Dear ninth grade girl,

I know life sucks right now, but it won't always, I promise.

The things you have to worry about now, you will wish you had those back when you are up at three in the morning trying to complete a ten-page paper on the effects of Autism in boys under the age of twelve. You will wish you that project you had eight weeks to complete was the only thing on your to-do list. You will wish you still were not old enough to get a job. Most of all you will wish you could go back and be nicer to your mom.

The stupid boy that you are going to obsess over will most likely never make anything of himself, so don't sweat not getting that prom invite, it is for the best. I know he makes you feel what you have never felt before, but this is just the devil sitting on your shoulder, ignore him for your own good. He will end up working a dead-end job and drinking forties every night. Leave all boys alone, as a matter of fact, nothing good will come of it. They are gross, annoying, lying, creatures at that age, and they will wreak havoc on you with no sympathy.

Stop stressing over looks. Waking up two hours early to look your best will become ancient history. I am now twenty and my skin has not seen makeup since last Sunday's church service, and even then I went with damp hair. As you grow up, you will realize that looks do not matter. Flaws are something every single human has, it is not something to ruin a mood for. No one cares about acne, weight, clothes, or anything else that burdens you in your life as a teenage girl.

DO NOT BE A BULLY. Feeding off of other people's insecurities is some kind of evil. Everything will come back and get you, even if it is years away, it is coming. Kindness is more popular and noticeable than ignorance, and it has a more lasting impression. Think of who you want your teachers to remember you as, because they are the ones to recommend you to college, and it is not their job to write a letter for you, it is a choice.

Play a sport, join a club, see a show, live life (safely). Build that resume as strong as you can, it will make everything easier. By everything, I mean jobs, schools, internships, scholarships, studying abroad, and basically anything else you need to succeed. Start preparing early, before it is too late and your not happy with how things are going, but do not know how to fix it. Don't just look great on paper, build some character too. Have some manners, please dear God, ask someone how they are doing, pay it forward when you can, do good without need for profit.

You are at the very beginning of your future, don't mess it up by being and ignorant teenager.