Writers Workshop - Who You Hurt

These week Mama Kat has some great prompts. I choose number 2.
-Tell about a time you hurt somebody that still bothers you to this day.

It was 8th grade. I was awkward and trying to fit in. I was trying to be cool but wasn't. I wanted to be accepted.

In a gossipy conversation with I can't even remember who, I called another girl a name. A bad name. I called her a s-l-u-t. Word got back to her about it and she confronted me. This was a "popular" girl who also hung out with the "gangster" guys. The conversation went something like this.

Her: You calling me a slut?!
Me: Yay, I did.
Her: I'm NOT a slut. Do you even know what a slut is?
Me: I've never looked it up in the dictionary. (At the time I thought this was clever, because I indeed had not, but I didn't really know what it meant, other than it was derogatory. I was hoping this would look better than admitting my unintelligence.)
Her: Well, I'm not one! Don't you dare call me that again.

The friction between this girl and I grew other the next few months and she started spreading rumors that she was going to beat me up. I was scared. I did the only thing a sweet, naive girl could do - I called her at home and apologized. I think I caught her off guard but she accepted my apology and the rumors stopped. We never became friends.

Why do I still feel bad about this? It was over 10 years ago. Maybe because it's the closest I ever came to a fight. Maybe because I was really scared of her and her friends. I'm not sure, but looking back, it was stupid and I do feel bad for calling her names.

Go visit Mama Kat to get the prompts or read other's stories.