Annabelle's Story On Bullying

Annabelle's Back Story

      Hi. My name is Annabelle Lynette Ruthmary Rivera. I have two nicknames in which people call me by, one is Anna and the other is Belle. I am Puerto Rican. I have hazel- brown eyes. My hair is long and black. I am 16 years old. I am a sophmore at Amherst Performing Arts High School or APAHS for short. Amherst Performing Arts is mixed with elementary, middle, and high school students. I've been playing violin since I was four years old and I've been playing piano since I was six. When I grow up, I want to be a professional musician/singer and a violin teacher.

      I live with my mom, Isabelle Blanca Rivera. She is a single parent. My mom and I live in Amherst, MA.  We have been living in Amherst since I was almost three years old. I have a little sister named Yissell Ivelisse Maria Rivera. She's 6 years old and a first grader at APAHS. Yissell plays the piano and sings. Me and my mom call her Yessie. I have a boyfriend named Emmanuel Omar Perez. He and I have been together for a year and a half. Manny is from Monterrey, México but lives here in Amherst. He and his family moved here when he was little. He is seventeen years old and a sophmore at Amherst Performing Arts. Manny is tall with dark brown eyes and spiky black hair.

      For years now, I've suffered from a communication disorder, an anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I was diagnosed with anxiety when I was eleven. And I was diagnosed with PTSD when I was twelve. I have been verbally bullied and cyberbullied. At school, no teachers, guidance counselors, or vice-principal/principal at school would help me stop the "popular" kids from bullying me. But home, I can never escape the bullies. It's like they follow me around. I have two best friends who are like my sisters, Demetria Diaz and Celena Santa. Demi, Cel, and I have been best friends since we were four or five years old. Demi and Cel are both sophomores at APAHS. I have a sky-blue Honda CRV 2006 car that I drive to school with Cel and Demi. My mom picks up Yissell most of the time.

      Every day, I would go home crying and my mom would say, "¿Anna? ¿Que pasa?"

      I would tell her, "Estudiantes en la escuela me están molestando."

   Then, Yissell walks up to me and asks, "¿Que pasa? Why are you crying?"

     I respond, "Don't worry, Yessie. I'm fine. Solamente estaba tenia una mala día."

                             "Ok", she answers as we hug.

       I couldn't tell my little sister about what's going on because she doesn't understand the situation. All she knows is that I always come home crying. It's hard to explain to someone that young that people can be really mean.

      My mom went to APAHS one day to speak to the principal, Mrs. Nissette Rodriguez about the bullying but Mrs. Rodriguez didn't know what she could do about cyberbullying because she said,

"Perdoname Señora, pero ese tipo de bullying está fuera de mis manos. No puedo hacer nada. Pero yo creo que usted se puede ir a la policía y habla de ese tema. Ellos te pueden ayudar. Aquí, puedo parar el bullying que pasa en este escuela. So, no te preocupes, Señora. Tu hija estas en buenas manos."

~After School~

       We walk to my car. I put my violin behind the driver's seat. I drive Demetria and Celena to their houses. We talked about our day. My phone goes off on the dashboard as I'm starting the car. It's Manny texting.

            So, I answer him, "Cariño, I won't be able to text you right now. I'm about to pull out of the parking lot. Give me about half an hour."
He replies, "Ok. Tenga cuidado en la calle."