i believe

I Believe

When I was fifteen years old, I scurried away from home. My parents picked me up at the police station and I was horrified of what they might say. On the way home there was not a single word uttered. After what seemed like a life time, we arrived home. My father said to me, “Son, you don’t know how much what you have done has hurt your mom and me.

Thinking back on this moment, I wonder what was pacing through their heads. The day came a year later, when we would talk about why and what was going on. Pondering the events, I contemplated all that my parents have sacrificed for me to grow and succeed, that I took for granted.

After talking on the subject and how it affected us, I promised to myself, that I would be a more caring and loving son. And even above that, I would be an outstanding person. I swore on my life that I would put a little bit of me, in everything that I did. I would change someone’s life. I believed, for this first time in my life, I could change someone’s life for the better.

Since the first grade, I was one of the few who would associate with the “outcasts”. My mother always said I had a big heart, and I planned on making it show. I planned on making a difference. I would always be nice to everyone, even if I didn’t like them at first, I would give them a chance.

In fifth grade, there was a young man by the name of Stephen. He would always pick on kids smaller than him, and those he saw as inferior. I tried to become friends, or talk to him. Yet he was bigger, so he ruled over me. As the year continued, he transferred his hate from me, to Justin, a small mentally handicapped boy.

For me and my close friends, Justin was a fun, friendly kid. He would never harm a fly, or put himself before anyone. For Stephen, Justin was inferior, when realy; Justin was more of a man than he would ever be.

Stephen’s frequent assaults on Justin would either be physical, like pushing or slaps. Or verbal, name calling and cussing. It started small, about once a day. But as things picked up, so did the severity. It started to be every time Stephen saw Justin; he would come and push him, to where Stephen would purposely seek out Justin, just to have someone to pick on.

After a while, my two closest friends and I had had enough. One day at recess, we confronted Stephen on his actions, telling him it was not the right thing to do. He laughed and walked away. The next day, the same thing. Telling him that he did not have the right to pick on someone because of a handicap, and him doing so, just should how little of a person he is.

Finally, after bugging Stephen for about a week, things got real. Stephen brought many rings and brass knuckles to school, intending to hurt my friends and I. Luckily, a teacher was informed, and he was taken to the office, and was suspended. The school year ended, and he moved to Nevada.

As for Justin, my friends and I still talk to him to this day, in the halls at school. He tells me that I have been his best friend for years, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am glad that I could have a positive outcome on someone’s life. And I am glad that he feels I have helped him through his.

For me, I believe in helping those who are in need. A kind of protection. I believe that persistence overcomes fear. I believe that people can change for the better. I believe in friends.