Hi
Thanks for sending in your letter. By the time you read this, your English Lit exam will be over and I’m sorry I couldn’t respond earlier. I hope the exam went well.
However, you’ve described other issues which are troubling you at the moment. It does sound like the bullying you are experiencing has knocked your confidence and affected your ability to concentrate. Bullying can be very difficult to deal with and it’s good that you feel able to speak out and attempt to do something about it.
It’s also good that your family knows about this and is able to support you. It seems as if your teachers have encouraged you to talk to the other girl, rather than address the bullying themselves.
You’ve described this other girl as your friend, although you’ve also said she is a back-stabber and a bully. I don’t think these things sound like something a real friend would do, so I would ask you to consider the nature of your friendship and whether or not it is a relationship that is worth keeping.
You’ve asked if you should talk to her. Do you feel able to tell her about how her actions are affecting your feelings? It might be a good idea to make a list of what you feel you need to say to her so that, if you do actually talk to her, you are very clear about what you want to say and the kind of outcome you would like.
Think about signing up on the ChildLine website and having a 1-2-1 online chat to discuss this with one of our counsellors, who might be able to provide you with some further options around what to say and how to approach the situation.
Take care
Sam