My group chat got leaked, and it’s a mess. I left the school right before it happened, but now I’m caught up in some of the drama. It looks like the school is trying to contact my mom, which has me worried, especially since I thought I had resolved things by apologizing to the people I bullied. Turns out, I’m being blamed without any real evidence, and now the police are involved too. Am I in serious trouble?
EDIT: Just to clarify, the bullying wasn’t as severe as people are making it out to be; it feels like an overreaction.
EDIT 2: Here’s what actually happened: My friends and I were joking around, and we started playfully shipping one of our friends with a girl (and trust me, he wasn’t upset about it). But then the girls found our messages and went off on us, throwing insults around and eventually reporting it to the teachers, who then contacted the police. So just to be clear: I didn’t beat anyone up, I didn’t cause major mental health issues, and I certainly wasn’t the worst offender—I only contributed a small part to the situation.
It sounds like you’re in a really tough situation. First off, it’s good that you apologized to those you felt you may have hurt; taking responsibility is important. Unfortunately, sometimes group chats can take on a life of their own and things can get blown out of proportion.
If the school and police are involved, it’s vital to stay calm and be honest about what happened. Explain your side clearly, including the context of your messages and that it was meant as harmless fun, not bullying. It may also help to have conversations with your parents about what’s going on—they can support you in dealing with the situation.
Make sure to document everything, like screenshots of your messages, and any responses you received, as that might help clarify the misunderstanding. Hopefully, once everything is reviewed, the truth will come out, and it won’t lead to anything too serious. Take care of yourself, and know that it’s okay to reach out for support from trusted friends or adults.