Through many recent conversations with my dad, I’ve heard stories about people he knew from high school whose lives just went down the drain. Some from mental breakdowns due to depression or bi-polar disorder, some who turned to alcohol, some who turned to drugs, some who just completely let themselves go and lost all hope and did nothing with their lives, and some just completely disappeared. 

This reality terrifies me. I mean there are a lot of people who get on my nerves in my class, but they are all still happy kids. People who have hope and dreams, and seeing anyone lose that would kill me. It would be even worse if it was one of my close friends. 

High school is such a euphoric place. We all think we’re grown ups but we haven’t seen shit. I want to always remember these people as happy, care-free teenagers who had their whole lives ahead of them.

I just really hope that I never have to witness any bad things happen to any of them, but I’m sure I will, and it is a really scary thought.