud of me for standing up to the bullies. Thankfully, I never had to deal with that again throughout high school.
15. Stopping The Grossness
There was this boy, Matt, at school who had an inappropriate habit in eighth grade—he would rate girls based on their chest measurements and then hurl nasty comments. Reported to the school's guidance counselor and the rest of the staff plenty of times, the response was always the same—"We can't act if we don't witness it", which to me was absurd because obviously, he wouldn't be doing it in their presence!
The boy had taken to calling me Mimi, referencing a character from The Drew Carey Show. A few months into it, discussions with the guidance counselor proving to be fruitless, I realized the adults weren't going to take any action.
So, one day during lunch, when he called me Mimi, I had had enough. I spun to face him, warning, "Call me that again, and you won't like how I react. Not sure what I'll do, but trust me, you won't enjoy it."
This was true; I was prepared to respond in the spur of the moment. Half an hour later, hearing Mimi echo down the hallway, I spun around and responded with a robust, open-handed whack right on his face.
His shock was palpable as I retorted, "Told you, you wouldn't like it". Ended up with a week's suspension and a pair of furious parents for my troubles.
But, here's the kicker—Matt never bothered anyone afterwards. He became a polite presence instead of a tormentor. While I'm not one to promote physical confrontations, I can't help feeling that my response was justifiable, given Matt's relentless harassment and the indifferent adults who refused to hold him accountable.
This was the gist of my argument, both with the school administration and my parents, when they confronted me about my suspension.
16. The Mean Girl
I grew up in a quaint little town where everyone gossiped about one girl—deemed "the most beautiful girl in all of school." However, she had a nasty streak that was hard to ignore. She was downright nasty and cruel, and would stoop extremely low just to upset others.
I experienced this firsthand in 5th grade when my beloved cat passed away. She was relentless, repeatedly making heartless comments about how my mom's financial situation resulted in my cat's demise and taunting me to cry.
"Are you about to cry? Will you act like a baby and cry for your silly cat? Everyone will witness your tears. I bet tears are about to flood your eyes now." Her cruelty was boundless. Yet, among all the mean things she did, this wasn't even the worst. She was awful to everybody.
One day in 6th grade, I decided that enough was enough. Even though she did nothing particularly horrendous that day, I decided it was time to take a stand.
I found one of my mom's blank index cards and carefully wrote "I STUFF MY BRA" in large, bold letters. I packed both the written card and a small golden safety pin into my jacket pocket for the next day.
The following day, I ingeniously pinned this profound declaration onto the back of her pink Members Only jacket just as the day was starting. She spent the entire day unknowingly displaying the embarrassing note, wondering why everyone was laughing at her.
When she finally discovered the note, she was distraught. She cried, shrieking at the top of her lungs with everyone watching.
17. Annoying Little Kid...
There was a kid around five years younger than me who, for no apparent reason, kept trying to trip me up and embarrass me in front of others. Despite being noticeably larger than him, I had put up with his antics for months, my only response being to ask him to knock it off.
But one day, it was just him and me in the locker room when he started his usual routine of taunting me. This time, however, I reacted. I grabbed him, hoisted him off the ground, and pinned him against the wall behind him.
I warned him, if he didn't quit right then and there, he wouldn't be happy with the consequences the next time. He simply nodded 'OK' and that was the last time he ever bothered me.
18. She Doesn’t Mess Around
Back in my primary and secondary school days, I'd sometimes lose patience and scuffle with others who bothered me. I never resorted to punching, instead, I'd simply wrestle them down to signal my frustration. By the time I got to high school, I had mastered a powerful stare that made folks think twice before approaching me. But my elder sister was a whole different story...
I remember when she once found the school bully from my grade picking on my best friend after class. Without hesitation, she punched him smack in the face, breaking his nose. She then dragged his bleeding self into the principal’s office. The school authorities weren't exactly pleased with her aggressive response, so she was suspended for a day or two. However, that kid was notoriously troublesome and her actions were the final trigger for his expulsion.
19. How You’re Supposed To Do It
My buddy was always picked on by this student at school. We reported it to the teachers as well as the principal, but it was dismissed as "he's only joking" or at most, the bully had to offer a half-hearted apology.
One day, my friend couldn't take it anymore and socked the kid. That's when all the adults suddenly wanted to intervene, puzzled, asking "Why would you do that?", "you shouldn't resort to violence to solve problems", and "you should have approached us first".
