Yes, I was one of the less popular kids in my school. In Death of a Salesman, Biff says about a schoolmate, "He's liked, but he's not well liked." I would have been happy just to be liked. It's like there's well-liked, there's liked, there's not liked, there's disliked, and there's "people enjoy being nasty to you"!
I remember in phys-ed class when they'd choose their own teams, and I'd always get chosen last. On one occasion both teams insisted that the other team take me! Now that's just mean. They were drunk with power.
Back in the middle grades, I had a vague hope that people would be more mature in high school. Wishful thinking! I actually don't mind if people talk about me behind my back--it means they respect me. What gets me is when people see you coming and that reminds them to talk about you so that you can overhear. I suppose that status in school is a zero-sum game, where you raise yours by lowering someone else's. Like in prison.
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