Got to Be Bad to Be Cool

Life as a 13-year-old is hard. There is a lot of responsibility. Everyone wants you to be perfect. Some people want you to get a job at the age of 13. Thirteen is the beginning of a different stage of life.

When you're 13, your interest in girls changes. You start wanting them to do stuff for you. Plus, your girlfriend has to be pretty. Also, she has to know how to fight because I don't want her to be getting punked and then I have to jump in. So that's what I pretty much like in a girl.

At 13 most teens like sports. They want to be the best on the team, but there is always somebody better than you. I like to play basketball the most because all you have to do is put the ball in the basket. Football I like because you get to hit people that are talking trash. The only way you can get to play sports is if you get a good education.

Being 13 is very hard at school. I have to be bad in order to be considered cool. I sometimes do things that aren't good. I have talked back to my teachers and been disrespectful to them. I do want to be good, but it's just too hard. Since I've been in junior high, I have been to four different schools. Some schools really tried to help me, but I had been suspended so many times they just had to kick me out. I go to a school now that I like, and I'm really trying to do better. It's still hard because I don't know anybody. I want to go back to my old schools so I can see my friends graduate.