I, along with what I'm sure is a number of other people, had a bad childhood. My mom wasn't in the house much, my dad was not a role-model, and my sisters were busy dealing with the same problems. School was a desperate battle between poor grades and a poor social standing. For much of elementary school, I had one friend. I was looked upon as a fat, shy, not-too-bright product of Sci-Fi novels and video games, an image that would stick with me for much of my youth. At age 12, I began considering suicide as an alternative to suffering through the wrath of my disappointed parents and unrelenting peers. I spent entire nights mapping out in my head what I wanted my last words to the world to sound like. Would they be kindly? Angry? Would I curse the world to live knowing that somewhere along the line they had unknowingly driven one of their own to the point of self-destruction? I, the tragic martyr of thirteen years? I never committed a word of it to paper. Holding on to what I could, I kept my hopes up and, at the beginning of 8th grade, was informed that we would be moving to Arizona at the end of middle school. It has been four years, and I can say without a doubt that with the support of my friends, I am the best man I could be right now. I'm happy. The worst of what's to come in my life will always be conquerable, and the best of it will always be something to look forward to. I want to share this because it is time, with graduation approaching, to absolve myself of my past and move continually forward. I owe it all to my friends. There is nothing more for me to dwell on when I'm unhappy, nothing more to hold me back from taking chances. There is nothing to be afraid of. Thank you.