Living in Massachusetts I though I had life made, until I heard the most awful news ever "We're moving to Florida." I thought I was going to be sick, I had to say goodbye to all my friends that I grew up with. As we drove away from the state, I knew I could start over and try to make new friends, but I stepped in during the time where everyone already knew each other, and they were already set in their ways with their own friends, and there was no room for "the new girl." I was verbally abused constantly everyday through out Middle School, I continued to miss school and my grades dropped instantly, my parents always wondered why and told me I could never miss another day of school, so I went back, and bared the pain until the school day was over, a week of school felt like it just went on forever, I just could not wait until the weekend. I managed to pull up my grades and moved on to High School with my class. I felt like it was a new change, that kids were going to be nicer because it was an older crowd, and everyone was more mature, I couldn't have been more wrong. It just got worse as the school years went on, I was still verbally abused, as well as physically, though it was nothing bad, I felt like crawling in a hole and never coming out, I had no friends to turn to, I was by myself. I would skip out on classes, or just not go to school some days, my grades dropped dramatically. It wasn't until my Senior year when I broke down and told my parents about it, because I just didn't know what to do anymore. Through out all of this, I have hurt myself repeatedly, and just never told anyone until now. After repeating my Junior year, I finally graduated, I finally was able to move on and make something of myself, though I never did go to College, because I was afraid of going back to anything that had to do with School, I started to go to unsigned band shows, where I instantly made a connection with everyone in the band, and the other kids who went. I finally have made friends who I could talk to and share my love of music with. After getting more horrible news of "we're moving back to Massachusetts." I thought to myself, great I have to leave my friends again after finally not being considered as the new girl. But in the back of my mind, I thought I could pick up where I started, and find all my friends that I was in grade school with, even though I missed that critical stage of the "growing up" years, and I was wrong again. I never made one friend for a year so I started hurting myself, again. After seeing my friends band from Florida, I thought to myself, I have to find another band. After playing detective, I found one, and went to a show, and thought I didn't connect as fast as I did the first time, after awhile, I found more bands, and made an instant connection again. Since then I have not hurt myself, and I still have friends to this day. I found my peace with music and people who share the same joy for it. And I just want to thank a few bands for being there for me, when they didn't even know they were.

-Anonymous