To Be Loved or To Be Hated

To Be Loved or To Be Hated

My belief has helped me to keep strong through my teenage years; I believe that “it is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you aren’t.”(Andre Gide) I had to choose if to live by this or not in fifth grade. I had just moved to Rocklin. At first everything was okay, of course there were little clique’s, the biggest, I think, was in my class. But then about half way through the year this new girl moved to my school and she was put in my class. All the girls that were popular surrounded her and instead of letting her join their clique; it was as if she let the clique join her.

She was the cool girl because she wore make-up and cursed. Everyone looked up to her, but I didn’t, I was the opposite of everything she was. I was the fat geeky girl that no one liked, I was nice but at the same time I didn’t accept certain things other people said that I didn’t agree on. I still got my chance to join the group. I didn’t. I wasn’t like the new girl who could curse and label people because of the way they dressed or acted. I wanted to be liked but I couldn’t go against what I believed. When the “new” girl saw that I ignored her and that I didn’t act like her or followed her around, she started picking on me and then, afterwards, her friends, the old popular girls, followed her example.

The group split up when seventh grade began, but as you probably know, usually the people that were popular in elementary school go on to be popular through middle and high school. Even though the group split up, the ex clique members still greet each other with respect today. I’m not picked on anymore but, whenever the girls that were in the clique pass me by they still look down on me and then they turn away, but I don’t care because “It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you aren’t.”