‘I thought I’d escaped childhood bully until they moved in’

A woman was left horrified when she realised the woman who bullied her during school had moved in next to her – and didn’t even recognise her.

The 35-year-old, who still vividly remembers the trauma from her younger years, was left wondering what she should do about the situation, saying that she couldn’t bear to see the bully regularly.

“I just can’t,” she wrote, explaining that the woman “bullied the living f***” out of her, including stealing lunch money and her whole purse, which had a picture of her late grandfather in it.

“It was a Polaroid and the only copy, and I had to beg her to return it. She tossed it in the pond near the football field,” she seethed on Reddit.

The original poster explained that the girl picked on everything, from her accent to her race, to her weight and the fact that she’s neuro-diverse.

She ended up “hating” herself, even developing an eating disorder and becoming a “mousy” shadow of herself. So it’s clear to see why she wasn’t best pleased they were now neighbours.

Warning: The below post contains strong language.

Thankfully, “years of therapy” later, she is feeling much better about herself. She has a great career, earns a healthy amount of money and has good friends.

She continued: “I am also dating the hottest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, Leona, 34, and she is the sweetest person. She was dropping off some homemade gumbo for me at my house when she was approached by a woman our age.

“She told me later the woman seemed nice and she goes by CeeCee. She dropped off some cookies…

“That was about a month ago. Just last week, I was taking the garbage can out for collection when I saw a woman waving. She introduced herself as CeeCee, and I kind of stared at her like… you’ve got to be kidding me”.

She was left mortified, as she realised it was her childhood bully, and as she babbled on to her about her divorce, she stood there and thought “what the f***”.

The resident recalled: “All I could really do was snap myself back to my own body and hurriedly mutter that I have to get back to work…

“It’s [my bully]. I would know her anywhere. She’s dyed her hair red and whatever, but it’s her. It’s her. Out of ALL the places she could live in this giant State, and she’s NEXT DOOR to me.”

Feeling uneasy, the couple decided to just “ignore” the neighbour. The anxious resident has also decided to let her girlfriend deal with any awkward interactions.

The Reddit post has garnered dozens of likes since it was posted – and many people took the time to share their advice.

In the comments, someone penned: “Keep your distance and just wave hello occasionally. Like you should with all neighbours. Get a fence. Put up a camera. She sounds like she’s intent on being close, don’t let her. Never reveal who you were, that’s ancient history. Act as though you barely remember her if she remembers you at all.

“Get your girlfriend on the same program. Polite but distant. No getting mail for each other, no picking up packages, no pet sitting. She sounds like drama still with the ex bashing, no good will come of befriending her. Protect your peace.”

Meanwhile, another suggested: “The best insult to her is to make her think you’ve had so many good experiences that she had no impact on you. Live your best life”.