I'm 35, and was frequently bullied at school. The one thing they took notice of was when I fought back. In one case I went to the hospital to get checked out with a black eye and several other marks, and severely bruised lips after going up against an older boy that was a head taller than me. But he got bruised badly too, and had the humiliation of being made by his parents to come and apologize, and he stayed clear of me for months afterwards. It was worth it to me.