My life changed last summer when I met Dixon Cross.
I was at a sleep-away camp. I had been unpacking my bags and arranging my things in my cabin. My clothes had been put away, and my bed had been made.
I breathed a sigh of relief upon finding out my roommate had ended up having to skip the camp for family reasons. That might sound really mean, but I've never gotten along with roommates. They always avoid me around camp, and gossip about me to their friends. I'll just say it does nothing to help my confidence.
When I finished unpacking, I went to check out the camp. I was out there a long time, and I had gotten lost looking for the mess hall.
That's when I saw him. Dixon, I mean. He walked up to me, and smiled. Nobody ever smiled at me. He asked if I needed any help. Nobody ever offered to help me. I told him I was looking for the mess hall. When we got there, he asked if he could sit with me.
Nobody ever sat with me. But Dixon was different.
We ate and talked. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed a meal. We laughed. Dixon was funny. He was tall, and really thin. Lanky, and gauky are the best words that came to mind. He had acne too, and short dark hair that strongly contrasted his pale, pale skin. I wouldn't envy him after sitting in the sun for very long.
Even though he was obviously a prime target for bullies, he still had the biggest smile I had ever seen. He didn't care what anybody else thought. He was happy being himself. He was extraordinary. He was wonderful.
We spent that summer together, during and after camp. It turned out that he didn't live more that an hour away. I've always liked the seclusion of the woods, and he liked them too. We would go to the woods behind his house, and sit on tree stumps and talk. There was a creek we would fish in sometimes. Whenever we spent time together, Dixon made me feel like a somebody. That was the best summer of my life.
I am happy. I am valued. I am loved. I am not stupid. I am not ugly. I am not a disappointment. I am not nothing.
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I am Nothing
Short Story"Julie Watson. Its a typical name. If you looked on Facebook I'm sure you'd find a gazillion of me. I'm nothing special, unless ugly counts. And yet, there was a time I did feel special..." This is the five page note left by Julie Watson, a self pro...
