[.Brittany.]

Hi there,

I'm sorry you're having to go through this! It is definitely a difficult situation. I went and am currently going through the same sort of situation. Back when I was in high school I had these two friends. One turned into a mean person and started bullying me. They stayed together and the only person I talked to was the girl (who wasn't bullying me). Unfortunately, you can't really tell a person who they can and cannot date. What I did was I hung out with my friend when her boyfriend was around, but then when he came to see her I would leave immediately. They graduated a year later so I had a year free of them. Eventually we drifted apart and didn't talk anymore until I saw her in public.

The point of my story is that you should be happy for your friend. I know how hard it is for them to be dating your bully but, you can't control who your friend starts to like or dates. All you can do is watch out for yourself. If your friend is near him then keep your distance. If he doesn't stop the bullying I recommend telling a trusted adult.

When it comes to the cutting, I would feel like a hypocrite if I told you not to cut because of bullying. It was always my go to through elementary school, high school, and collage bullying. What I can say is that it doesn't help. Cutting because of the bullying doesn't solve anything that's going on. It won't stop the bullying or make your friend stop dating him. What it will really do is make you feel worse about your current situation. Take your anger/frustrations out in writing. Start a blog here on TeenHelp, or start writing in a journal. Listen to music or go for a walk when you feel like cutting. Try as hard as you can to not self harm because of the bullying.

Stay strong. We are always here for you.

Take care,
Brittany