Fight with a 12 year-old on the bike path

It wasn't a fight at all, but I'm still mad, and might be for the rest of my life.

Picture it: It's a nice, sunny day in early-September and I'm walking a section of the bike path that I don't often take. I'm on the right hand side, walking on the pavement just alongside the edge by the grass. This section of the path has a white line painted down the middle but even without it it's clear to see that I'm on the right.

I hear the incoming text buzz on my phone, read it, and start writing a reply.

I've been alone for most of the walk- almost nobody in either direction, maybe a bike or two passes me. Then, from ahead, I hear "Head's up". A kid's voice. I glance up and then go back to texting. Two kids on bikes but I don't think about it. As the sound of their wheels gets closer I do look up- one (Biker 1) is on the left side of the path and the other (Biker 2) is on my side. He isn't gonna hit me; there's space between me and the white line.

When Biker 2, a 12 year-old it looks like, is right in front of me he says- as if he's had to remind me a couple times already- "Stop texting and watch where you're going"

I see his blank face for a second, make no reaction, and continue on my way, still texting. I don't turn and I hear nothing else. It's over, but I'm furious and the anger just grows.

Given more time I might've said "You're on the wrong side, retard". And thank God there wasn't a second more; I might've said nothing and just shoved him and his bike over with my elbow. I was so angry that that would've been the most satisfying response. And saying anything would've been a mistake. I'm not gonna argue with a 12 year-old stranger.

The whole thing just bothered me. That kid has probably been in the car with his parents and seen them yell at other drivers who're distracted by their cell phones and wanted the chance to act the same way. It just kills me that some kid's idea of fun is criticizing the action or manners of other people when he's the one who's wrong.

He completely manufactured a situation where he could believe he was in the right.

As long as I walk straight down the path there's absolutely no reason for me to look up the entire time. The only thing I could've done wrong is rear-end somebody ahead who's walking slow, which I'd been looking up enough to avoid.

This all happened Friday. It's early Monday morning. Some people suck.