Ultimately, they both got suspended for a week because of what happened.
20. Claws Like A Cat
A new kid moved into our town and immediately started causing trouble with everyone. Eventually, our paths crossed. We ended up in a fight, during which I easily knocked him down. Thinking we were done, I began to walk away. But I shouldn't have let my guard down—he attacked me from behind, scratching my neck.
Naturally, I reacted and defended myself, giving him a taste of his own medicine. He and his mother attempted to get me into hot water, but I had an ace in my hole. Once I showed the injury on my neck, I was let off without any consequences, while he was punished with a week's suspension.
However, the incident didn't seem to have taught him any lesson, as he later targeted one of my buddies.
21. Out Of The Fry Pan
While I was a graduate assistant in the Student Life Division of my university, I'd managed to gain a good reputation where people respected and relied on my counsel. One evening, during a big party at a popular university bar, I felt a pull to have a smoke. Not wanting to freeload, I asked a group of girls if anyone had a cigarette and offered a free McDonald's fries voucher in return.
One girl, who stood out with a pink streak in her hair, agreed. She got out her cigarettes, I handed over the voucher, but then she tucked away her smokes and essentially told me to scram without giving me a cigarette in return. I was pretty upset and tried to reason with her. Negating my claims of her deceit, she called on a few of her guy friends who backed her up.
She coldly told me that I was too trusting. Come next Monday, our division was holding job interviews. As it happened, I was in the vicinity updating some computer equipment and spotted the same girl—yes, the one with the pink streak—from the party, waiting her turn for the interview.
I decided to inform the interviewer about her dishonesty. As I left, I allowed myself a satisfied smile and wave in her direction. She didn't recognize me. Turns out, she didn't land the job either, and the interviewer expressed his gratitude for the insight I'd provided in the hiring process.
22. Not The Beard!
Back in school, there was this guy who wasn't exactly a sweetheart to anyone, except for his group of buddies, who weren't the brightest bulbs in the box. I began growing a beard during my high school years, and one day he ended up right before me in the meal line.
Swiveling around, he bluntly told me, "I'm going to touch your beard," and started to reach out for it. My immediate reaction was a firm"no, you won't." Unfortunately, he ignored me.
The second he made contact, I swung my hand at him, leading to tears welling up in his eyes, right in front of everybody. Curiously, I didn't hear of him causing trouble for anyone else after that.
23. The Principal’s Pet
This bully was actually a close acquaintance of the school principal. When my parents voiced their concerns, the principal brushed it off, stating that if it didn't happen on school premises, they couldn't intervene.
However, one day, the bully decided to make a scene. He challenged me to a fight, assuming he would win. Fed up, I fought back and ended up breaking his nose. My parents received an irate call from the principal that very night.
My mother responded brilliantly. She told the principal that since this incident didn't occur within school, it wasn't their place to meddle in it. Things settled down until about grade six, when the same bully started stepping up his antics against me, even at school.
The principal was dismissive of our concerns, stating clearly that they would not intervene. One day, I noticed that the bully wasn't taking his usual route home after school, which got me suspicious.
He unexpectedly ambushed me and started punching. Reacting swiftly, I managed to pull at his shirt and tear it open. The surprise left him vulnerable, which provided me the opportunity to hit him on the nose, just hard enough to stun him.
When the principal reached out again, my mom firmly stated that it would be best if her children were left alone or else, she wouldn't hesitate to get law enforcement involved. Later on, I learned about the bully's family problems at home, which made me feel slightly sympathetic. However, in my opinion, children facing such issues should be guided towards a healthier outlet for their frustration.
24. Call My Bluff
Back in 1995 when I was in high school, I used to hang out with my buddies. We were a good-sized group, a wild bunch of rebels and nonconformists, but we weren't exactly troublemakers. One day I unintentionally rattled someone’s cage, which riled him up enough to summon the school's tough gun and his crew. This imposing character and his squad of six or seven approached me, looking for a scrap.
I stood my ground alone in front of them—but it wasn't looking too good for me. My friends were off to one side, seemingly oblivious to the brewing situation. Considering the circumstance, I knew I was a sitting duck in for a serious whipping. I was aware that receiving any aid from my friends would be a long shot.
Most of them were girls and only a couple had any real fight in them. Deciding my best shot was to act bold, I put on my bravest, unhinged grin, told them, "This is going to be exciting", and readied myself for a brawl.
