we’re led to believe

it ends with the final bell.

that the cruelty

was bound to the school hallways.

they lied.

we didn’t outgrow the playground.

we just traded the blacktop

for name tags, shifts, and timecards.

we traded whispered rumors by the lockers

for deliberate silences

and side-eyes when your back is turned.

watch how it changes.

pushes into lockers are now

curated removal from the group chat.

trips in the hallway

become deliberate sabotage

on the floor.

we thought bullies grew out of it.

no.

they just got better at vocabulary.

they traded backpacks for work boots and uniforms

and got better at making exclusion look like "policy."

getting older is not

the same as growing up.

they’ll stay quiet when you speak up,

wait thirty seconds,

repeat your exact words to the boss

and take the applause.