Photo Credit: Kayley Ellis

17: Fall in love with your absolute best friend after countless heartbreaks, finally meeting your real best friend, and understanding what true friendship is.

16: Experience the worst pain of your life losing your father figure, not knowing how your life would go on, and drop out of school.

15: Experience your first time losing someone close to you and starting to heal.

14: Start at yet another school and finally have a glow up at least.

13: Experience bullies for the first time, not wanting to go to school, and hating it.

12: Understanding why your bio dad left; feeling like a disappointment.

11: Finally getting to move back in with mom after a long five-year case; finally getting justice for your little brother.

10: Starting at a new school this one being two-hours away from home and making a new friend who just so happens to be your neighbor.

9: Meeting your mom’s new boyfriend not understanding why you don’t like him you never trusted many men.

8: Sexual assault happened. Your life changed forever and the way you look at men – something that will forever cause issues.

7: Move to a brand new house. Move away from your hometown.

6: Depression starts. It doesn’t have a name, you just remember being sad all the time and very scared to tell anyone how you feel or what’s going on.

5: Second brother is born.

4,3,2, and 1 I don’t remember but that’s okay, because here are the steps to being me!

Words from the Author – Kayley Ellis

I decided to write this piece after we had shared a “Things to Being Me” list as a writing prompt. I am very proud of this piece as it took a lot of courage and trust to open up and name it step-by-step.

Revision Decision:

I honestly did not change anything except a couple spelling errors. The reason I did this is because it describes me perfectly, so I let it be because it’s about me I can’t change the stuff that has happened in my life.