I remember growing up in a small town where everyone would wave to everyone and help someone if it was needed because we were suppsed to all be on the same team. I wish someone told the kids at my school this concept.

It all started when I was about 10 years old and on the verge of going into the 6th grade. I was excited and scared at the same time because I didnt know what to expect.I had friends in the 5th grade and my town is so small that it shouldn't be a problem. I wish it was that simple. About a week before school started I tried to contact a few friends of mine but for some reason they wouldnt take my call and ignored me. I thought it was just them getting ready for school or perhaps they were still on a summer vacation so I shrugged it off.The first day of school came and I was excited to see my friends that have been gone all summer but when I tried to approach them they had a couple of new friends I had never seen before because they were older than I was.I tried to ask them to show me their schedule so we can compare classes but one of the older kids shouted "who are you"!? I said that these are my friends and the kid said that he hung out with them all summer and they were his friends and not mine. I looked at my friends confused but they all just stared at the ground and said nothing. Then he ripped my schedule out of my hand and pushed me away. I was humiliated and hurt but I thought maybe they would try to talk to me once he was not around. Unfortunately that was just the beginning.

They begin taunting me every day of school throwing things at me and unzipping my backpack so things would fall out. I couldnt believe that the same kids I had played with on the playground before were now attacking me like I was their enemy. I remember crying walking home from school one day after the school bus dropped me off and as the bus drove away all the kids were screaming loser and throwing things out the window at me. I went from fitting in to class outcast in just one summer and there wasnt anything that I could do about it.

When I say that I had no friends I mean zero,zilch,nada,nobody. My only friend was my neighbors hunting dog that I would play fetch with when I finished my homework. He was the best friend that I had until I got to the 10th grade. That is when I finally met my friend Gerald Fischer. Gerald used to tell me that we were part of our own club and everyone else would want to get in one day but we would never let them. He made everything seem so minor. Kids that would scream at us and call us names he would just wave or do something I would never expect and it would make me laugh. It all didnt seem to matter as long as I had my buddy there with me I could get through anything.

I feel like so many kids today think that when they are going through some rough times that it will never get better.I felt like it was important to share my dark past so that any kid that is going through what I did maybe it will give them hope. School isnt a contest on how many friends you can make because most of the kids in school arent your real friends anyway they are just trying their best to win the popularity contest. Sometimes all you need is just that one friend to get you through life.One really good friend that will be there for you when you need help.

Life can be a very beautiful thing once you put it into perpective and find your happy place.

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