Worthen In Yearbook
Dylan Worthen, 16, was labeled as a "freak" in Georgia’s South Paulding High School yearbook. USA Today

High school yearbooks are riddled with embarrassing photos.

For Dylan Worthen, it has become a tool for bullying. The word “freak” sits next to his name in a caption next to a marching band photo of the 16-year-old teen, KSDK reports.

“At first, I thought everyone was joking around with me, 'cause only a couple people came up to me, and then when I actually seen it this past weekend, I was just like ‘wow,’” Worthen, a freshman at Georgia’s South Paulding High School, said.

His mother, Susan Powell, is stunned by what might be a joke gone wrong. “He is in no way any kind of freak. He has the biggest heart of any 16-year-old child I know,” she said. “I am stunned.”

Some students call the yearbook mishap bullying. "I thought it was really, really horrible," senior Brook Hart told Channel 2. "I just don't see how someone could do something like that to somebody, honestly."

In a statement, the school said it apologized to the family and will print a sticker to cover the caption.

But Powell says it may be a little too late. "There's no way to fix this issue. It's in the book printed in ink," she told Fox Atlanta.

Worthen says he’s going to be the bigger person. "I'm just going to act like it never happened. If anyone says something to me, I'm going to ignore it," he said.