In the end, their supposed tough leader wimped out on some silly pretext. They all retreated, leaving me and my friends alone thereafter. These folks simply weren't accustomed to anyone pushing back, particularly when facing a numerical disadvantage. I was fortunate that their leader turned out to be just a big softie.
25. I Have A Black Belt!
It was around 5th grade when I met this boy named Tyler W.—a self-proclaimed karate expert and widely known as a bully. I, on the other hand, was a lanky, clumsy giant who certainly didn't blend into the crowd of the popular Christian kids club.
Tyler, along with the pastor's son Cameron, seemed to take particular pleasure in tormenting me. The usual procedures like complaining to parents and staff didn't help, as the church couldn't fathom these boys behaving badly.
One day, my friend Steve was having a birthday celebration and Tyler challenged me to a fight the entire week leading up to it. The anxiety grew as the day approached, converting into a tantalizing thrill I couldn't wait for.
After Steve unwrapped his gifts and we blew out the candles, it was time to face Tyler. I recall him brimming with overconfidence, boasting about how he was going to teach me a good lesson.
To everyone's surprise, Tyler was no black belt. I managed to overpower him, letting out all my pent-up frustrations until his face went blue. That encounter left me with a crucial life lesson: stand up to bullies boldly.
Following the fight, there was a lot of uproar. Tyler's parents threatened to sue my family and me, and the church school suggested suspending me over something that didn't occur on school premises.
Despite all this, I guess there was a silver lining. These experiences taught me to stand strong for myself because there wasn't anyone else who would.
26. Hats Off To You
We were allotted seats on the bus, and I had the misfortune of being paired with a really terrible kid. Regrettably, he tossed my hat out the window while we were on the highway. Just before we boarded the bus home, he boasted to everyone about the humor he found in his actions.
That's when I lost my cool, sort of like Ralphie from A Christmas Story, and gave him a serious thrashing. The fight left him somewhat bloodied. From that point onward, all through high school, he never managed to look me in the eye again.
27. One Hit Too Many
A group of girls consistently bullied me, with their ringleader, who I will refer to as Karen, leading the charge. Her antics ranged from cruel little tricks like hair-pulling, tripping, and verbally poking fun at me. I put up with it all until Karen brought it to the point of physical assault, hitting me hard across the face one day.
Instead of the generally shy girl I was, I lashed back at her, overcoming my fear. I retaliated with scratches and punches, as I felt a strong rage build up within me, best described with my vision blurring and darkening in extreme anger.
The incident ended with Karen crying—marked with scratches—and me having an immediate panic attack. No one ended up being punished, but Karen learned her lesson and kept her distance from me. As surprising as it may sound, it all transpired when we were in second grade.
28. So What’s Ok?
I wouldn't exactly call it retaliation, but there came a point where I just broke and began to shower him with punches, right there, in our math class. Predictably, our teacher escorted me out. I assumed that I was in big trouble and expected to be sent straight to the principal's office. But then came a twist.
The teacher admitted she knew the boy was a bully, which I didn't expect—but she also firmly told me that resorting to physical violence in her class was not acceptable and I should never repeat such an action. On top of that, she assigned the boy detention.
Oddly enough, the next day, the boy offered a half-hearted apology and claimed to respect me for finally sticking up for myself. I found myself thinking, well, that's great I suppose? In any case, he never troubled me after that incident.
29. Giving Her A Hand
I had a buddy who was continually tormented by a bully. This bully, who had a locker right above my friend, would routinely drop books onto her head, shove her around and trade insults all year long.
We even had a shared class where this bully persistently made himself obnoxious to everyone he interacted with. Once, before class, it was just my friend, the bully, and me in the room. The teacher had to step out for a moment.
Now, my friend is, and always has been, petite but on that day, her size was irrelevant. She reached breaking point with the bully's relentless mockery and decided to fight back.
On her own, she probably wouldn't have been able to cause much harm. But I joined in. I had hit puberty early and was bigger than most kids in my grade. By the time I was in 5th grade, I was as tall as an adult woman.
I held the bully against the wall, giving my friend the chance to retaliate. After that day, the bully never uttered a word to either of us, and we surprisingly avoided any punishment. My guess is, the bully didn't want to admit to anyone that he got beat up by two girls.
