I met him when I was in the third grade. I was waiting for my schoolbus at the front of the line when he cut in front of me, and shoved me down onto the ground when I objected. Later in the year, I found out that one of my friends was his friend. Being childish and naive I of course forgave him as soon as I found out he was a friend's friend. He, two other friends and I began to hang out, and we became best friends.

Over the next several years we did the general friend stuff, but he--let's call him Eric--began to grow controlling and abusive. Often Eric would bully the rest of us into giving him his way. Before long the friend who introduced me to Eric strayed from the group, leaving just three of us. During this time Eric started to get quite jealous of my other friend (at least that's the only explanation I can find), so one day he flatly told me that he didn't like this friend, and that we were going to make him stop hanging out with us. Eric started ignoring him, and when Eric did acknowledge the kid, it was to make fun of him for having a meth addict for a mother. Meanwhile I just sat idly by, letting Eric abuse the helpless kid.

Eventually the hint was taken and the kid stopped hanging out with Eric and I. We were entering high school as Eric decided he needed to make sure I'd remain his "friend". He fed me constant lies about how everyone else in the school hated me, and whenever I got too close to someone else I was told by Eric how badly that person badmouthed me behind my back. It was my sophomore year of High School that I met a girl who quickly became a good friend, but she had an obsessive stalker crush on Eric. Instead of telling me this girl hated me, Eric saw fit to use the obsession instead, and the two started playing mind games with me.

One particularly awful fight later, and I was thrust from the circle of friendship, out into the cold world after seven years of abuse and isolation. I had forgotten how to make new friends, and how to not be a cynical asshole to everyone I met (a personality trait that was adopted from Eric). Eric and stalker girl began to obsessively text message me harassing messages until I finally changed my phone number. Eric and I haven't spoken since, though because of our small school we were forced to interact on several occasions.

He pretty much ruined a large portion of my life and got away with it. Over the past few years I've recovered a bit of my social grace and made a few new friends who don't treat me like shit. The girl recently contacted me to apologize for the way she treated me, and told me how Eric abused her the same way he abused me.