Entering the teenage years
Full of dreams and hopes and fears
What should I wear? What should I do?
Confused and lost; Who is who?

Classes are so hard to pass
There's the tardy bell, I'm late for class
Why is that girl staring at me?
What if I have to do more than pee?

Should I eat the food, or is that uncool?
It is so hard going to school.
Suddenly, boys look good to me
If I fix my hair, maybe he'll see

My jeans are tight, my shirt's cut low
Head to the door, ready to go
Don't want to ride to school with Dad
He embarrasses me and makes me mad

I would rather ride the bus
On there is where I learned to cuss
School is no longer a place to learn
Here people are popular and you yearn

Being their friend would be so great
Alas, I'm a nerd, being teased is my fate
I'm a geek playing in the band
No one will notice me in high school land

That boy I like is coming over
I hope I don't smell like my dog, Rover
He's coming closer, I'm so scared
I must stop playing with my hair

Here he is, and walking on
I look at my best friend and groan
My love doesn't know that I'm alive
In swimming class, I'm on the high dive

The coach wants me on the team
I'm so excited I could scream
That boy I like is on it, too
Oh, crap! Now just what do I do?

Do I speak or wait for him
Coach tells me get in the pool and swim
I'm lost in thought, my mind's not here
He is swimming towards me, coming near

I know it's me he's coming to
There is no one else for him to talk to
He comes up and says he liked my dive
My heart has stopped, I'm not alive

I stutter thank you and look away
He says it's nearly the end of the day
I agree and wait for more
That is when he opens the door

He asked my favorite ice cream flavor
For a moment, I just waver
Finally, I tell him cotton candy
He agrees that flavor is quite dandy

Would I like to get some after school?
I tell him that would be very cool
He says he will meet me in front of the school
I slip as I'm getting out of the pool

I feel so embarrassed, I looked like an idiot
I'm so humiliated that I want to vomit
The boy comes over to check on me
He says I have a bleeding knee

He gets a bandage and helps me out
I want to scream and cry and pout
We went for ice cream and had fun
We talked and found things in common a ton

He drove me home and kissed my cheek
It really made my knees feel weak
High school can be great if you have an "in"
If some cool person makes you their friend

Otherwise, it can be hell
And you can't get out by ringing the bell
Lots of kids are bullied and teased
The bullies go free and parents are displeased

We kids though, know how things will go
Authority figures put on a show
Bullies continue to have their way
I certainly hope there will come a day

When bullying is handled as a serious crime
And the bullies are treated like putrid slime
Kids that are bullied go through complete hell
They try to hide away in their shells

They try to remain out of sight
And they hope to do everything right
One slip is all that a bully needs you to make
Then in the teasing and beating they will partake

Until something is done about what happens every day
We will continue to lose good kids in the worst way
When you head into those teenage years
Full of dreams and hopes and fears

Be a good person along the way
Treat everyone nicely every day
Some kid right next to you may be going through hell
And maybe they have no one to tell

Be a friend - show love, kindness, and concern
A wonderful new friend you may earn
By simply asking if they are okay
You might save their life today

That kid might have felt that the only way to make it stop
Would be for them to grab pills and pop
Or commit some other atrocious act
That might cause people to react

Teen suicide is a major issue
Some of their stories make you grab a tissue
I was one of those strange kids
I tried to shrink and to stay hid

But that doesn't always work
And other kids can be such jerks
I won't lie, those thoughts crossed my mind
Because other kids were so unkind

I made it through and came out the other side
No longer from my bullies do I need to run and hide
Stand up for those that can't stand for themselves
And show them they don't have to stay in their shells

Be kind to others, do what's right
Defend these kids with all your might
Be a good person like you were meant to be
And a truer friend you may never, ever see