30. Wrestling Revenge
Middle school was tough for me, I faced a lot of ridicule and mockery. Luckily, high school presented a new opportunity to me: wrestling. One day, on arriving at a competition, I realized my opponent was no other than Josh—one of the tormenters from my middle school days.
I vividly remembered how he made me feel back then and decided I'm not just going to beat him, but make this match as painful for him as possible. I relayed my plans to my coach and he was understanding.
As soon as the match kicked off, I carefully executed all the moves I knew could inflict pain. Instead of just flipping him onto his back and pinning him, I focused on twisting his arms and shoulders relentlessly.
I even took a solid shot to his lower body with my shoulder, ignoring the fact he had no protective gear on. The match lasted the full six minutes, and to my sweet satisfaction, I emerged victorious with a stunning twelve-to-one lead on points. His tears were the icing on the cake.
The atmosphere that followed was electric. My teammates erupted with unabashed exultation, they were aware of Josh's past actions toward me and had been cheering me on throughout. In that moment, basking in the glory of triumph, I felt invincible.
Following the unforgettable match, I joined my joyful team, while Josh limped in the other direction to seek help from the athletic trainer.
31. The Crowd Goes Wild!
My buddy was the only one who had Asian features in our circle. This one annoying kid picked up some nasty slurs and started taunting her until tears filled her eyes. He would always do this at the local bus stop, where we couldn't just up and leave. It made my blood boil, but she always told me not to intervene for fear the situation could escalate. So, I pledged not to stir up more trouble.
But I love finding a clever way out of a problem. Also, growing up in a family that's not afraid of a little roughhousing fostered a strong urge to give him a taste of his own medicine. One day, he started singing this offensive song that was essentially a racial slur mixed with unimaginative insults. He was showing off especially because there were some older, mostly indifferent kids waiting for the same bus.
I figured out a way to end his torment without stirring up more conflict. Without any prior warning, I turned around and punched him hard in the nose. Even back when I was 7, I was a pretty big girl, so the punch packed quite a punch. I even hurt my hand since, as a young kid, I didn't really know the proper way to punch. He stumbled back, crying as his nose began to bleed.
The indifferent crowd noticed that he'd been reduced to tears by a girl, which led to them teasing him. He ran off, they continued chuckling, my friend and I finally boarded our bus, and he never bothered us again. Thanks to luck and his cluelessness about where I lived, I avoided any trouble. Word on the street was his dad was more upset that he didn't fight back.
32. The First Win
There was this annoying little brat who used to torment me during our bus rides home from school. He enjoyed repeatedly tapping my head from behind, just for kicks. One day, as he left the bus and kept up his pestering, I finally reached my breaking point. I let loose on him and with all my might, I aimed a powerful kick at him. I'm glad to report that it left him severely discomforted.
Though he did try to talk back after the incident, he left me alone thereafter. It was one of the most gratifying moments of my life. Today, he's pretty much a total washout, so I feel like I came out on top twice over!
33. So Deserved
When I was in 5th grade, a kid decided that he was going to violently tousle my hair every chance he got, all day. It got old very quickly, and I repeatedly told him to stop. He didn’t, of course. At recess, I was sitting on the ground talking to my friends, when I saw him running up behind me from the corner of my eye. I spun around, grapevined his leg, and sank my teeth into his calf.
I didn’t draw blood, but definitely left tooth impressions and there was a lot of high-pitched screaming. He tried to report me for attacking him, but the recess supervisor told him that he’d been watching him torment me for an hour so he couldn’t complain. Don’t ask me why an adult observed active bullying for an hour and just allowed it to play out.
34. Poke. Poke.
When I was a kid, around seven years old, I mostly spent my days at our family cabin, assisting my grandparents with various tasks, like firewood collection, fishing, and water transport. When I wasn't at the cabin, you could find me near horses, engaged in stable activities—even shoveling manure!
Once school started, I took up sports in addition to my other responsibilities. After school, there was this boy, a 10-year-old, who wouldn't leave me alone. For a full two-hour stretch, he would keep following, and annoyingly, poking me.
Despite our best efforts to involve teachers and others to get him to stop this behavior, nothing changed. He was persistent and would always return to his old habit of poking me. After three weeks of enduring this, I had enough. I retaliated and punched him. That put an end to his incessant poking.
