Austin Cowler, My Story

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The story up until this point was a story of an younger me. That me was over a year ago and since then much has changed. I am a different person, a different individual, a changed person. When I wrote the first 8 chapters of this story, I was in 8th grade, and about to start my freshman year. i am now a sophomore nearing the second semester of the year, and in the past 1 year and 7-9 months I have become an entirely different person. Austin is not my real name, I simply used it before as I was afraid, afraid of the judgement of my peers if they so happened to read that story of an older me. I still fear that judgement, I fear being looked down upon or forgotten, but I am not that simple stereotype that I appeared to be in the earlier chapters of this story.

 I am someone new. somebody who has experienced much vaster reaches of life at 15 than I ever expected to reach by 30. I have been sexually active, having dated 6 people. I have indulged in drugs and drinking, smoking pot with my friends occasionally and drinking just as often. I am not an addict or an alcoholic, I simply use to forget and I use to fit in. I want to be accepted but many times acceptance has come at a price. Usually, a price I am willing to pay but sometimes a price that may cost too much for me too handle.

Regardless, My life is all the better now then it was when I began this story. I am "popular" if that word still holds any legitimate value and I have many friends, I go out and have fun basically every day, and I live my life the way I want, often forgetting of that judgement that I was once so afraid of. My life is good now, I do what I want when I want and it's even that i'm "pushy" or "in power", it's just that I am now free to do as I wish now that I have overcome this long reigning judgement in my life.

I thank those who I have dated, even though a couple of you are not the greatest of people. I thank my friends who have allowed me to overcome and my new friends who joke but don't really care, who don't judge. Life is a laugh to them and it is to me now as well. I enjoy not caring, and to live life for nothing but laughter and to help pass time. I wish to thank my family who have allowed me to do as I wish. And although none of the people listed above will really ever read this story, I still thank them, for they are the ones who have allowed me to do so.

Thank you.