My elementary school shared a building with another elementary school. Both had their own entrances, so the students never really met. However, there was a nasty rivalry between the two schools. Kids bullied kids from the other school and vice versa. Apparently, the other school once lost a soccer match at a school tournament from us, but that was only a rumour and never confirmed.

When I was 10 years old (7th grade in the Netherlands), my classroom was next to the playground of the other school. The other school had breaks before ours, so we often heard them scream or kicking balls against our walls. They often peeked around the corner and if the teacher was not present, they made taunting gestures and the likes.

The teacher just told us to ignore them, which we did the best we could. However, one day, they found a thick branch. We never saw who held the branch, because they hid behind the wall. They tapped on the window. Just tapping, nothing hard.

The teacher told us to ignore it and he would talk to the teachers of the other school. However, and we still don’t know how it happened, the branch suddenly broke the window and glass was flying around! The teacher rushed outside, but the kids had vanished and of course no one had seen a thing.

When my teacher confronted the other school, they only shrugged (according to him). They told him: “It couldn’t have been one of our kids, where would they have found that branch? Besides, we didn’t even have a break at that moment.”

The other school always had breaks at the same time. They never solved the mystery.

I used to work for a company that had a tyrant for a HR manager, she bullied , she lied and she stabbed anyone in the back who she saw as a threat or didn’t like. I saw her change entire company policy because she didn’t like one of the staff members skirts.

She was utterly horrible, but because the other seniour staff hated confrontation, no one spoke up. she slowly changed processes to her way and didn’t write any of it down, making herself too valuable to fire.

Well don’t you know it, making peoples life hell means they don’t stay and a high turnover in staff is expensive and lowers the skill level. Covid killed the company she had put on the chopping block.

I know this because my boss just asked me if I knew her, that she was applying for a job with my company.
He tells me that he has never heard if me using so many swear words in one sentence, and he will make sure that shares (most of) it, with the recruitment team.

(I was 7 or so and I’m watching The Little Mermaid. It’s the part where Ariel is singing.)

Ariel: “Betcha on land
They understand
Bet they don’t reprimand their daughters”

Me: “Ha! Yeah right!!”

Dad: “???”

(Good thing my dad didn’t know what reprimand meant or I’d receive an earful!)

(This happened years ago, though it’s only recently popped up on my Facebook memories.

I’m calling in to a big game company’s support line to change the subscription type)

ME: hi, I would like to get my subscription changed from an annual one to monthly so I can use cards.

CSR: do you have a subscription with us?

ME: yes, the annual one.

CSR: is it the yearly subscription?

ME: *facepalm*

(Years ago, when I was just a teenager, I partecipated in an exchange program between my Italian school and an American one in Baltimore. My host family was nothing but accomodating and kind to me and willing to help me out whenever an issue came up, and their daughter helped me in avoiding some social pitfalls in her school, so, when Thanksgiving came around, I was looking forward to get to know a little of their relatives too.

Oh boy.

A few days before Thanksgiving itself, the wife’s sister came with her husband and her 10-years old child to stay with us a week before Thanksgiving up to the end of the month. The kid, from now on [Annoying Kid], was an absolute terror, and the parents seemed to be barely able to control him: he often invaded the daughter’s room to mess with her organization; more often than not when he saw me he spoke a pseudo-romance gibberish and challanged me to understand what he just said to prove I was a “true Italian”, and trying to be the bigger man got accusations I was just a [slur]; I had to hide my clothes under the couch because otherwise he’d steal them to hide them somewhere else; and trying to get him to eat something other than Mac&Cheese and M&Ms was an exercise in futility that I had to witness for several days. The parents apologized profusely and did genuinely try to get him to behave, but nothing seemed to stick.
Then Thanksgiving itself came. When dinner came, I was seated between the daughter and a cousin of hers.)

Cousin: “I was wondering [My Name], how does school work work around your parts anyways?”

Me: “Well, it’s not similar at all to American schools, we stay in a single classroom all day and you get subjects assigned according to which school you go to.”

Cousin: “Oh, really? Sounds a bit confusing, which kind do you go to anyway?”

(Right at this moment [Annoying Kid] scoots by)

Annoying Kid: “ *Gibberish* “

Me: (gritting my teeth) “I go to a Classical High School, I learn Latin, Ancient Greek…”

AK: (as loudly as he can manage) “Do you learn about how to be part of the Mafia too? OR do you already need to be part of the Family to join? Betcha you are!”

(I freeze up. Then, I feel my eye twitch and turn around and try to stare at him.)

Me: “And you, what gang are you part of, the Crips or the Bloods?”

AK: “What?! Answer me!”

Me: (shouting) “I said, what gang are you part of?”

AK: “I don’t! Why are you asking me that? Are you crazy?”

(At this point I feel everyone’s stares on me, but in the moment I’m too angry to care.)

Me: “Then why in the Devil are you asking me if I’m part of the f****** Mafia?”

(At this point Annoying Kid runs away crying. There’s a lot of commotion, and as I come down from my rage high, I realize I fucked up. I get up, excuse myself and go into my guest room to ponder and calm down some more.

The daughter was on my side, but her parents were quite angry at me for several days, and apparently the relatives thought I was blowing things out of proportion. I’ve learnt to be calmer, thought I’m still not entirely sure I was in the wrong.)