Under their discretion, lies, secrets, crimes and even failure are nothing but the spice of one’s youth. And in their corrupt ways, they discover something peculiar about failure. They conclude that while their own failures are generally a part of relishing in youth, others’ failures should be shot down as just failures and nothing more.

Strong creatures don't form herds.
Have they never heard of a lone wolf?
Cats are cute, and wolves are cool.
So in essence, loners are cute and cool.

The institution known as "school" isn't just a facility for doing classwork. It's essentially a microcosm of society, all of humanity put together in a little diorama. Bully exists in schools because war and conflict exist in the world, and school castes reflect our stratified, hierarchical society. Living in a democracy, the tyranny of the majority naturally applies at school, too. The majority -- that is to say, the people with the most friends -- are superior.

He was so cute when he was embarrassed that it was embarrassing me.

I was a diligent student with integrity, so I didn't talk to anyone in class and passed the time in silence.

Now the situation could be resolved, and we could put this behind us -- both the awkward misunderstandings and the misguided attempts at self-preservation. Though both of those would probably happen in the future anyway.