It made me strong.I took a step back, near my whole self in the mirror.I pushed back my shoulders and raised my chin, my back straight as an arrow.

Gym should be illegal. It's humiliating.

Can't escape pain, kiddo. Battle through it and you get stronger.

The stars whirled above us and the firecrackers blazed. The moon stood watch as drops of blood fell, careless seeds that sizzled in the snow.

It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.

A little kid asks my dad why that man is chopping down the tree. Dad: He's not chopping it down. He's saving it. Those branches were long dead from disease. All plants are like that. By cutting off the damage you make it possible for the tree to grow again. You watch - by the end of summer, this tree will be the strongest on the block.

I pushed my ragged mouth against the mirror. A thousand crushed bleeding lips pushed back at me.