Only white kid and weird. Then only orthodox Jew in hippy school, and new at it. And weird. Sometimes I was bullied. Sometimes I was class clown to be popular by disrupting teacher. Then at yeshiva and non-conformist in some ways, and became outcast. A few times, very few, I successfully fought back against tormentors. You get over it. I preferred being an outcast.
So what’s Crooks’ major malfunction?
I was bullied by a guy from September to almost May in 8th grade. He wasn’t all that large, but I wasn’t the mad dog I am now.
One day he shoved me (again), and I snapped. I sucker punched him in the back of the head and we went at it for 30-40 seconds fist flying, and I was winning. Teach broke us up.
The deal with us kids was any fight at school was settled off school grounds after school at the regular fighting spot. The word went out and by the end of school about 100 kids had gathered to watch us. I showed, he didn’t. The crowd loved me. Felt like a damn hero. The former bully never said another word to me or came near me that year or the next.