35. Keeping Composed
Throughout the initial portion of high school, there was a kid who persistently troubled me. When our final year rolled around, he joined the wrestling team. Despite him being in a larger weight category and advancing to the state competition, I consistently outmatched him during practice.
Using a leg scissor around his chest and pushing his back onto the mat, I maintained my dominance. Although part of me wanted semse of revenge, I mainly focused on preparing him for the upcoming states.
However, after practice one day, he punched me, causing my eyebrow to split open. Yet, my response to this situation became legendary. As blood dripped down my face, all I said was, "Are you done?"
After this incident, the rest of the team removed him from the locker rooms, applauding my self-control, stating it was the coolest thing they had ever witnessed. My decision to not hit back earned a lot of respect. To top it off, I ended up taking his place at the state competition and secured fifth place.
36. Oops, My Bad
As a freshman, I often felt solitary on my way to class. This one upperclassman used to shove his buddy into me, leading me to spill my books. The same guy did this multiple times within the year. Then, the day for payback arrived. This time, when I saw him strolling alone, I nudged my friend to nudge me into him. The impact was so intense that he bounced off the lockers, clutching his elbow in pain.
Funny enough, he was a baseball player. That elbow must have been pretty important to him.
37. Evading Blows
Back when I was in second grade, there were a couple of fourth grade bullies that singled me out for a week. I had no previous connection or interactions with these boys, living nowhere near them and not familiar with who they were.
They took every opportunity they had to intimidate me when I was alone, or they would throw harsh words my way at random moments. The bullying seemed to peak during lunch breaks at the playground. One day, when I was getting a drink of water, they managed to corner me.
One of the bullies held me from behind, restraining my arms with a clear plan for the other to take a swing at me while I couldn't fight back. However, they underestimated the survival instinct that kicked in.
Every time the second bully tried to hit me, roughly 5-6 attempts, I twisted my body causing him to accidentally hit his friend instead. My first dodge was purely reactive, hearing his breath whoosh out when he was hit made me realize it was my best escape strategy.
They were both bigger and stronger than me, and I had no way of breaking free from the death grip on my arms. Eventually, the bully trying to hit me became frustrated, and his last swing aimed for my head.
His forearm brushed against me, causing some pain, but the main impact was his fist colliding with his partner's face, knocking him off me. That was the end of it. The boys said nothing further, just backed off, turned around and walked away. I never crossed paths with them again after that incident.
38. A Higher Station
During my high school days, I was targeted by a verbal bully. He never got physical, but often ridiculed me about my weight or the books I read. Even though he lived close by and his parents were aware of his behavior, they never intervened. In my junior year, when a new high school opened, I decided to switch.
The bully remained at the old school while I was given an opportunity to help set up their computer system. Upon graduation, I was hired as a computer technician at the new school.
The work as a computer tech was a dream come true—terrific paycheck for an 18-year-old. Who would have guessed that in my first year at this job, I would cross paths with my high school bully? Apparently, he got expelled from the previous school because of misconduct in his senior year and was now repeating junior year, putting him a year behind me.
One day, I was in conversation with an Assistant Principal about my work. Seeing me, the bully attempted to start his old bullying routine. I merely looked at the Assistant Principal.
Surprisingly, he immediately scolded the bully about showing proper respect to the staff and faculty. The bully's shocked face was truly a sight to behold. The moment was extraordinary! Can't forget that day!
39. Right In The Nuts
One day in high school, out of the blue, a kid just socked me right in the gut in between classes. The punch was so strong that I spent the rest of the day sweating and dealing with waves of pain in my upper belly. I'd never had any issues with the guy before, but he was known for sucker-punching others, seemingly for fun.
The next day, I stood in the hallway waiting for him, clutching my pencil case. When he strutted by, I swung my arm, gripping the pencil case like I was about to launch a fastball. But, at the last second, I held back, stopping just shy of his midsection. Staring straight into his eyes, I warned: "If you sock me or anyone else again, I won't hesitate next time."
As far as I know, he never tried it again and thankfully, no one got physically hurt.
40. Tooting Your Own Horn
During our seventh grade, there was this guy who had a knack for tormenting every girl in our grade. Joined by his friends, they began acting quite inappropriately towards girls, pawing at us during the passing periods at school. He was this tall, "cool", and athletically gifted popular kid that pretty much everyone feared confronting.
