After falling out with my best friend over something really stupid, I started being excluded from a larger group of girls we both used to hang around with. Then I found out that my best friend had been spreading rumours about me at school. The rumours were about a boy I really liked. I felt really embarrassed and really hurt at the same time that my friend would do something like that.  

I tried to talk to my friend to sort things out but that just seemed to make things worse.  The girls started leaving really horrible messages on my Facebook profile and sending nasty text messages.

After a couple of weeks I finally told my mum what had been happening and she was really upset.  Mum phoned the school to try and sort things out. My headteacher rang the Anti-Bullying Team who arranged to meet everyone separately. Thankfully the bullying did stop, but I haven’t made up with the girls that I used to hang out with. It’s sad in a way, but I’ve made other new friends at school so it’s not all bad.     

Claire*, 13, from East Sussex

* Names have been changed in this story

Have you been through a similar experience to Claire? How would you deal with this situation? Leave a comment.