This past week, like millions of there people, I found myself binge-watching the show "13 Reasons Why." Based on my favorite book by Jay Asher, the show centers around a teenage girl who killed herself. The girl's name is Hannah Baker, and she leaves recordings on cassette tapes for the people who played a role in her suicide.

Pretty heavy stuff, right? Most adults would think that this kind of extreme bullying is horrific and unrealistic in today's society, but this TV show portrays actions that happen all too often now. This is a cycle of sadness that only continues to grow, and I am so thankful that "13 Reasons Why" is getting the attention it so rightly deserves. Suicide is real. Bullying in schools is real. The conversation needs to be addressed. However, I could be biased; I went through almost the same situations. I could have ended up like Hannah Baker, and I almost did.

At the beginning of the show, the series of unfortunate events starts with a guy. It almost always does. A picture is taken, text messages are sent throughout the school, and this narrative of Hannah being "easy" or a "slut" start there. Being labeled in high school will follow you; there is no avoiding something once it has been spread around the entire school. I would know; a stupid boy started rumors about me, and I was labeled a slut for years.

What is wrong with this situation is that this type of misinformation is happening more and more. Social media thrives off of rumors and juicy gossip about other people, and that is so scary because it is so easy to hide behind a phone or monitor. We are starting to become so desensitized towards our peers because we are not making those personal connections like we used to. We have gotten into this mentality that everyone is disposable, and if you are no longer benefiting me then you are not important to my life.

The story of Hannah Baker is fictional, but there is so much truth that she is based off of. Her story could be based off of me who has been bullied and targeted ever since junior high. She could be based off of a teenager who killed them self because they felt like they did not belong. This needs to stop.

Without giving too much away, I want to highlight one more part of the show: Hannah mentions how lonely she felt, and how desperately she needed anybody to show her that they cared. Loneliness is one of the worst possible feelings, and it is so hard to focus on the good when you feel like there is nothing left to live for. Loneliness can consume you, and cloud your judgments.

I felt extremely lonely in high school. Between trying to field off rumors, maintain my grades, and pretend like everything was fine, I lost myself in the process. There were days that seemed so bleak I wondered if it was even worth it to continue because I could not possibly see any positives to life. No one should have to feel this way.

What's worse is knowing that the people who hurt you probably don't think about what they did to you at all. The people who ruined my high school experience are all mainly at college at Northern Arizona University right now, and probably having the times of their lives. I'm sure some of them watched "13 Reasons Why" without even realizing that they almost turned me into Hannah.

We need to take a look at ourselves. What are you doing today that could potentially hurt someone else? Do you take time to think before you do something? While this story/show are purely fiction, the message behind it is all too real.