I was part of the band class, where I was the only girl who played the trumpet—an instrument dominated by boys, including this troublemaker. Consequently, I was often his target, and he’d resort to name-calling – branding me as a "lesbian" due to my choice of instrument, despite being quite a girly girl.
One particular day, after school, he sneaked up behind me and grabbed me underneath; the pain was sharp and shocking. This pushed me past my limit. had my trumpet case with me. So, I instinctively whirled around and gave him a taste of my trumpet case, directly in his groin. Seeing him fold over in agony and well up made my day. Post this incident, he never tried to mess with me again.
41. A Different Kind Of Revenge
Back in high school, there was this girl who made fun of me because of my weight. After graduation, I managed to shed a whopping 100 pounds and underwent an incredible transformation. It was so drastic that even certain family members failed to identify me since they weren't around during my journey.
Two years post high school, we unexpectedly bumped into each other at a bustling Starbucks, where we were bound to share the same table due to the crowded setting. We chatted, and a week later, we ended up sleeping together.
Then, the reveal came—I added her on Facebook so she could see who she really spent the night with. She was indeed taken aback when she discovered that 'fat kid' she used to ridicule was her recent fling. It's an unconventional form of revenge, but there's a certain satisfaction in knowing my former tormentor was unexpectedly duped, wouldn't you think?
42. A Lot Stronger
Throughout most of my middle school years, I was often picked on, likely due to my quiet, slightly overweight nature. However, in the last year, things shifted as I found myself in a new class group. In this group, I made friends, became more active, and experienced the typical hormonal changes of adolescence.
On the last day of middle school, I unexpectedly bumped into a guy who used to torment me. Eager to fall back on old habits, he attempted to tease me again, but I didn't let it slide this time. I punched him right in the nose—hard enough to draw blood, which suggested I might have broken it.
I then firmly warned him that if he ever crossed my path again, the consequences would be severe. With one last backward glance at him, I walked away and thankfully, never encountered him after that.
43. Family Matters
Believe it or not, there's only a four-year age gap between my aunt and me. She came along a bit later in life for my grandparents. We both attended a small local school, where—back when I was a fifth grader and she was in high school—people found out about our unusual family connection.
Brian was this large, goofy kid who always wore the same Gretzky hockey jersey every single day without washing it. Disgusting, right?
Anyway, he had a habit of making insensitive comments about my grandma still being able to have children at her age. Silly things of that sort. One day, his incessant chatter pushed me over the edge. While he was on his usual rant during class, I rose from my seat, walked across the room, and with all the fury I could muster, slapped him right across the face.
His thick glasses, like those of a coke bottle, flew off and landed across the room. For the next few days, my handprint was a visible reminder on his face. Suddenly, the tables had switched. Brian became the boy who was slapped by a girl!
44. Trading Blows
When I was around 15, there was this fellow who incessantly irritated me. He'd shout and cause minor distractions just to get on my nerves. Roughly a week and a half into this routine, I was walking to catch the bus when out of nowhere, he hits me at the back of my head. I retaliated by shoving him away and punching him in the mouth. After this, we both scampered off in different directions.
I was glad to get a few hits in—but I would soon pay for my behavior.
It seems someone saw this occur because on the following day, the principal summoned us. He gave me a serious lecture while the other lad ended up with a suspension.
45. A Sandwich Solution
There was a towering, strong girl I grew up with who began bullying me once we reached sophomore year of high school. She rarely got physical, but she often insulted me, hurling harsh words and derogatory names my way.
I let my mom know about it, and she went to discuss this with our English teacher. This teacher then began keeping a closer eye on the situation and even had the girl stay late one day after catching her in the act of name-calling and general rudeness.
We all know teachers and parents can't do everything for us, so I realized I would need to stand up to her myself at some point. I got that chance one lunch period when she made a nasty remark about one of my friends.
Angered, I stood up and yelled, "Back off"! Then, I hurled my sandwich at her. Ends up, she was left splattered with mustard and looking utterly surprised.
When I relayed this story to my mom, she couldn't have been happier. Best of all, the bullying stopped there. I hadn't physically harmed the girl, but it's possible her pride took a hit that day.
46. Fight Club
At my school, standing up for yourself was a requirement. When you found yourself mocked, there was simply a single optimal response: you had to stand your ground. Even if you didn't win the physical confrontation, bullies typically shy away from repeated fights, so they'd leave you be afterward or if they didn't, you'd need to face them once more.
