AITA for treating my bullies the way the treated me at our middle school reunion?

I treated my bullies with the same respect they gave me at my middle school reunion and now people are calling me a jerk.

Inevitable_Mention32 writes:

I'm a 23-year-old female. During middle school, I experienced exclusion and harsh treatment from my fellow classmates. I lived in a predominantly Asian area and am Asian myself, but I was never considered "Asian enough" by most of my peers because I was chubby and didn't perform well in school (I'm neurodivergent).

They would consistently display passive-aggressive behavior towards me and act as if I were a pest whenever I genuinely tried to be nice. As a result, I began to resent them and started hanging out with people who genuinely accepted me.

Today, I have undergone significant changes. I lost a considerable amount of weight after high school and befriended a photographer who helped me get started in modeling. I may not be as successful as Naomi Campbell, but I do high-fashion editorial modeling, and I'm proud of my position. I'm also aware of how fortunate I am to be where I am.

Last night was my middle school reunion, and I attended with a close-knit group of friends I've known since middle school. Upon arriving, I felt uncomfortable and only interacted with my group or those who had never treated me poorly.

When someone who had mistreated me in the past attempted to speak to me, I chose to ignore them, continuing my conversations without acknowledging them. I didn't see an issue with this, as they had done the same to me in the past. However, it seemed to irritate one of the individuals, the same one who had publicly humiliated me with my low test score in middle school.

He approached me, accusing me of thinking I was better than everyone else and acting stuck up. In response, I stated that I am better than everyone else, which is why I've had a more successful career. This led to a back-and-forth argument where I mentioned his past mistreatment of me and questioned his entitlement to my time or respect.

At that point, my friends suggested we leave. Personally, I believe in "you reap what you sow," and they had all treated me poorly in middle school. While my friends supported my actions, some thought I could have tried to be more accommodating to maintain peace. Am I the a%#hole?

Here are some of top comments from the post:

boomer-rage says:

Middle school reunion??? Jesus Christ, why???

namesaretoohardforme says:

ESH (Everyone Sucks Here). Congrats you're now the bully. I'm sure if you practice harder, you can really turn it up for your high school reunion.

CakesNGames90 says:

ESH because it’s a middle school reunion. No one cares. All of you need to grow up.

licknwart says:

Not at all, you should've seen me at my 40 year kindergarten reunion. It was one for the ages.

What do you think? Was OP right to treat her bullies that way, or should she have taken the high road?