Ronnie Dee--How To Handle A Bully

School bullies are a big problem for a lot of kids throughout the world, actually. They usually prey on smaller kids, who might be quiet, or soft spoken, or kind of nerdy. Bullies love guys who won't fight back, but sometimes you just have to. Bullies don't like that because they can't really win that way. Even though they may win the fight, there is a chance their intended victim may hurt them or even win. So they usually pick on guys who won't fight back.

Of course, the bully is often much physically superior to their victim and fighting back is a fruitless endeavor. I was in a situation like this once.

I had no trouble in elementary school because I was usually right in the middle of everything, but in junior high, I was tested by some of the new guys from Portland. Everybody in Portland, a west end neighborhood, thought they were a bunch of tough guys.
So this one kid kept making snide remarks to me and I was getting a little tired of it. His locker was right next to mine and he would keep slamming my door shut and kind of push me around by the lockers. So one day, during class, I had to retrieve something from my locker and he shows up at the same time. He starts in on me and slams my locker door, so I slammed his. He looked at me in surprise and I challenged him right there.

I said, "Man, you've been on me for some reason and I don't know why, so let's have it out right now." The hall was empty, with everyone in class. He was not much bigger than me, and it's not that I was tough, I just didn't care if I got hurt or not.

He backed up and replied, "I don't have anything against you, I was just screwing around. I didn't mean anything by it."

So much for that. He did become nicer and we actually got to be chums at school. He even defended me if one of his Portland baddies would say something to me.

One day I was caught in a position in which there was no way out. I was a seventh grader in Junior High at the time. I was out on the field in front of the school watching one of the touch football games that went on during lunch period. The bell rang to come in and I was dragging myself towards class, one of the stragglers as usual, when I heard someone shouting, "Get out of my way!"
I looked around and saw this guy, an older boy, a known bully, running full speed right at me. He was still about thirty yards from me and I thought, "Uh-oh, what to do?" I was out there in the field with nowhere to go.

He was bearing down on me and I was dead meat. So I didn't really have any time to think, I just waited a second or two and quickly dropped down on all fours. It was a longshot, but the only shot I had. It was self-preservation.

I timed it perfectly and he hit me full speed and I barely felt his leg hit my side as he went flying over me, up and away. I am sure he did a complete flip and landed with a scream, in a big cloud of dust and a few grunts and groans. He jumped up and didn't even glance at me as he raced, limping for the school house, holding his shoulder in apparent agony.
It was a beautiful sight.

I got up and dusted off my knees and strolled unhurriedly toward the school. A few other stragglers began snickering and I smiled broadly. I had seen that sort of thing on TV or the movies, but had never had to try it. I just got lucky and timed it right or I would have been the one crying. I saw him several days later with his dislocated shoulder in a sling. He never bothered me again.