Regular fights were common, happening every month and sometimes every week. This led many of the boys to take classes at martial arts schools. Another peculiar thing about our school was that there were almost no consequences for participating in these fights, so no one ever faced severe punishment.
47. What’s In There?!
Back in 5th grade, there was a day when our teacher had to leave the classroom and handed us a worksheet to complete. There I was, attempting to finish my work quickly so that I could continue with the book I had hidden in my desk. But then, inevitably, one of the class nuisances decided to disturb me instead of doing his own work.
After enduring the interruptions for a while, I lost my patience and ended up smacking him on the head with my bag, which incidentally had a small can of Aquanet hairspray for emergency hair situations.
As a result, he had to visit the nurse due to a headache. He never disclosed the real cause of his headache to the teacher, just mentioned that he had one. I was frankly irritated because his hard head had caused a dent in my hairspray can.
48. Soda Surprise
Back in third grade, there was this classmate of mine who constantly swiped my soda from my lunch. He'd gulp it down right in front of me and because I was quite a passive person back then, he'd always get away with it. One day, he took my soda and my lunch, drank the soda, then crushed the rest. That afternoon, I went home figuring out how to make him stop.
I hatched a diabolically creative plan. What I acted on was grabbing a soda can from the fridge, pricking a small hole at its bottom. Patiently, I let all the soda leak into a cup for me to enjoy, then I put the empty can in a bowl that was submerged in the sink.
As far as I can remember, that bowl had been used for baking peanut butter cookies, so it was filled with soapy water and a trace of oily peanut residue.
Once the can was refilled back to its regular level, I tidied it up and applied a spot of super glue over the hole. The following day, like clockwork, the classmate snatched my drink. As per his routine, he chugged the soda... Then, he suddenly started throwing up all over himself. It was a sight to behold. From that day on, no more sodas were stolen.
49. The Real Hot Stuff
As a petite girl of Asian descent, I've faced my fair share of teasing. Some people have this assumption that I'm delicate or easily manipulated. However, I might not be a fighting champ, but I'm far from submissive.
I've had quite a few run-ins with nuisance makers but the encounter that stands out was one back in middle school. There was this boy, Todd, who fancied himself quite the big deal. This boy was on the basketball team, reasonably good-looking and even sported a leather jacket thinking he was super cool.
In actuality, he was more like a cold, watery mess than any kind of cool. The guy had a habit of bothering me, pushing me around and hurling insults at me. I typically didn't react, it wasn't worth my time.
However, my friends thought his rudeness indicated some sort of affection towards me, following the "if a guy teases you, he probably likes you" logic. But it gradually grew unsettling.
I became aware of him trailing me after school, failing miserably at discretion. He started to infringe on my personal space more frequently. I maintained my indifference and skillfully evaded him. Meanwhile, my "friends" kept insisting that he had a crush on me. Daily, I would share these incidents with my parents.
The advice from my mom was rather traditional, suggesting that "as a girl, I should just smile, look pretty, and ignore it". My dad's instruction was to "handle the problem yourself". Then, one day at lunchtime, things escalated.
He suddenly grabbed me from behind and touched me inappropriately, triggering an onslaught of laughter amongst the other students. Unfortunately, the teachers weren't present to intervene as they were attending to a sick student.
I transitioned quickly from surprise to fury as I realized he was still at it. So I forcefully removed his hands, stood up, and reciprocated with a solid punch to his nose. After his fall, I added a firm stomp to his groin.
Unsurprisingly, he was in significant pain. Next thing, I'm summoned to the principal's office and my dad gets called in. Before the principal could speak, my dad asked for my side of the story.
I narrated how I was assaulted and how I retaliated, to which Dad reacted with a beaming, proud smile. He defended me against the principal who wanted to expel me. Amazingly, I evaded any punishment and even managed to score some ice cream!
50. An Equal Reaction
When I was about five years old, my cousin would constantly tease me. One day, I had a pretty dress on. My mom had specifically told me to keep it clean. I was outside, merrily flying a kite, when my cousin suddenly shoved me into a muddy puddle.
This incident got me into hot water, but my mom advised me to give him a taste of his own medicine next time. Sadly, his next provocation occurred near a staircase.
Without a second thought, I pushed him back, causing him to tumble all the way down the stairs. He was unscathed, and from then on, he never pestered me again. Later, my mom on the sly told me, "Good job".
Sources: Reddit,
