A Letter To My Younger Self.

This is to that awkward kid just entering High School. The kid that had a poorly done hair job. Black hair and earrings. The kid who felt like he wasn't going to ever be good enough for that scary thing called life. That insecure little boy who spent most of his time in front of a computer locked inside his bright green room the size of a walk-in closet.
Here's the deal, kid. Things are going to be okay. You're just entering high school and you're feeling like things are just going to get tougher. You're afraid because you really don't have many friends, your best friend is your cousin. You try so hard to put this face on like you really don't give a shit what people think but you do. You want people to like you and you want to like other people. You're tired of people judging you for your looks; the piercings, the black hair and your clothing are so different than what people are used to. When it comes down to it, people are judging you based on your looks and that's something you don't need to worry about. People are always going to judge you whether it be your looks or personal beliefs, you can't please everyone. And if you try, you're just wasting your time and effort. So spend it on other things.
So that girl that called you a faggot for wearing that Simple Plan shirt shouldn't affect you like it did. She called you a slur as you passed her in the hallway between class, big deal?  You held your head up high and continued on with your day, completely ignoring her. You weren't going to feed the fire and that's something I think was smart of you.
You were still figuring yourself out at this time and it wasn't easy. You regularly skipped class because you couldn't get yourself out of bed in the morning. You felt this wave of guilt wash over you because you missed a lot of school but you could never fix that about yourself until Junior year. You still passed your classes but it wasn't your best. You knew you could do better than that. Continuing on to college didn't mean much to you until Junior year. We all have our slip-ups, don't beat yourself over it.
You're going to enter those final years of school and you're going to kick ass and surprise yourself by how much you've come along. You're going to join clubs, stay after school with some of your best friends at that time and you're going to turn yourself around like you wouldn't believe. You had this idea of how school would go in your head and how miserable it would be, but it's going to end up being some of the best years of your life. You're going to completely re-invent yourself and it's going to be good for you.
There is one slight problem, though. You're going to meet someone that you believe you will end up marrying. You're going to get accepted for school an hour away and quickly change your mind because you can't stand being away from that person. This was your biggest mistake. You let someone else take over and it's going to end up biting you in the ass.
Don't sweat over anything that happens, because it's all going to work in your favor. That breakup that caused you to move across the United States? So worth it. You're going to see a whole other part of the world, meet amazing people and end up finding the boy you plan to marry. You're going to have your small hiccups in the road but it's just going to end up being the best decision of your life. You're not going to believe how different your life will be by the age of twenty-three, you just wait. You've had all of these dreams and goals in your life and you're slowly making your way towards reaching them.
So, take it easy. Those small mistakes you're going through are just preparing you for your future. Have fun and remember things will eventually get easier. It may not always be the best of times, but you're going to look back one day glad everything happened. By twenty-three, you're not even going to remember that girl that called you that slur, her name or what she looked like. And you're not going to care, either.