I went to high school in a little town called Westby. We had a very small school so everyone knew everything about you and sometimes they knew stuff about you that you didn't even know yet. There were always those people in high school that would try to tear down the kids that they knew wouldn't stand up for themselves. They would make fun of them every day. They would start rumors about them and in a small town, those rumors spread like wildfire. By the end of the day, everyone knew those rumors, even the teachers.

I was one of those kids in high school. I hated confrontation so I wasn't going to stand up for myself. I let those rumors define who I was. The only thing I could do was try to fit it so they would stop those rumors about me. I changed how I dressed, I did my makeup like the "popular" girls did, I would change my hair. I changed my attitude towards my friends and towards my teachers. I was going to do anything to not be made fun of anymore. After a while of changing myself, I started to forget who I really was. I became a totally new person, which is what I wanted but my life started changing for the worst. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. I started to lose my closest friends. I was being selfish and not thinking about their feelings. I was only thinking about my own feelings. In the process of making my elf feel better, I made my friends feel worse.

This process went on for a while but I was still being made fun of and I was also having rumors spread about me. I got very depressed because of this. My grades started getting lower and lower and I was losing my closest friends. I wasn't sure what else I was supposed to do anymore. I let these little things affect my whole life instead of just standing up for myself. I thought to change who I was complete would make it all better but I was wrong.

When I was in high school I wish I would have realized that none of that ever mattered. Those people that were trying to tear my down were just trying to make themselves better. They only tore me down because they were feeling low and they thought the only way You do not have to tear people down to make yourself feel better and if someone is doing that to you, just think that the reason they are doing is because they are jealous that you are stronger than them and they don't like it. I know I can't go back and redo all of this but If I could, I still wouldn't. This happened and it made me who I am today.The only thing that I would say to those people who tore me down right now would be thank you. I love who I am today and I truly believe that if that wouldn't have happened in high school I wouldn't be where I am today. I am stronger and happier now than I have ever been.