We don't need to be intimidated

Kendall L. Slee

At school, I had a reputation for being quiet and shy. The junior high school I attended was larger than my elementary school, and sometimes it was intimidating. There seemed to be all kinds of cliques, or groups of people who would hang out together. The people in each group dressed and acted alike—in ways that distinguished one group from another.

Some of the groups seemed always to be looking for someone to pick on. They would make fun of you because they didn't like your hair or your clothes, or because they thought you were too fat, too tall, or too studious.

We had assigned seats in my science class, and I got stuck sitting in front of Kate, who led one of these groups. I usually tried to avoid Kate. She always seemed to be looking for a fight. It wasn't long before she and her friends were bored with science class. They started putting little wads of paper in my hair and giggling.

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