I've namechanged as I am a bit embarrassed.
As a child I had loads of friends and was quite popular at school. During the school holidays between years 7 and 8, so one year into secondary school, we moved house to a totally different area of the country, and of course I started a new school.
Moving so far away meant that I had a totally different accent to everybody else, and so on my first day this was picked up on by a couple of girls in my tutor group, who instantly decided that I was posh, totally unlikeable, and because they were alpha females, no one else in my tutor group wanted to be friends with me. For the whole of my first year at the school the whole class kept saying and doing unkind things to me. I did try to make friends, but gave up after a while and really went into myself. They would do things such as hide my bag and books, and be blatantly nasty to me, even in front of teachers. They had a couple of horrible nicknames for me that sting even now if I hear the words.
Anyway, the form tutor sided with the rest of the class, and decided that I must be some total bitch, so kept taking me aside for "pep talks" and saying that I was the most unpopular girl that she had ever known, and that I would be very isolated as an adult unless I made more effort to get on with people. I did try to tell her about how it was not me, it was them, but all she would say was that they were "a lovely class" and that I needed to "give them a chance". I also tried to talk to my parents, but they weren't supportive and didn't really care either.
In the following school year I did actually manage to make some friends, as lessons were mixed with other form groups, however some from my class still hassled me in lessons all the way through school. One boy from my class used to walk home the same way as me and used to keep taking my school bag off my shoulder and punching me on the way home.
I left school at 16, and went to college with very little confidence, and instantly started to make friends again. I felt like the old "me" from primary school was coming back. I am now in my thirties and I have good friends. However I find it really hard to let go of what happened to me at school, and I find that no matter what I do, or how good things are for me, I cannot forget it all. The form teacher's words in particular really seemed to cut deep. I hate it if ever I feel unpopular now, or that someone does not like me. Even though rationally I know it is not my fault.
Sorry this is long.