"Someone asked me why I am so nice to people who treat me bad, and I didn't know the answer.
Then during class, I looked around after finishing my test and realized why.

I looked at the boy who made fun of my inability to do math, and his head was on the desk and he looked tired. I know he played in the band, so he had to be at school early, and I wondered if he had something at home keeping him up or maybe it was the amount of class work teachers assigned.

I looked at the girl who returned my hellos by snapping her gum and twisting her hair. I knew her and her boyfriend broke up, and I wondered how hard it must be to have everyone concerned in your business. He was probably a jerk, and I knew that she only act dumb in class so people would like her.

And I thought about the boy in PE who picked me last for teams, how he squinted at his paper and furrowed his eyebrows. It must be a lot of work always practicing, and then also having to get good grades and go to college.

And then there was also the girl who everyone thought was a bitch, but little did she know I saw the scars on her wrist.

And then there is the girl who is always reading, and I wonder what she gets from those books or if she is running from something.

And there is this boy who always wears that shirt and I know his shoes have holes in them because when it rains he complains about wet socks, and I wonder if his parents work hard for him or if they drink a lot and I wonder if he feels outcasted because he has so little.

And the other boy who just moved here from Mexico, and he doesn't speak a lot of English, and I can only imagine how confused he is. I can't imagine learning this stuff in a new language.

And even the teacher. I noticed he wasn't wearing his ring today. Maybe he is giving us more work and more homework because he wants us to do better than he did.

The point is, I look at all these people and realize that they have their own troubles and their own demons, and the last thing I want to do is add to them.

It's a lot of pressure growing up, and no matter what anyone says...

...none of us have it easy."