Dear World,

I once was a person who lived to hide in the shadows, always there but went unheard. Books and writing were my best friends. Has anyone ever stumbled into your life, unknowing to them knocked your guards down as easy as child blocks and the result of it would change everything? You may not know how it happened, but it did. That's what happened to me, straight as a circle Katie.

I don't remember the date the transgender boy stumbled into my life, it was Summer and we texted about many things. We bonded through Truth or Dare along with chats of books and music. A friendship blossomed, trust grew, and I felt more comfortable with the boy I call Puppy more than I ever had with anyone else. The goofy, punk music family loving fanboy I grew to knew that summer was in a hell I had never known. 7-12-17, "I'm Sorry... Goodbye," never had three words left me so torn apart, internally screaming at myself, trying to stay quiet through muffled tears. I've never been good with words, so coming on an hour before I wouldn't of been able to talk him out of this, I'm thankful someone had managed. Two months later I believed I was a burden on the three people I was close to at school. I ate a third of my lunch, avoided people, and was silent as the dead. I was drowning in darkness, I believed all I did was hurt people, that everyone would be happier if I was dead . . . Only Puppy and my best friend since preschool never giving up on me got me out of my suicidal state.

Whenever I thought of something unpleasant I'd push it away, never having courage to deal with the troubles of my past, my insecurity and self value issues, these are the demons that kept trying to pull me back into depression. I didn't want to be so weak again, I wanted to be the Sunshine my transgender boyfriend called me, I didn't want to push everything away to have a genuine smile, I wanted to be genuinely happy. 

Puppy inspired me to face the chains of my past and problems holding me down to drown. Though those few months I've kept pushing my comfort zone. I let myself feel any emotion that came in the moment rather than ignore anything that'd make me unhappy. Each day I talked with less fear than the day before. Coming to terms with my feelings to my now boyfriend Puppy. Being goofy while wearing the Panther Suite at an award assembly. I go out of my comfort zone because I want him to be as proud of me as I am of him. From being the school mascot, acting as Neptune durning our Italian class dinner, to the School Shooting Protest I'm planning with two other local schools. I found my voice from an unlikely friendship that changed my world.

Love, percyjacksonbooksfan