It was Ryan's first day of junior high in the year of 2002. He was different than other typical teenage boys. Ryan preferred to do the opposite of things that normal boys would like to do. Firstly, he would collect dolls instead of the typical action figures that they were into at the time. He would stay home on the weekends and write in his journals, mainly because he didn't have anyone to talk to instead of going to a friends' house on a Friday night. But that didn't stop Ryan from still being human. He thought that the people in his classes wouldn't really get along with him so that entire morning getting ready he was so nervous he was sick to his stomach. The time was 8:15 and he was on his way to school. Ryan walked into first period ad instantly knew it was going to be a bad morning. None of his old friends from middle school are in his classes so he really doesn't have anyone to talk to now. As he sat down in his class the teacher began to asses their first assignment and tells everyone to partner up. "Ryan do you not have a partner to work with?" "No ma'am I do not". The teacher glances around the room and calls up a student to work with Ryan. "Ryan, this is Josh. He will be working with you today" "Okay, thank you". The two boys pair up and begin communicating. Their talks got more vain as they continued. "So do you play any sports Ryan?" "I use to swim when I was younger but that's about it. I'm not really the sporty type. I know how lame that must've sounded" "Nah man it's all good. I didn't really get all that involved with sports until my sophomore year so i'm not here to judge" "Don't sweat it man, half the people who play sports here don't even know how to play, let alone show up for practice" "Well I may admit, that did make me feel a little better about myself ha-ha" "Don't feel like you need to be a part of a popular sport or club to feel cool, believe me i'm a senior and no one cares what you do at this point in time" "Well, what if the things you do outside of school are weird and people judge you for it?" "Like what?" "I really don't feel comfortable saying it, I don't know" "It can't be all that bad!" "Trust me, it's really strange.." "Ryan you have my word that no matter what comes out of your mouth I will not judge you, I promise i've probably done worse" "Oh really? Like what?" "Well summer of freshmen year going into sophomore year I brought my favorite action figure to school in my backpack. Yeah my friends judged me for it, but that's just a way of life. That doll was like a legit good charm and whenever my friends teased me about it they were the ones getting 60's on their tests while I was getting high A's" "Funny you mention dolls, I collect dolls and write in a journal" "What kind of journal?" "Not the kind that you're probably thinking about" "Oh, well then what kind?" "Well, when I was younger, I went through a rough patch in my life and the only way I could get my thoughts out was to write them because I didn't have many friends and I honestly just couldn't trust the few I had. Everyday I felt judged and hated no matter what I did or where I went. It was like a roller coaster of never ending anxiety. I don't go to parties like normal teenage boys do. I don't do much but go home and sit in my room to listen to some music" "Ryan, I can promise you that we've all been there before. I promise you that now you have nothing to fear about. So what if you keep a journal, if it makes you feel secure then why not?" "That's the main reason why I came into class silent today. If i open my mouth I may say something stupid and it will ruin things" "If anyone ever has anything negative to say about who you are Ryan, you come get me because they have no right talking down upon someone like that. If they can't accept you for whom you are, then they just aren't worth it honestly. The next 4 years in here depict on the person you've set your mind to be" "Thanks Josh, I really appreciate it man, you speak wise words!" "Always here to help buddy, now let's say we make this a great year with no worries and hesitation" "I'm right with you on that one, now let's go ahead and finish this assignment before we get yelled at on the first day of school ha-ha" "Let's do it!"