Bullying is so unfortunate. My parents didn't know how to handle it, really. Dad sat me down once and told me to "get over it." But bullying isn't easy to just "get over" when it impacts so many things in a child's psychology. We had only one high school where I lived so there was no options for switching, unfortunately. The schools now take bullying far more seriously now but it was like pulling teeth to get anyone to care back then lol. I'm sorry you had to go through that, though
Bullying sucks all around and despite what many people think, it definitely can go into adulthood too.
I actually had a lot of bullying in high school too, but it stopped when I involved the cops. I felt a lot of conflict because my dad was the one telling me to beat them up and my mom told me to "be the better person and turn the other cheek." Sometimes I wish I would've just clobbered one of them though. Being subjected to bullying is not something I'd wish on anyone.
And I feel you completely. I am trying to be more "assertive" about myself nowadays but it's still a struggle. I'm a conflict-avoider.