One Saturday, Laura sat in her dorm room and cried. She was still sad about being dumped kwa Kurt. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door. She went to see who it was. It was Mel. Mel said, "There's no need to cry alone. Ian and I are going out. Would wewe like to come?" Laura said, "Well, I suppose it's better than sitting in the dorm room crying over someone I really shouldn't be crying over." Mel said, "It's okay to cry. I know you're hurting. I think that a change of scenery might help." Laura got ready and went out with Mel and Ian. At one point, Ian said, "Laura, wewe told me that wewe used to practice self-harm. Would wewe be willing to tell me why?" She said, "I don't know." Mel said, "It's okay, Laura. wewe can tell us. We're your friends." Laura said, "Well, when I was growing up, I couldn't make friends. I tried to be friendly with my schoolmates, but they never wanted to play with me au anything. kwa the time I was in middle school, the bullying picked up, and so, I cut to cope. kwa the time I was in high school, I had very few friends, but I never got close with them." Ian and Mel were deeply touched. Laura then said, "I'll admit that I was thinking about doing it this morning, but I didn't do it." Ian said, "Laura, wewe don't have to hurt yourself, love. wewe can just talk to us." After talking with her friends, Laura began to feel better. She went to kitanda happy that night, knowing that there were people at school she could count on for once.
TO BE CONTINUED
TO BE CONTINUED
When I had entered the fifth grade, I was dreading it. I had heard rumors that the teacher was really mean. When I met her before school started, she seemed really nice. On the first siku of school, I was wearing one of my Beatles t-shirts. She noticed it, and she said, "Darling, I upendo wewe already!" I said, "Okay, then." She would take up for me all the time. The other kids often called me glasses. She heard them and said, "She has a name, guys. Her name is not glasses. It's Winter." There was one siku when another girl kept picking on me. I finally had enough and said, "I might look sweet and innocent, but that shit is for suckers, and I'm no lollipop." I looked at the teacher. She winked and said, "I heard nothing." I would have had her for the sixth grade, too, but unfortunately, I moved to Tennessee as soon as the school mwaka was over. We both cried. We promised to keep in touch with each other, and we've kept in touch to this day.