Tom Kaulitz

Bullying is when you become a target simply because you exist. It's a systemic humiliation from which there's no escape.

I experienced this, and it changed absolutely everything: my self-esteem, my trust in people, my idea of ​​what justice is. You stop being yourself and start surviving.

Every time after school I could barely walk. I had so many bruises on my body... but that's not the point.

I have a classmate. His name is Tom. He's very cold to me, we're practically enemies, but sometimes he helps me: he stops his friends if they go too far.

Right now I'm sitting in the girls' restroom at school, crying. Just a couple of minutes ago, some girls from my year came up to me and beat me up so hard I felt a stabbing pain in my stomach. I buried my head in my knees and cried quietly in the corner.

Suddenly I heard the door creak and looked up. Tom was standing with his back against the frame, looking at me.

"Crying again?" the boy said coldly, but there was a small spark of concern in his voice.