My parents always said, "Looks aren't everything." That's a lot to say for them because their generation is so much different from mine. I have had acne since 2nd grade. It wasn't because of "growth." It was just because my genetics were that way, acne came at an early age for my entire family. At school, people used to ask me if I took showers. They would tell me that I smelled. But I didn't really, I was fine, they said that because of my acne. I got handed a ProActiv coupon in 5th grade, and was told to go buy some if my family couldn't afford the real price. The funny thing is, is that I already tried ProActiv. I tried Neutrogena. I tried Clean & Clear, nothing helped me. I went to dermatologists, doctors, anyone that could help me. In 4th grade, I got glasses, I was excited for glasses! I thought the pair that I picked was really cute! They were blue. Then, I got called four eyes. At first, I thought they were joking around, but they weren't. Then, in 5th grade I got braces. So we have three nicknames for me by this point, zitface, four eyes, and brace face. I cried to my parents all of the time, they called the office, the office did nothing. In 5th grade, I was asked out by a girl. I have nothing against homosexuals, I have friends who are this way, and I love them to the fullest extent. And I don't let anyone talk any crap about them. Well, when this girl asked me out, I kindly denied, it didn't make me hate her or anything. But then she started making rumors about me, maybe to get me back. She told the office I cussed during art and said the entire class should go "somewhere." She approached me and said that I was going to be suspended so I should just go and confess anyway, and then she acted like she was going to slap me. It was more of a threat than an attack. I went to the bathroom and sat in a stall and I cried. It was scary, what proof did the office have that I didn't say it? Twenty minutes later, my teacher came in looking for me, she got me out and we went to the office. I told her everything this girl had been doing, and later I found out she was treating other girls this way too. I knew I wasn't going to be alone in this. This girl kicked my violin, and threw my stuff around, and always made fun of me. After recess one day, I started to have an anxiety attack. She told the teacher I told the counselor about what she had been doing. And the teacher asked me if this was true. I said no, and begged to go to the nurse. She didn't let me. Twenty minutes later, I begged again. I was hyperventilating and crying. When I finally went down there, I was forced to talk to a counselor about this, and my mom was called because I could barely breathe. That girl got suspended.

Middle school was pretty good for me. But for other students it wasn't so good. I watched a student get bullied in my classes, and the teacher did nothing. There came a day I stood up for him, I told them off, even the people who were my friends I got mad at. That didn't work though, they just got angry with me but continued to pick on him. I know the consequences of bullying for the victim. It ends in suffering, self-harm, and in some cases death. I was afraid he might get hurt. So I became his best friend. People asked me why I talked to him, I said it was because he was really nice. No one stopped hurting him though. People pushed him, and punched him, he was very short, so people could pick him up. I was always there to make them stop though. I was so tired of this though. I went home, and I started to cry for him because I didn't want his 3 years in middle school to be so rough. My mom drove me back to school and I told the principal. The principal took him out of the 8th hour he had with me and into a class called Teen Connect. He hated it at first, but I was still one of his best friends. When Christmas came around, he knew I collected rocks, I thought they were cool. He bought me a special rock and told me I should add it to my collection. Also, he invited me to a Christmas party his Teen Connect class held. The thing that bothers me is that, he is such a nice and funny person, but people pick on him constantly. No one takes a second of their day to say hello, how are you? They just pass him and call him a name. It's terrible that no one gets to know how wonderful he is to talk to.

I wrote a persuasive essay in 5th grade on bullying. I just want it to stop.